"How to prepare the opening of your Spa?"

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of the Wellness and Spa sector in the hotel industry, incorporating these concepts to boost sales, the lack of regulation in the sector and the absence of a Spa Association to defend its interests and promote excellence have often compromised the quality and safety of the services provided.

Fully aware of these challenges, TOPSPA launched the "SPA COVID FREE SURVIVAL KIT" in April 2020, free and openly distributed, aimed at supporting hospitality and wellness professionals in reopening and relaunching their spa units. This practical guide offers a set of specific policies and procedures to maintain the safety and health of clients and staff. The guide has now been updated based on the reopening and operational experience of 2020.

Despite the difficulties faced in 2020, the initial expectations for demand in Wellness & Spa services were exceeded, with some spas even surpassing their previous years’ revenue.

Paula Guedes, Partner at TOPSPA Consultants in the NEST webinar - Watch Here

Now, as we go through another lockdown, the effects of stress, fear, and anxiety are even more visible. Mental health, in its physical, social, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, has further deteriorated in recent times, and all industry players unanimously recognise the increasing importance of the wellness & spa area in new value propositions.

Spa and the New (De)Confinement of 2021

Spas have learned a lot from the lockdown and the reopening of 2020. They learned the importance of being actively present and maintaining contact with their clients during lockdown, contributing to their mission—even from a distance: helping people improve their well-being.

Some spas adapted quicker than others, but almost all units in the country engaged in activities to maintain contact, assisting their clients with self-massage tips, instructional videos with beauty tips, aspirational images and videos, or simply helping clients distract themselves from lockdown and focus on their health and well-being.

With the new 2021 lockdown, the vast majority of spas swiftly launched activities to nurture client relationships, helping them cope with the physical and psychological effects of social distancing and another period of confinement.

With the Prime Minister announcing the country’s reopening plan, it’s time, once again, to ensure that health and safety measures are properly implemented, making it safe for regular clients and new clients, who now feel more than ever the need for services that provide physical, mental, and holistic balance, to return.

The focus now is on reopening and preparing for the future.

5 Activities to Develop Before Reopening Your Spa

It is essential to regain customer trust by being transparent about the measures taken to ensure that spas are properly sanitised and disinfected and that all procedures are in place to guarantee the safety of everyone visiting. Here are five key activities to focus on:

1. Develop a Sanitation Policy

Define clear objectives and procedures regarding the roles, responsibilities, and tasks related to cleaning, sterilisation, and disinfection services—both for spa areas and equipment. Pay particular attention to equipment like saunas, Turkish baths, hammams, and jacuzzis, which were prohibited from operating in mainland Portugal since March 2020. Contact equipment suppliers and ensure compliance with all defined sanitation standards.

2. Revise Operational Standards

Review all existing spa operation procedures in light of the pre-Covid reality and the experience gained in 2020. Start by rethinking the most sensitive areas of operation, such as:

• Client flow;
• Therapist flow;
• Areas of greatest constraint;
• Existing infrastructure;
• Communication materials;
• Space and equipment capacities;
• Use of PPE by clients and staff;
• Proper sanitation of facilities, equipment, and tools;
• Turnaround between treatments.

Use checklists to help define and control all necessary tasks. Refer to the "SPA COVID FREE SURVIVAL KIT" for detailed tasks.

3. Assess Wellness & Spa Offerings

Spa profitability has been affected by the increase in costs associated with new sanitation procedures, PPE use, and maximum capacity restrictions. On the other hand, the pandemic has created new needs and priorities in service demand. Therefore, you should reassess current services, especially considering 2020's history, and consider redesigning the spa’s offerings based on factors such as:

• Regulatory restrictions on services/equipment for different reopening phases;
• Capacity restrictions, particularly for free-use services like water circuits;
• Reformulation of technical protocols to ensure maximum protection for clients and therapists, as well as possible adjustments for less costly products;
• Introduction of longer programs to minimise client numbers per hour, allowing for a calmer spa operation;
• Offering outdoor services, such as massages or wellness activities.

4. Invest in Technological Processes

If your spa has not yet adopted new technologies for client interaction, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Over the past year, clients have become accustomed to using new platforms across all sectors, and spas are no exception. The QR code has become the spa's best friend, and no one can live without it.

In addition to QR codes replacing treatment menus, promotions, rules, and discount vouchers, there is a range of paperless processes that can and should be implemented. Some of the inevitable processes include:

• Purchasing vouchers in virtual stores;
• Online booking systems;
• Online check-in with consultation forms filled out online or via tablet;
• Contactless payments;
• WhatsApp or chatbot applications for booking management and customer inquiries.

5. Invest in Human Resources

With the crisis affecting the country and the tourism sector in particular, many companies were forced to make cuts, with the weight of human resources on cost structures leading to non-renewals, layoffs, and even dismissals. In this context, investing in human resources may seem misplaced or even ironic. But it’s not.

Training and team support are essential tools to ensure service quality and compliance with even stricter standards for the correct execution of technical protocols and their profitability, as well as for commercial activities that are more critical than ever.

In a pandemic context, it is even more critical to have teams committed to the organisation’s success, with each employee proactively acquiring clients, generating trust for upgrades, encouraging repeat purchases, and securing programs with greater involvement. We also need team members aligned with SOP compliance, particularly regarding the execution and control of sanitation activities and perceived quality.

We have entered a new era where the importance of the Wellness & Spa sector is increasingly significant for hospitality, tourism, and the country’s positioning.

It is up to each of us to ensure we are ready for new challenges, with safety and quality at the forefront.