October 21, 2018 spa management

Enhancing Your Spa Menu

Enhancing your spa menu can save you money and make you more money. Having a great service menu is crucial. In my 20+ years of working in the spa service industry I have tried all types of menus.  From super long books that are so detailed (and expensive) to short and sweet one page menus.  I have had menus that have 30 services listed to menus with just a handful of services. One thing I have learned is more isn’t always better.  Short and sweet is what has won over the years, and the reason why is if you give too many options people get overwhelmed with the choices.

Why is Chipotle so successful?  They have a simple menu.  Customers don’t get overwhelmed and the inventory is streamlined. If you have 3 types of hydrating and nourishing facials which one should they get?  If you have 3 different types of hydrating treatments you may have to carry more inventory and keep track of the tools for those facials and who is using them.  When you have more choices you will get more questions and confusion.  “Should I do Hydrating Facial A or Hydrating Facial B? What are the differences? What do you think is best for my skin?”
Huge gorgeous menus can cost you a lot of money!  Being a little creative goes a long way and you can get an amazing looking menu without having to pay an expensive price.
Key Elements in an Effective Menu
  1. Header & Footer – Include your spa business name with your location and contact information.  Design wise you can split this up or lump it together however you want.  Just make sure your potential client can see your contact information very easily.  If this is on a webpage then have your contact information at the top and bottom.
  2. Categories – So let’s say you do waxing, facials and peels.  Categorize your treatments in these groups. Then go from here. What will make your customer find what they need faster.
  3. Treatments – Keep the options simple.  One way to start is maybe offering the Signature Facial/Massage  Treatment. This one can be your customized “special” treatment. When in doubt this can be the go-to treatment that clients choose.  Most of the time clients do not know what they need or want so this is a great one for them to pick.  After consult and skin analysis the aesthetician, tech or massage therapist can go from here and guide them to what they need. Categorize this section with other treatments that can target different skin types or conditions.  Examples could be:
    1. Hydrating Infusion Facial for dry skin types – You can jazz up the words a bit, but this takes care of people looking for hydration.  
    2. Purifying Facial  for all skin types – This can take care of a huge group of people.  People even with dry skin or hormonal skin are in need of a good pore cleansing facial.  
    3. Brightening /Radiant Skin Facial – This can be a facial where you exfoliate with enzymes, use ingredients that help brighten the skin and leave the skin glowing afterwards.  
    4. Green/Clean Facial – Depending if this is a concern of your clients you can add something that promotes this type of facial.
  4. Size of the menu – This can vary.  The shape and size may depend on the style and branding you have. It can be half of a page, the size of a post card or booklet.  I love the half page front and back because it is inexpensive to print and it is the perfect size. This is something you can definitely play with.  Printing is a lot more affordable now and seeing what each printhouse offers can give you ideas of how you want it to look like. There are so many printing companies online and even local. Digital printing has made printing pricing go considerably down.

Balancing Look and Functionality

This is my go-to when I am working on anything that goes online, is being printed or emailed.  Yes, it needs to look good, but it needs to work also.

  1. Balance the amount of text
    • Highlight words for those that don’t read everything.
    • Have enough words that are descriptive for those that do like detail.
  2. Bullet point or section anything needed.
  3. Use of space
    • Adjust margins
    • Pick fonts that are easy to read
    • Change font types for headings or titles
    • Use columns
    • Dividers can help section
  4. Images that are descriptive – Some people are just more visual.  Adding some images can help break up text and tell your client a little more.

I believe the key is to keep in mind who your clients are and what they want.  If you know you have clients that are always asking for brighter skin and feel their skin is dull use words that attract them to that type of treatment.  Use descriptive words that they would want to see. Be creative and come up with a list of what you think works best, but remember not to overwhelm your clients.  And always be ok with change. If you notice no one asks for a certain treatment then take it off. For example you have the Back Purifying Facial (maybe this happened to me) you feel you have to offer because you think people need this treatment. Instead you notice maybe one person ask for it every blue moon.  Take if off of the menu. If it is taking up space and no one asks for it then replace it with something else. Sometimes making these decisions can be difficult, but be flexible with change.

Check your menu at least every 6 months and make sure it is accurate and up to date.  If you keep it updated then your current clients may actually keep looking at it. Order what you need and maybe don’t order 5,000 menus that will be out of date in the next 6 months.  Hopefully with these ideas you can revamp or tweak your current menu. It is an ongoing job but keep it interesting. Let us know what works for you so we can share.