Make no mistake about it, 2022 has become a breakout year for many reasons, unfortunately, not all of them are good ones. Wellness facilities are busy serving the needs of their guests, supply chain product issues have eased a bit, and the industry is finding workarounds for the staff shortages that were hampering growth. However, this year, we are also dealing with uncertainty in our financial sectors, inflation, soaring food and gas prices, an unpredictable air travel industry, and more. While it’s clear that these positives and negatives will affect all of our businesses, there is much you can do to be prepared going forward. Embracing some of the new technological innovations being offered in our industry may help spur your business and thwart any slowdowns that some of the external factors may have on our industry.
One sector of technology that can help the spa industry continue to grow is artificial intelligence (AI). In the hospitality industry, AI is already extremely helpful with booking reservations, budgeting, scheduling staff, and more. In fact, with the amount of AI that hotels and rental car companies are using, especially in the reservation and checkout process, once you install their app, you essentially don’t need to interact with anyone. In the spa channel, we can utilize technology to assist our guests with scheduling, selecting treatments and therapists, and payment all in advance. Post-treatment, they can provide their feedback and rebook another treatment, all without having to touch anything and with minimal staff cost to the spa owner.
AI can also help improve your facility’s retail business. Dermalogica’s Face Mapping skin analysis tool is a good example. Here, AI is being used right from the camera on a phone and through an app to help people choose the right skincare, which is great considering we’re still short on therapists. The user gets an analysis of their skin and recommendations for skincare. You can also try mimicking the grocery store self-checkout procedure in your facility’s retail space. With the guest’s credit card already on file, invite them to simply scan the item directly from the shelf they would like to purchase, pay, and leave.
Another form of AI technology our industry can use to improve business is wearable technology. Most of us wear some form of wearable technology every day, from our watches to myriad health trackers. In fact, in many spas, the key to your locker is now wearable. Given that we are already using wearables and phones to text to accept, change, and reschedule appointments, wellness facilities that are accepting of new technology will stay profitable in a more competitive environment.
However, not all technology is AI. The team at Spa Space has developed a way to help facility owners fill in gaps in their schedule for appointments, find staff, handle payroll, and it’s all done from an app.
Another way the tech sector can help our industry to continue to grow even during a period of staff shortage is through automated and virtual reality (VR) services. After having been to more than a dozen trade events this year and countless consulting trips, it’s clear that automated services is a growing industry. Recently, at the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference (IECSC) and the ISPA Conference, I saw several new vendors and a lot of innovation and technology in this sector. For example, devices from Therabody, manufacturers of Theragun and the brand-new Therabody Lounger, will be standard equipment in wellness facilities around the globe. With VR services, therapies can use light and sound to give the user the feeling of a fully immersive experience. Spa owners have the ability to make the client’s experience greater without using or taxing staff.
Technology is a category I like to define as “crawl, walk, run.” Take it at your own pace, but be open to changes and new approaches to increase business and profitability.
Since 2010, Allan Share has been the president of the Spa Industry Association (SIA) and an acknowledged leader in the spa industry. He has been a manufacturer, distributor, and consultant in the spa channel for 33 years and currently is the unofficial (and unpaid) mayor of the spa channel. You can reach him at [email protected].