How to become a Spa Manager
Spa Management is an excellent career choice with the recent development of new spas within hotels; on the high street and even in medical practices. Wellness is the latest buzz word and with the day to day challenges and pressures of life, an increasing number of people are turning to spa experiences as their way to relax and keep well.
So how do you become a Spa Manager? The most effective route to Spa Management is from within the industry. Gaining experience at every level within a spa is the key to understanding the mechanics of day to day operations and you will find that most employers are looking for a proven industry track record. Spa is a specialist area and requires key skills and experience to effectively manage this area. There is now a degree course in Spa Management and some people make the mistake of thinking they can walk into a spa management role just by having this qualification, but this is not the case.
The 3 key skills and competencies that employers are looking for are:
Commercial knowledge and understanding – this means you need to know the mechanics of running a spa business. You need to be capable of reading a profit and loss sheet and creating a budget forecast. You need to know the Key performance indicators (KPIs) of the business including treatment room occupancy; therapist utilization; average treatment cost; retail conversion rate etc. These figures enable you to produce reports which show business performance and trends.
People Management skills – staff management is challenging whatever sector you work in and it is essential to an employer that you have proven success in recruitment; training; developing; disciplining and motivating staff. Therapists require guidance support and structure and it is experience that enables someone to be effective in offering this.
Operational skills – the systems and procedures will determine how effective a spa is run and it is the manager’s role to put these in place and manage through them. Every aspect of the spa is effected from the customer experience; cleanliness; stock control; bookings; standards. Full understanding of all of these areas is critical when you are managing a spa.
The 2 main routes into spa management are:
Therapist – if you obtain your therapist qualifications and land a job as a therapist in a spa, you can gain invaluable experience in terms of what it is like to work at this level. The hours are generally long and unsociable; conditions may not be ideal; the work is physical and tiring and yet you will be expected to smile and offer amazing treatments and client care – oh and not forgetting the aftersales pitch to try and retail lots of product. If you excel and stand out in this role, you may get promoted to a senior therapist where you will have responsibility for showing other therapists how it’s done. You may also develop further into training where you share your skills as a therapist with new staff and more junior therapists. All of this will put you in good stead to understanding what it is like to be a therapist so that when you are a spa manager you will be able to offer the support and guidance as well as set the standards and expectations.
Front of house – starting as front of house or reception means you don’t have to be a therapist but you will be exposed to the booking systems; guest care; retail sales and the operational side of the business. As most spas tend to have more therapists than receptionists you may find it harder to climb the ladder entering the industry via this route. It is possible though and again if you work hard, show an interest in the business and offer support to the existing manager you will gain invaluable experience which will help you progress to management level.
In summary, the most successful Spa Managers today are those who can drive the business through KPIs; manage and motivate staff and fully understand the operational mechanics of the day to day running of a spa. Good luck with your career and achieving the Spa Manager role of your choice.
