MEMBER PERSPECTIVES
CONTINUED
Well & Being Spa at The Fairmont Princess used
a series of drive-in movie showings during its spa’s
shutdown (see left) to help provide furloughed staff
with drive-through meal service.
her team began designing and implementing a curbside
retail service. “One customer called in and asked to get her
skin care. We created it for her and then just launched it,”
Smith says. She promoted the service with signage, a
banner announcement on the spa’s website and an e-
blast. The spa’s retail met budget for March, was just
below in April and sprung back up in May. “We’ve actually
had to reorder retail just to meet demand,” adds Smith;
most sales are for CBD and skin care products. The Spa at
Kilaga Springs is particularly well-suited for this service.
Not only is the spa located within a residential community,
but most of its customers are retirees and therefore
have incomes that are not dependent on
employment, giving them little or no drop in disposable
income despite the larger economic trends.
Smith has also filled the spa’s downtime by deepcleaning
the facility and renovating its six treatment
rooms with new cabinetry and more. Smith is still working
on adjustments to the spa’s menu and pricing. With the
rising cost of disinfectant and PPE, “it’s a huge expense to
do these services now and keep clean,” Smith says. “We
can’t absorb it, we would lose money.” This is particularly
true for lower-margin service such as pedicures and manicures,
which will likely be among the first services to reopen.
Smith is considering adding a short-time ‘sanitation
surcharge’ and reevaluating pricing in several months
once more data is available.
Although there was still no definitive reopening date in
sight when we spoke, Smith was hopeful that the nail
salon would reopen soon, noting that customers are
champing at the bit for nail services. The Spa at Kilaga
Springs will likely try to incentivize customers to return
through value-add promotions and an increased emphasis
on wellness, health screenings and a stronger “medical
spa component,” according to Smith.
When the time does come to reopen, Smith says that
she and her staff will be ready: “We already have all the
cleaning protocols in place, and there will be very minor
30 PULSE ■ JULY 2020