“It can bring in guests for multiple services. The
revenue enhancement on repeat guests is a great
add-on for a salon, because you tend to get repeat
guests a bit more than [you do] in the spa.”
— Krystal Smith, Spa Director, Solace Spa at Big Sky Resort
Solace Spa's Krystal Smith views salon and retail as great ways to maximize revenue per guest.
lifestyle’ was popularized and spa moved into the main-
stream, it seems as though salon did not move with it.
Yet, offering salon services at your spa can still make
sense, despite the industry’s broader staffing challenges and
evolving consumer priorities. Conversations with two ISPA
members who offer salon services—a resort spa and a day
spa—indicate that salon is alive, well and able to deliver tan- cation makes it a highly desirable destination for adven-
turous types, it also makes it difficult for the spa to find
qualified, licensed spa personnel—a difficulty further com-
pounded by the resort’s seasonal closings.
“Our summer season is from June to the end of Sep-
tember, and our winter season is from Thanksgiving to the
end of April,” says Spa Director Krystal Smith. “We’re com-
gible benefits to your spa-goers and your spa’s bottom line. pletely closed down at the other times.”
Although the spa has two hair chairs, two manicure sta-
tions and two pedicure stations, its salon was shut down for
most of 2019 due to staffing issues. It’s already a challenge
to find hair stylists and nail technicians: the December 2019
ISPA Snapshot Survey found that qualified nail technicians
The Elephant in the Room? Labor.
Solace Spa at Big Sky, perched nearly 7,000 feet up Mon-
tana’s Lone Mountain, caters to skiiers, mountain bikers,
golfers and outdoors enthusiasts. Yet, while its remote lo-
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