American Spa recently hosted a virtual roundtable with a select group of Texas-based spa directors. In attendance were Hubert Bazan, spa director of Mokara Spa at Mokara Hotel & Spa (San Antonio); Amy Bell, spa director at Mokara Spa at Omni PGA Frisco Resort (TX); LeBrina Johnson, owner and director of Escape Spa (Cypress, TX); Laura Krohn, spa director at Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness at La Cantera Resort & Spa (San Antonio); Shana Ominsky, spa director at LakeHouse Spa at Lake Austin Spa Resort (TX); and Allison Williams, spa director at Spa Viata at Hotel Viata (West Lake Hills, TX). The roundtable was moderated by Nicole Altavilla, head of content for American Spa.
The conversation touched on a number of topics, including trends, challenges, and what clients are looking for most today.
Nicole Altavilla: What challenges are you facing in the industry today?
Allison Williams: “Staffing and recruiting is a challenge. Business is not an issue, as people are ready to come back post-pandemic, but staying competitive after losing more than one-fourth of the industry last year of the providers, has been my biggest challenge with opening this particular property. This is my fourth opening in my career and I’ve never experienced anything like it. I have more appointments than I know what to do with on the weekends and I’m constantly trying to get more staff.”
NA: What trends are you seeing right now?
Laura Krohn: “The big thing right now is technology and touchless services. We’re about to put in two experience loungers in an area that is not currently making money. I’m also seeing an uptick in a willingness to add more alternative add-ons to treatments, like bio mats, gemstone technology, and infrared technology. And there seems to be a big surge in services and products related to hair growth and hair stimulation.”
Shana Ominsky: "The all-inclusive experience has been really, really popular."
NA: What are your clients looking for today?
LK: "Because we do have a lot of couples and pregnant women, that's what I'm catering to. We offer a lot of massage, unique offerings, upgrades, things that we can do within the massage. And then the couples experiences. We're fortunate we have really cool intentional spaces in our spa. We have what's call the grotto, we have a sky loft, and then we have cabanas, so we've got areas that we can create unique programming and we've been able to do that for the couples' experiences and they're constantly booked. We just launched a babymoon package, which includes a massage, lunch, and a book that's about baby massage to take home."
LeBrina Johnson: “We are a standalone spa with a wine bar, so we see a lot of social wellness. The average group that comes in is about three to four women at a time. Also, add-ons and enhancements. When guests come in and get the enhancement card at the front, they keep checking the boxes. They just want more. They want more time in the spa after treatments to relax."
SO: “I am surprised at how much people are spending on retail. We carry very high-end lines, but there seems to be no pushback. I’m seeing so much money spent on retail and self-care today.”
Hubert Bazan: “Our guests want longer services. We offer 50-, 80-, and 100-minute services and I’m seeing that our 80- and 100-minute services are being booked more often. Whether it’s the Knesko mask or a CBD upgrade, they just want something extra to make the service feel better for them and help us meet their expectations."
NA: What is the state of the market today for your business?
LK: "We've seen a huge uptake in our recreation activities for groups for team-building fun. We also cater a lot to couples and pregnant women, so we do a lot of programming to support how we can continue to engage that market."
AW: "We have a signature suite, which is essentially a spa within a spa here at our hotel in addition to the main spa. Most groups want to reserve that. They want to make sure that they have a space to have their spa day."
HB: "Three years ago, we had more Baby Boomers and Generation X regulars coming in as our spa guests. Now we've got more 20-somethings coming in. It's funny because it's not just them coming in a small group or coming in by themselves, but they'll come in with their grandparents or they'll come in with their parents and have a bonding moment in the spa. I've see a grandson and a grandfather sitting down in the relaxation lounge talking and and just enjoying themselves, getting that good bonding moment and relaxation."
NA: Are you planning any fun summer promotions to attract clients this year?
LK: "We're launching an after-hours opportunity for locals. Right now, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we close at 6 p.m. In the summer, we're considering opening until 8 p.m. to have normal programming and normal services available. We plan to launch after hours and open up the spa for amenity use and pool use and keep the bar and the cafe open. We get a lot of our guests that come into enjoy a cocktail, whether they're staying with us or not, that's part of their unwind, so we're really excited about that. After we came back from COVID, we had to limit access for locals on the weekends because we have to cater to the resort guest, so now we can give back something to them."
SO: "We're doing an adult summer camp, which utilizes everything around the resort, including the spa. So, guests can accomplish the paddleboard challenge in the lake, get a Hydrafacial, and listen to guest speakers. Guests receive little merit badges and afterward they get something to put all the badges on. It's really going to be fun."
AW: "Last summer, we didn't have our pool the entire summer. This year, we have new pool cabanas and we're launching a membership program. It goes beyond just the spa, it's a membership program for our whole hotel, incorporating every amenity that we have to offer. We'll also be doing a lot of spa packages that are catered around the pool because we have our brand new cabanas out there."