Mandarin Oriental's Albin Brion
brings his unique skills into
every treatment he performs.
But over the last few decades lux-
ury has evolved from being standard-
ized to being personalized. Not
everyone wants the same experience,
so a standardized approach can only
take us so far. At some point, we
needed to break free from the stan-
dards and be sure that we could tailor
our offerings to the individual needs
and preferences of our guests.
A decade ago, the Spas at Mandarin
Oriental were at the forefront of this
trend with the creation of our Time Rit-
uals signature treatment. In this treat-
ment, guests do not have to pore over a
long menu of treatments to select the
experience they wish to have. They
simply reserve time in the spa (two to
three hours for example). Upon arrival,
our team conducts a consultation with
the guest to learn about their prefer-
ences and create an experience that is
personalized to them.
Over the past decade, we have
seen many spas shift from standard-
ized treatment protocols to a more
personalized offering. For example,
“The best spa
experience is the
result of matching
the best of a
particular therapist
with the needs and
preferences of a
particular guest,
creating an
experience that only
these two individuals
can share.”
Mynd Spa & Salon recently reworked
their menu to ostensibly include just
three facials, three body treatments
and three massages, but each treat-
ment is tailored to the individual
guest. And this trend continues to
evolve as new digital platforms give
us new tools for getting to know our
guests better and delivering bespoke
services based on their preferences.
But modern luxury is also evolving
beyond being personalized to being
personal. Personal experiences are
even more challenging to deliver be-
cause they transcend preferences. Per-
sonal experiences are unique
experiences that the customer might
not even know they are looking for. In
the case of the spa, if personalized
means we modify the treatment
based on the preferences of the guest,
personal means we must also recog-
nize the uniqueness of the therapist.
Not only is every guest different, every
therapist is different as well. The best
spa experience is the result of match-
ing the best of a particular therapist
with the needs and preferences of a
particular guest, creating an experi-
ence that only these two individuals
can share.
This is a significant departure from
the way spas have traditionally oper-
ated. With a standardized approach,
the emphasis was on consistency.
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