You might assume that a spa business brings in a lot of money with their lavish services and upscale clientele. But, realistically, spas incur a considerable amount of extra expenses, liberally bringing down their profit margin.
This can be irksome to individuals interested in opening a spa business or even those who have been in the spa business for a while.
No worries, though! We have some tips for you to cut unnecessary costs so your spa business remains high-quality and emerges as more economical.
Say goodbye to salaried employees.
Every day is different at a spa. Some days you are swamped with back-to-back appointments, trying to figure out how to squeeze in the client who just called and needs their massage today. Other days your spa may be like a ghost town – your employees are waiting around all day hoping a client will walk through the doors.
Your employees are paid for a full day of work even if they’ve only seen one or two clients. This can extensively drain your spa’s finances. You’re paying employees for hours during which the spa is not acquiring any money!
Instead of hiring employees for a full day of work, hire contracted workers that are on call for specified days and times. They would only be paid for the time spent with a client that has booked an appointment with them.
It’s a win-win situation! You’ll only pay employees for actual time spent working and your contractors will try to bring in more clients so they can make more money.
When checking in new clients, get techy.
When new clients check in, there’s always the daunting task of having them fill out a form detailing their contact information, allergies and concerns. Reception then spends valuable time manually typing all of the material into your database.
A better investment would be to purchase a tablet for clients to fill out the form electronically. Although initially it may seem like a big investment, you’ll be saving both money and time in the long run.
You’ll save money on paper costs, help the environment and make your reception area more efficient, allowing your staff to work on more important tasks.
Source light cleaning tasks to your staff.
Cleanliness at a spa is vital. Just like in the restaurant business, clients have high standards for what they expect when visiting a spa. And for good reason. People can carry viruses, germs and bacteria on their skin and in their hair. Sweating in a sauna, lying completely exposed on linens and touching surfaces with dirty hands makes spas a refuge for potential disease and sickness.
If a client walks in and sees dirty toilets, hair on the floor, and dust everywhere, they’re probably never going to schedule another appointment.
Your logical solution may be to hire cleaning personnel. But before you fork over cash for maid services, consider saving some money by sourcing cleaning tasks to your staff.
Reception should be responsible for doing a quick clean sweep of the spa as they arrive and before they leave each day. Throughout the work day they should tidy up as issues arise and work on weekly tasks such as deep cleaning the floors. Massage therapists and estheticians should be responsible for cleaning up their room once they are finished with each service.
For long-term maintenance of spa towels and linens, a professional service is your best choice.
Sourcing cleaning duties to your staff is an excellent way to save money, but there are still specific cleaning tasks that should be outsourced. One of these tasks is the maintenance and deep cleaning of your spa towels and linens.
As much as we try to avoid them, stains are inevitable. Additionally, spas experience such a high influx of dirty laundry that it can be difficult to restock cabinets in time. Because of this, less care may be put into the laundry and it may not come out as clean as it could.
A linen service can get out those tough stains and deep clean any of those extra germs that may not be visible to the naked eye. By making this fundamental investment, you won’t need to worry nearly as much about having to repurchase new linens and towels. With pristine linens, your clients will definitely notice a difference in their spa experience.
Save on your spa business!
Interested in opening a spa business or looking for ways to save on your current practice? Here at Economy Linen, we care about the relaxing and detoxifying experience your clients receive when they walk into your spa. Give us a call at 1-800-536-1000 to learn more about the linen services we provide and how we can turn your spa business into a beautiful oasis clients return to again and again.