American Spa recently hosted a virtual roundtable with a select group of Los Angeles-area spa directors. In attendance were Adam Estrella, area spa director, Pacific Waters Spa at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa (CA); Alison Kirsten, director of spa operations, Fairmont Spa at Fairmont Century Plaza (Los Angeles); Alina Medyanikova, spa director, Conrad Spa at Conrad Los Angeles; Amanda Raich, director of spa, La Prairie Spa at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (CA); and Daniel Spencer, director of spa, Sunstone Spa at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage (CA). The roundtable was moderated by Nicole Altavilla, head of content for American Spa.
The conversation touched on a number of topics, including what it is like to open a spa in Los Angeles, challenges spas are facing today, and the expectations clients have when they visit a spa post-pandemic.
Nicole Altavilla: In today’s challenging business environment, what is it like to open a spa in Los Angeles?
Alina Medyanikova: “Opening Conrad Spa at Conrad Los Angeles was my first opening and it was also a new flagship Conrad, the only Conrad on the West Coast. There was a lot on the line, and a lot of really interesting moving parts. It took so much research to really understand the demographic, the location, and essentially what the guests are looking for. But, for me personally, it was the most fulfilling experience ever. And I’ve volunteered myself for more openings because I absolutely enjoyed it. As a leader in a pre-opening, you have to be very adaptable. Things are thrown at you and things change all the time. You just have to roll with the punches, so to speak.”
Daniel Spencer: “Supply chains were an issue for us. Those are starting to finally calm down, but it added layers of stress, a little bit more pre-planning, and ordering things a lot sooner than anticipated. Staffing was another challenge. Here in the desert, because it’s like the spa mecca, there’s always somebody who wants to work in a spa. But, it’s still difficult filling certain key positions, like spa attendants. Other than that, being able to be creative with the project has been fabulous. The resort has so much history. It’s located on the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, so it has a museum next to it. We work a lot with them to create a really good story within this spa.”
NA: How are you handling today’s staffing challenges and what other challenges are you facing today?
Adam Estrella: “One of the things I’ve tried to focus in on is looking at health and wellness for staff and engaging with them. Younger generations are recommending their friends to come into the hospitality market. I think it’s really great to be able to open their eyes to what potential development is for them, either going into esthetics or massage or into management roles, and trying to help them improve as to what direction that they want to go to, but it can be a challenge. Also challenging is trying to get new equipment and linen shortages. It’s really about staying on a lot of the vendors’ radar. It used to be the opposite where they’re always communicating. Now spa directors have to manage that relationship for things that they need.”
Amanda Raich: "I never thought in my day that my conversations with vendors would start with, 'What is your lead time?' So now I know who I can go to based on lead time versus who I might have gone with in the past. Inflation, the stockage shortages, they really hurt when you're trying to be as profitable as possible and stretch in all areas."
NA: Can you tell me a pivotal moment in your career when you've had to make a big decision and how did that decision affect your career?
Alison Kirsten: "I was affected by COVID and the shutdowns. I ended up moving to the East Coast. I'd never really lived on the East Coast before, so it was quite a cultural shift. But looking in hindsight, it was probably the best thing that I ever did because it just gave me more perspective on the business out there versus on the West Coast, which is very different and definitely taught me survival and how to overcome adversity in a really tough world."
NA: Where do you think the industry is heading? What kind of trends are you seeing?
Amanda Raich: “Hilton did a really big emerging trends 2023 report. Travelers want to connect with the local culture and take time to completely unplug. Fifty percent said that when they’re looking at hotels now, they’re looking for mental and physical wellness, as well. That’s something that we’ve really looked at because we’ve all been so caught up in the day-to-day of what’s happening that now we need to step back and focus on the big picture. How do we expand spa out of just the four walls in the spa and incorporate the entire hotel? We have a phenomenal fitness center, but we’re switching out pieces so that it’s more functional versus what traditionally used to be for training. We’re doing complimentary wellness classes on the rooftop. We’ve just invested in an infrared sauna and plunge pool that we’re going to put into one of the cabanas and convert a pool cabana into a wellness experience. We are now spreading all throughout the hotel, even though we’re a city hotel. Wellness for our guests is really important. For me, it’s been looking at ways to be innovative, have connection, and drive wellness throughout the entire property.”
Alison Kirsten: “It seems like everyone’s looking for an ongoing global reset. We’ve been really focused on biohacking. I think self-care has now become self-preservation; that’s how people are looking at it. I feel like spa has kind of become a lifestyle extension and social spa-ing is a big trend. We have a big spa and people are coming here for social interaction. I also think guests are looking for nourishment and healing in nature. They’re coming for self-care. They’re coming for sleep and not to be putting toxins in their body. They want self-preservation.”
Adam Estrella: "I think the consumer has changed a lot. They have gotten a lot of information that they might have not have focused in on if it wasn't for the pandemic. They definitely looked at more of healthy type of lifestyle and we're no longer having to introduce them to an idea and get them to believe in it. They've done the research. Engagement with the guest is a lot deeper now. We're also re-imagining spaces inside of the spa, looking at mixed-use spaces, incorporating touchless therapy, and looking at different partnerships like bringing in somebody to do IV injectables, cool sculpting, and microneedling.
Daniel Spencer: "Guests are a little more intrigued by offerings that sound interesting, like float pods and IV therapy. Usually, you go to different places to get those. Spas that have those offerings all in one place attract clients because they think, 'I'm here already and I've never tried a float pod. You have one, so let's try it out.' So instead of it just being about going to a fancy spa, it's more about what is the experience going to be and what amenities are there."