Ever wished you could take the goodness and pleasures of a spa experience or wellness holiday home? It’s time to rejoice as your wish has been granted! With spa goers always looking for ‘something different’ and ‘something more’ to satiate their hunger for wellness, spas are pushed to take their healing experience to the next level with after care. In a bid to attract new demographics as well as maintain a loyal customer base, spas have turned the spotlight on ‘post treatment communication & care and relationship building’.
Beyond spa room
In the past, a holiday in a luxury hotel with a few massages and some pampering was adequate. However today, the spa goers look at an all over experience that gives a boost to their otherwise stressed life. They look for a complete programme to suit their needs and meet their goals. A programme that not only teaches them how to slow down and relax but also keeps them updated with latest researches in health & fitness, guiding their body and mind inside and outside the spa.
Demand for the spas that are willing to go an extra mile to extend the care for their connoisseurs has seen a remarkable rise, making ‘post treatment care’ a prominent part of a spa programme. “Post-treatment care opens the door to the knowledge that there is no quick-fix solution to problems such as chronic physical tensions, mental stress and poor quality skin that may have taken years to develop. People need a strategy that extends beyond the treatment room where they can take control of the changes and actions required to create the positive change for the better,” declares J Tara Herron, Director, The Imperial Spa and Salon, Delhi.
The holistic approach
As more and more people are increasing their number of trips to wellness destinations in a year, spa retreats are striving to take their experience a notch up with a 360 degree approach to health and fitness. After all, a wellness holiday is all about people taking charge of your health and making major lifestyle changes that help you combat stress and prevent the symptoms of chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Targeting the stress and lifestyle related problems, modern spa menus are featuring programmes like detox, weight loss, stress management, work-life balance, posture realignment, inner reflection, fitness boot camps and healthy culinary journey that are more like an investment in one’s health. Along with soul-nourishing massages, these programmes include dedicated classes in yoga, meditation, pranayama, pilates, Ayurveda and healthy cooking, where valuable knowledge is imparted by the experts so that clients can learn and incorporate the tips in their regular lifestyle to enhance the health effects after the trip as well.
Care with customization
Today, wellness goes hand in hand with customization. Understanding individual requirements has become the need of the hour. The clients are encouraged to share their concerns, needs and expectations from a spa experience that in turn allows spas to design a ‘tailor-made’ programme that suits their needs. This also helps spas understand what the guest needs in terms of aftercare and advice.
Renowned for its result-oriented wellness prgorammes, Chiva Som has been enhancing the spa experiences of its patrons through personalization for years now. Kullachat Settajit, Assistant Public Relations Manager, Chiva Som Thailand informs, “All Chiva-Som programmes are customized for the individual’s lifestyle. By attending our health and wellness consultation, guests’ health status, short and long term needs are addressed, and they are given a specially designed programme with appropriate activities recommended by our advisor, with which we help them reach their goal of achievements during and after stay with us. We also design a detailed program with exercise and food follow-up for them to once they return home in order to prolong the benefits of their stay with us and bring about lasting changes.”
A click away
From answering client’s fitness related queries to sharing latest list of superfoods, spas have cut the distance between clients and wellness – it’s just a click away now! “Wellness is a way of life. It must be sustained in order to provide long term benefits, which is why we keep in touch with all our regular guests. We provide all our guests, who sign up for wellness programmes, with information, recipes, yoga postures, tips, etc. that can help sustain a healthy life,” Dr Shijoe Mathew Anchery, Ayurvedic physician at Ananda in the Himalayas. Certainly, internet is one of the easiest and quickest medium to offer post-care.
Dr Kalathi Harish, Director Spa and Group Coordination &Training, The Park Hotels, adds, “Post therapy follow up is essentially for those clients who approach for a lifestyle management therapies like de-toxification, weight management, skin texture management etc. In order to make the results long lasting, we give specific advice on the kind of diet and exercises to follow with charts. Case sheet or history of each client is managed so that there is a ready recall whenever the client calls the spa.”
Take home delights
Another simple way to offer post-care is through products. By making the products, used during the spa therapy, available to the clients, spas give clients an opportunity to take home tranquility in a bottle, tube or jar! With these products they can indulge and rejuvenate in the comfort of their own homes. Dr Rejith Daniel, la Terre Spa by L’Occitane, lebua Resort, Jaipur says, “For sound sleep, we suggest L’OCCITANE pillow mist which is made up of Lavender, tea tree and geranium and has soothing aroma that help release stress and induce sound sleep. With this one can use L’OCCITANE shea body cream, which helps soothe overworked skin”
At The Imperial Spa, Delhi, ‘Prescription Cards’ are written after treatments by the therapist who recommends a product according to client’s skin type and need for home care. “Therapeutic and energizing Sufi Oils massage oils used in the treatment are excellent take home products. You can use them in the bath or directly onto the body for their healing effects. Our skin care brand Natura Bisse has after-care forms given after facials and body treatments, that highlight the products used, so you can take home a product you enjoyed and liked during the treatment. Also, the Sufi Travel Kit launched recently with other skin care products, gives you the perfect combo you need to maintain fresh, vibrant and hydrated skin anytime,” declares Herron.
An investment
Therapists play a crucial role in choosing the right treatment and post-care for a client. They act as ‘guide’ helping the client think through the barriers of mind and body. They should be skilled and motivated enough to encourage clients to change or correct aspects of their lives that are most unhealthy, whether that is dietary habits, lack of exercise or negative thinking.
“There has to be an ongoing investment in therapist training in order to ensure the therapists have the necessary skills to identify the problematic areas and assist a client on their path to wellness”, claims Orachat Phasook, Spa Trainer – MSpa International Limited, Anantara Spa, Thailand. Agreeing to it, Herron says, “Therapists who understand this process are much more effective as professionals who know the real value of the treatments and the results that can be attained.”
A long-term investment, after care is an honest and gentle way to ensure repeat guest requests and improve sales. “Clients always appreciate advice as it shows you care beyond the confines of the spa business. Moreover, when you are working empathetically and intelligently from the heart this kind of communication should really happen organically and guests can tell the difference between gimmick and sincerity!” she sums up.
Tags: spa management, spa retreats
