Spring Cleaning Spa Treatment Menus

You know how you sometimes walk by a store window in a local shopping center, but the window display hasn’t been refreshed or updated in months? It looks the same as it did the last time you walked by, except dustier.

Well, that’s what your spa menu can look like to your clients.

Now, I totally get that you can’t be redoing the menu at your spa every month. After all, you've probably put a lot of thought into creating your spa menu in the first place. And there are protocols and standards to follow, programming in your software to think about, and training and product procurement to consider. After all, clients come to you for the tried-and-true, right? They love what they’re familiar with and what you’ve demonstrated mastery of—that’s the basis for the repeat business you’ve built.

There’s a fine line between familiar and boring

Your spa menu is your most important marketing tool; it tells prospective guests what you offer and the results they can expect from their treatments. And there’s something to be said for an element of predictability, especially when it comes to outcomes. However, just like with shopping, clients also like to discover something that surprises and delights them, and a visit to the spa that rewards the guest with an unexpected treat is one worth repeating. Let your spa's menu offer clients a new way to find relaxation and invest in their wellness. 

Now's the time to think about how you can refresh your spa's treatment menu

It’s time to think about WHAT you’re presenting. Seasonal transition times are always an ideal catalyst for new ideas and concepts on the menu, but fear not, you don’t need wholesale changes. It's time to "massage" the treatment offerings, if you will. 

Organize your spa menu by treatment modality and result

Hopefully, your treatment menu is already organized by modality (facials, body treatments, massages, waxing, light therapy, sauna, etc.) and result (purifying, age management, relaxation or de-stress, re-balance, re-energize). This method ensures that you never have too many options in one specific category.

And consider the season

Then it’s time to consider the upcoming season. Spring/summer is a time when clients are unwrapping their winter skin and need exfoliation and smoothing treatments and are interested in fruity and floral scents and cooling options. Fall and winter, of course, lend themselves to hydration and nourishment, and spicy and warm fragrances.

With these simple concepts in mind, consider adding one treatment to each of your modalities, i.e., one facial, one body treatment, one massage, one pedicure—no more than that. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel—the easiest approach is to take an already popular treatment and add a twist. Use an existing facial protocol but swap out a mask or serum, add something experiential such as a cooling or scented element, and there you go, your Customized Facial becomes the foundation for your Spring Renewal Facial. I’m simplifying the process, of course. 

You'll want to involve your therapy staff and make selections that are efficacious and pleasant. But you don’t need to start from scratch or bring in an entirely new product line—it’s possible to find professional products that will slot in nicely.

Add-ons and enhancements can put a new spin on your spa's menu

If you’re not ready to create a whole new service, you can still accomplish an update through your add-ons or enhancements. These are even easier to swap in and out of the menu. And, of course, offering enhancements gives your therapists the opportunity to grow their average ticket and their sales skills, while customizing the service to the guest—all excellent results. Just make sure to have options that don’t require additional time from the originally booked service, so you’re not creating chaos with the schedule.

Use the season and descriptors to your spa's advantage

Consider both the season and the current trends and use language in the service description that is appealing and also speaks to the result. Surely a Marigold Refreshment Pedicure will attract more attention than your average Spa Pedicure! Cooling aloe body wraps, skin-smoothing vegetal exfoliants and scrubs, and, of course, immune-supporting herbs and remedies are all timely now.

Make sure that your spa creates new protocols, and your staff is fully trained on how to describe and perform these new additions to the menu. Your staff will appreciate having new treatments and opportunities to upsell. At the next change of season, you can drop these and invent something equally appealing. You‘ll see that guests really enjoy having the option of a little something new at your spa.