“ It has been my philosophy in my career that if you are here for the paycheck , you are here for the wrong reason .”
— NiKKi sEvErsoN , corporate Spa director , Spa Kalahari and Salon , Wisconsin , ohio and Pennsylvania joining the team .
“ One tool that we have found works best thus far ,” Severson tells us , “ is to get out in the industry and work directly with the massage and cosmetology schools , partnering with them on creative ways to recruit quality candidates .”
Getting involved with career fairs and letting the students of massage and cosmetology schools know what Spa Kalahari and Salon has to offer early on has proved most effective . Severson gladly welcomes these schools and students for tours of the three facilities , and allows them to meet and greet with current staff , witnessing what a possible career with Spa Kalahari and Salon looks like up close and personal .
Marketing to Potential Employees and Keeping Existing Employees A qualified candidate for Spa Kalahari and Salon possesses the following qualities : heartfelt , fun , genuine , empathetic , cultured and enthusiastic .
In addition to partnering directly with schools , social media and digital forms of communication have been successful mediums in reaching quality , potential candidates , according to Severson .
Pertaining to helping staff grow their careers with Spa Kalahari and Salon ,
Severson stated that as a family-owned business , she readily strives to grow her teams from within .
“ Whenever there is a staff member that is interested and qualified to step into a lead supervisor or management role , we send them through a series of in-house classes that prepare them for an advanced role within the company ,” Severson said . “ We see great success with promoting from within as they already know our company culture and how the operation runs .”
fulfilling ongoing demands from spa guests As Severson seeks to stay on top of the industry ’ s trends and changes , she mentions that her business has “ great flexibility ” with the owner ’ s support to offer new and upgraded options for guests ’ satisfaction .
For example , they launched a Halotherapy Salt Room at their Sandusky location in June of 2016 due to the popularity of the treatment . Proving to be a successful move , they then opened another Halotherapy Salt Room in the Pocono Mountains location last year . And plans are currently in place to open a third Halotherapy Salt Room at their final location in Wisconsin Dells .
Put straightforwardly , outright asking guests what they want is the most substantiated effort in getting it right at Spa Kalahari and Salon .
“ Asking our guests what they would like is the easiest way to determine what might be the right fit for each location ,” Severson said . “ We have discovered with having multiple locations that what works in one location may not work in another , so our management team works to refine what we offer and still seeks out feedback from our guests to enhance the experience at each property .” n
sPa QuicK facts
spa open date : WI – May 4 , 2000 , oH – May 20 , 2005 , PA – July 1 , 2015
facilities / amenities : WI – Full-service spa with relaxation lounge , oH – Fullservice spa with relaxation lounge and Halotherapy Room , PA – Fullservice spa with relaxation lounge , Hydro oasis and Halotherapy
Percentage of guests ( male vs . female ): 14 % male vs . 86 % female
Number of full-time spa staff : 49 combined at all three locations
Product lines used : Eminence , Glymed Plus , HydroPeptide , Seriti ( African line exclusively for Spa Kalahari )
Most used marketing channel : Radio and digital
Website : kalahariresorts . com facebook : spakalafariandsalon
March / April 2018 ■ PULSE 29