quality of work, professional demeanor, repeat guests, as
well as compensating for additional tasks they’re willing
to perform around the spa.”
How should spas welcome back their service providers?
“As spas are reopening, they have an opportunity to
reorient and welcome their staff back. How did they treat
staff when they temporarily closed their doors? Did they
provide economic support or help find additional employment
opportunities? Did they help their staff navigate
opportunities through the CARES Act? Is there anything
they wish they would have done differently? Have they
communicated their caring (or apologies) to those
staffers? Transparency and honesty are key as spas
endeavor to move forward and retain valuable, experienced
staff and hopefully recruit new professionals.”
How will employees’ expectations and demands shift
going forward?
“Knowledgeable therapists will demand a safe workplace,
as they already have. What are the spa’s cleaning protocols?
How much of the cleaning are the therapists
responsible for? Are there adequate/appropriate cleaning
products in plentiful supply? Are adequate face masks
provided for therapists? Therapists will also demand
additional client screening procedures. Particularly in
destination spas, where is the client traveling from?
Does the client have a temperature or display any adverse
symptoms? No more tolerance for accepting sick clients
or allowing/mandating individuals to work when they’re
not feeling well.”
Do you think that massage therapists will be more likely
to prefer full employee status going forward?
“We have no indication at this time that massage therapists
are any more likely to prefer being employees than
they did pre-COVID. Many therapists would prefer “full
employee status” if it were to include typical employee
benefits such as paid leave and health insurance.
However, the physical nature of massage limits how
many hours they can practice.”
LYNELLE LYNCH
President — Bellus Academy
What long-term impact will COVID-19
have on future spa professionals’ views
around benefits and job security?
“I think that job security and health insurance
have all been very top-of-mind for
employees that have been furloughed, and
this will probably create opportunities for the
larger spas to seek out independent professionals
that have had financial challenges during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Having a solid
benefit program will attract professionals
at this time.”
What changes are you making at
Bellus Academy as a result of
COVID-19?
“We have adopted the ISPA standards,
along with specific school standards. We
must protect our employees, students and
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