[Images: Courtesy Little Creek Casino Resort]Located in Little Creek Casino Resort, the Seven Inlets Spa is a cozy sanctuary dedicated to the Squaxin Island Tribe’s roots. Authentic tribal art abounds throughout the space, and services incorporate indigenous elements, such as the spa’s signature skin care formulated with native plants and aromas including cedar, sage and wild seagrass.
The resort recently underwent a full renovation, completed in August 2017, and the spa received a much-needed refresh that included new shelving and lighting, and doors separating the back of the spa from the reception and retail areas. All services bear unique details: heated pads for the feet; small hot stones placed between the toes; facial massages with gentle Cetaphil lotion; and warmed, cushioned massage tables.
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Pretty signage and displays featuring Seven Inlets’ retail and skin care are ever-present and effective, but the spa’s marketing efforts don’t stop there. “We’re on billboards all over Puget Sound, and have ads on buses that say, ‘Follow me to Little Creek Resort and Seven Inlets Spa,’ to let locals know they don’t need a hotel reservation to book an appointment. We do pre-recorded radio spots, and work with a PR agency that handles most of our social media,” says spa manager Sally Perkins. “I’d like to improve our in-room marketing, and add some signage out front because people milling around the resort may not realize that they’re passing right by the spa.” Despite this, the manager reports plenty of walk-ins. When the spa is booked, she often upsells these clients a mani/pedi while they wait.
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“I want to engage my staff in owning their roles,” notes Perkins. “If you can love and stand behind what you do, your guests will feel that passion—and feel their experience completely.” To that end, she focuses on positivity and communication. “I keep track of favorable comment cards that the technicians receive, and we review them together. That’s one of the most fun parts of the job,” says Perkins. “There are also built-in commissions that provide incentives for selling add-ons and retail, and just going the extra mile for clients. Spa management can adjust that as needed, if an employee goes above and beyond.”
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“The Classic Swedish Massage (50 min./$80; 80 min./$120) is our No. 1 seller because guests don’t have to think about it—they just get to relax,” reports Perkins. “The Totten Hot Stone Therapy (50 min./$125; 80 min./$175) is a close runner-up for massages. Everyone loves the hot stones, even in summer.” Regarding skin services, she notes that clients enjoy the Organic Customized Facial (60 min./$140), tailored to specific concerns; and the AHA Peeling Treatment (60 min./$140; 90 min./$175) featuring warming Hungarian paprika. (Both services use Ilike Organic Skin Care products.)
The Goods
In addition to Ilike Organic Skin Care, the spa utilizes and retails products from Eminence, FarmHouse Fresh, Jane Iredale, DreamTime, Always Native, EuroSpa, Chi Haircare, Mae Mae Jewelry and its Seven Inlets Signature Line.
–by Laura Waldon
