Pulse July 2020 | Page 23

THE PULSE GUIDE TO REOPENING READY TO REOPEN? Advice from the Frontlines of Spa Reopenings BY JAMISON STOIKE Well & Being Spa at The Fairmont Princess reopened in May with stringent safety protocols. “We have mostly been limited by our occupancy guidelines,and not a lack of demand.” THE APRIL ISPA SNAPSHOT SURVEY found that nearly the entire spa industry—99 percent of surveyed respondents—closed temporarily due to COVID-19. It follows, then, that the vast majority of spas are now in the thick of the reopening process. As local governments quickly loosen restrictions in an effort to pump up economies, many spa directors are having to rapidly ready their teams for reopening. Brennan Evans, VP spa operations for Trilogy Spa Holdings (and ISPA Vice Chairman), has already helped several of his spas reopen. Well & Being Spa at The Fairmont Prin- cess in Scottsdale, Arizona, reopened in late May, while Trilogy’s two locations in Las Vegas—at Red Rock Casino and Green Valley Ranch—just recently reopened. Along the way, Evans has learned a few things both big and small that are worth keeping in mind for any spa director who is reopening their spa. Put the Employees First Spa directors whose spas’ have reopened almost uniformly report that the level of care they have needed to put into every aspect of the employee experience has JULY 2020 ■ PULSE 19