The combination of neuropathy (the deadening of nerves) and poor circulation means that diabetics must take extra caution when it comes to the care of their feet. Even a small nick can quickly become infected and turn ulcerous; diabetes is, in fact, the number one cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation. For this reason many diabetics are cautioned not to seek pedicures at all, and urged instead to visit a podiatrist on a regular basis to have their nails trimmed and nothing more.

What should be true for all your pedicure clients must be double true for diabetic spa clients. Baths and tools must be stringently and rigorously disinfected without lapse or exception – some spas even go so far as to insist that diabetic clients bring their own tools.

It is estimated that somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 million women over the age of 20 in the US suffer from diabetes; the introduction of podiatry within the context of a medical spa setting can be a good way to attract and care for this sensitive demographic.

What price structure is fair?

Much of the answer to that question depends on the area where you live. Each market is different. For instance, Los Angeles and New York City have higher costs of living that cities in the Midwest and the south. People in those areas are used to paying higher prices. Also areas with booming economies and more money flowing tend to have higher pay structures than those areas that might be a bit depressed.

Have you checked out the competition?

One of the best ways to determine your own pricing structure is to find out what other aestheticians in other spas are charging for similar services.

That will enable you to determine an average price for services. Then determine how much time you need to spend with a client to perform a service and figure out what your average hourly rate of pay is. Of course the next step is to figure in your overhead and come up with a figure of fixed expenses that must be paid every month, every week and every day. Know how much it actually costs you to exist each day and how much extra you need to get ahead and you’ll know how much income to strive for. As an example, if it costs you $2,000 per week to cover all of your overhead and you work a five day work week, then you need $100 per day to stay afloat. If your hourly average is $40 then you need to sell at least two and a half hours of services daily to break even. That also means that if you sell five hours of services a day then you are $100 a head after paying all of your expenses. That can either be money in the bank to save for emergencies or a “rainy day” fund, or it can be money you use to pay expenses when you take a day off, or a vacation. Self employed professionals don’t have paid vacations and need to plan for those contingencies.

Check the competition and make sure that your prices are fair. Not too high and not too low, but most of all be fair to yourself in your pricing.

Prenatal massage is potentially a terrific niche market with outstanding referral possibilities if done well, but there are some things to consider before adding it to your spa services menu. First and foremost is this; a massage therapist needs to be specifically certified to perform prenatal (or postpartum) massage. The positions and techniques involved are different and suited to the specific changing needs of the mother to be (or new mother).

It is also worth noting, after the first trimester, that it is highly recommended a woman obtain a  written recommendation from her doctor or midwife before seeking massage, for there are potential concerns which would counter-indicate massage therapy.

In short, if massage for pregnant women is a niche market you would like to explore, be sure you are well informed before you attempt to branch out.

When it comes to putting together a holiday spa menu, especially if your hope is that it generates repeat business for years to come, the savvy spa owner will do his or her best to ensure that the experience of their customers is not merely luxurious but memorable. The goal here is to have your customers’ experience (and your spa as a result) associated favorably with the holiday season.

The best way to imprint any memory is through scent, so what better way to ensure that your holiday spa menu make an impression than through the use of pleasant scents already linked to the holiday season? A peppermint scrub, a pumpkin body wrap, pine scented bath oils – the inventive spa owner has many pleasant and evocative olfactory avenues to explore.

As Boomers slowly give way to Xers, time and space once wholly devoted to massage, facials, body wraps, and manicures are being set aside for more specialized day spa treatments like Reiki. This kind of expanded scope is a good match, for while busy Xers might not be willing to track down an Ayurvedic specialist they are certainly open-minded enough to consider alternative treatments when offered and vouched for by individuals whom they trust.

The good news is that even a small spa can test these alternative waters with specialized day spa services simply by developing a working relationship with a trusted practitioner in need of space. Something like Reiki can be offered once a week, perhaps during a slow time, and can serve as a way to expand the spa’s menu and perhaps its client base as well.

While it is good to be circumspect whenever you are considering a change to your menu, it is important to recognize that any season or holiday afford you an opportunity to make changes, within the context of the season, which can be undone. A seasonal menu can, and should, be used to address the unique realities of the season.

People are physically and emotionally stressed during the holidays for any number of reasons, making relaxation a priority. People are also financially stressed for obvious reasons, making lower-priced seasonal items something to consider. More people are buying treatments for other people than at any other time of the year, making an emphasis on gift card and packages essential.

The holidays, while stressful, offer you an opportunity to close out the year with a bang and potentially expand your client base. If it means small adjustments to your spa menu of services, then it is something to be seriously considered.

Telling a Friend about a Spa is a Powerful Thing... whether the information pass along is good or bad!

An aesthetician is a professional, with high professional standards to adhere to. Much like a nurse, a physician, an attorney, an educator or any other professional, the aesthetician must adhere to a high standard, with a loyalty to both the profession and the public that would transcend any loyalty to an individual employer.

Yes, the Aesthetician Owes Loyalty To the Business, But…

When working in a spa or private aesthetics clinic, it is true that the aesthetician, as an employee does owe the business owner an honest day’s work for a day’s wage, and owes the employer loyalty.  But what should an aesthetician do when the business he or she works for appears to be less than ethical in its conduct?  What should the aesthetician do when it appears that the business may be putting the health of clients in danger through improper hygiene, faulty sterilization, unclean environments,  even asking clinicians to perform procedures that they are not qualified to perform?

The Choice Is Clear: Ethical Conduct Wins

One hopes to never be in such a situation, but if it arises, the choice is clear.  The aesthetician must come down on the side of ethical conduct.  The professional duty of the aesthetician is to bring the unsanitary or unclean conditions to the attention of a superior or to the attention of the owner.  Give the higher ups an opportunity to correct the situation.  Pay attention to their reactions and determine if you believe they are expressing real concern about the situation and don’t be afraid to ask them how they intend to rectify the situation and solve the problem.  It is your business reputation as well. The ethics of the business (spa or otherwise) reflect on you as they reflect on every other professional working there.

What To Do If Your Pleas Are Ignored

What should you do if your pleas are ignored?  This is a difficult situation which requires a difficult, but obvious solution.  Where ethics are concerned, and where cleanliness standards are concerned, there is no compromise.  You must take action.  Becoming a whistle blower is not a pleasant experience and not one that anyone wants to have to do, but if you are in that situation you must demonstrate your courage.  Report the situation to the local or state governing authority, or the ethics committee of your professional association.  If that doesn’t  exist, then call the health department of the jurisdiction you live and work in.  You have nothing to be ashamed of if put into this situation, and the good of your clients and of your profession depend on your actions today.

There are a number of key elements that inform a client’s perception of a spa, and different clients will weigh them differently. There is, however, one non-negotiable element which has weight with all clients, and that element is cleanliness. A spa must, at all times, be immaculately clean. It needn’t necessarily look sterile and clinical, but it must appear impeccably clean.

For clients of a day spa, looking for a massage, body wrap, or facial, spa cleanliness adds to the luxurious, almost other worldly sense of peace and sanctuary. For clients of a medical spa, cleanliness is equated, and rightfully so, with safety and hygiene.

Spa cleanliness does not simply begin and end with sterilized tools, clean towels, and fresh paper on the tables; although these are clearly non-negotiable. Rather it must extend to every aspect of the facility. Fixtures, carpets, walls, windows – all must be spotless. The reception area should seem as rigorously maintained as the spa rooms themselves, especially since it is the first impression of any spa.

The perception of a spa begins the moment a client walks in through its threshold, develops incrementally throughout their experience, and is carried with them long after they leave. Conscientious spa owners would do well to remember that.

So how do we ensure that clients about to undergo a medi spa treatment have been put at ease?

The first and most important thing is to never simply assume that they are at ease. As much as we all  might like to believe that we are experts at reading people, none of us are as good at it as we think. Everybody is different. Some people will naturally ask a lot of questions and seek a lot of reassurance, and others won’t. That does not, however, mean that the latter group is at ease, and it is both naive and somewhat lazy to assume that they are.

Put yourself in your client’s place. You have been trained in laser therapy, IPL, botox injections, chemical peels – whatever medical spa treatment you are about to perform. You know the literature and have hundreds of successful treatments under your belt. The fact that you are comfortable with what you are about to do has very little to do with the perception of a client about have a 800nm diode laser aimed at her face for the first time in her life.

Take the time to explain the basic theory and mechanics of a procedure to every client. If a client has more questions be sure to answer them fully. If a client has listened to your explanation and said very little be sure to ask them of they have questions. Ask them if they are comfortable.

A client who has been properly put at ease and has calmly undergone a medical spa treatment which they were initially anxious about will feel motivated to come back for follow up treatments. Not only that, they will be far more likely to give referrals to family and friends.

The medical spa industry is highly competitive.

The more competitive an industry, the more a savvy owner needs to take care not to allow his or her competitors to gain any sort of competitive edge. If you run a medical spa you don’t need to be told just how competitive the industry really is.

Clients talk to one another.

It is an undeniable fact that friends talk to one another about their time spent at the spa. They talk and compare notes. Ours is an industry whose clients are highly motivated to seek out the latest breakthroughs. If your staff are unable, at the very least, to speak knowledgeably about the latest innovations then your client confidence is going to suffer as a result.

There is a great deal of information available online.

These days, anyone who spends time online is bombarded by a great deal of information. Search engine marketing is such that, if you are a spa user, you will regularly be exposed to spa related ads and information. Google, Facebook, Twitter – all of these networks make it incredible easy for anyone to very casually keep up to date on any number of subjects. You want to make sure that your staff is always ahead of that curve.

The consequences for falling behind can be significant.

If new information contraindicating a treatment, technique, or therapy comes to light and a client has an adverse reaction which might have been avoided the consequences could be severe.

You want nothing but the best for your clients.

New information incrementally improves and expands upon the capabilities of a medical spa. It is as simple as that. If you want the very best for your clients –and clearly we all do– it is incumbent upon you to ensure that your clients are always the beneficiaries of the very latest advances in medical esthetics.