Author: Selena Belisle, Owner/Instructor, CE Institute LLC, Miami FL
As seen in Massage Magazine, learn how to build holiday business moments in your massage therapy or spa practice with easy add-ons such as some aromatherapy or some arts and crafts. Add a twist to your regular day-to-day appointments to avoid boredom and increase income when you might need it most!
Let sleigh bells ring all the way to the bank with an easy, festive holiday promotion. You can easily adapt your existing spa services to holiday themes with essential oils. Using peppermint is a wonderful, quick, inexpensive and all-inclusive method to alter a spa venue for the December holidays.
First, think about what can be customized at the spa with peppermint.
Second, tell everyone about your new promotion. Make sure to post about your new offerings on SnapChat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Third, be prepared to sell and deliver.
Here are some simple instructions and ideas on how to execute these three easy steps:
Step 1: Create Your Festive Peppermint Spa Holiday
For a holiday massage, add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to an unscented massage oil, lotion or cream. You can also incorporate the following into any session:
- Leave an individually wrapped peppermint bark chocolate on the massage table to start the holiday service.
- Offer peppermint refreshments at the end of service. Serve hot peppermint tea or serve water with a few fresh peppermint leaves.
- If you have the supplies or budget, provide red and white linens to match the theme. Bright red linens are a solid holiday investment because they can be reused for Valentines’ Day.
- Try including peppermint hot towels in a session. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to a large bowl of water. Immerse towels into the aromatic water and wring. Just place the peppermint towels in a dedicated peppermint hot towel cabi (keep in mind that everything in this dedicated cabi will likely smell like peppermint).
Get festive with your body scrubs by adding a few drops of peppermint essential oil to an unscented scrub or make your own for a holiday glow.
You can blend a finely ground sugar or salt with coconut or olive oil, plus some fresh peppermint leaves and a few drops of peppermint essential oil to create a beautiful body polish.
If you wash-off the scrub in-treatment (with sponges or towels), add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your wash water.
Peppermint candles are a great addition to any spa practice during the holidays.
If you are using peppermint candles in your practice, simply burn these in the reception area, treatment rooms and bathroom during the holiday promotion. Think about all the different ways that you can use peppermint to heighten client awareness of your holiday promotion.
If you are selling peppermint candles just order some peppermint candles for retail sales. Gift wrap them and offer them as an add-on with holiday gift certificates (tape or wrap the two together). If you do not have a candle vendor, you can purchase some small peppermint candles at a dollar store and resell them.
Dollar store items may not be the best quality but they’re festive and an easy sale turnaround.
Consider gifting a peppermint candy cane or candle with each holiday service. It’s a nice holiday gift for clients, and who knows—they may decide you need a gift, too.
Peppermint themed holiday decorations and advertising are a great way to get clients in the holiday spirit. Here are a few ideas:
- Litter your reception desk and any available shelving areas with peppermint candy canes that can be offered for free to the public to boost the festive mood (and spending).
- Twirl shiny garland and string it up around the spa. Use colors such as blue, silver and/or red to try to be all-inclusive for December’s holiday colors.
- Print a list of holiday offerings on colored paper and post these at the reception desk, in treatment rooms, bathrooms, and anywhere that is visible to potential customers.
- Don’t forget to suggest your new holiday service add-ons to boost sales. When someone schedules a massage, offer a holiday glow body polish or any of the other new holiday services.
- Build Holiday Spa Packages. Sell a combo spa day of a “Peppermint Massage” or a “Holiday Glow with Manicure/Pedicure” for the ultimate holiday offering.
- Retail should never be neglected. Sell peppermint essential oils, candles, gift cards for peppermint services, and anything peppermint (or red and white in color) that your existing wholesale vendors can provide.
- Get the rest of the spa involved. Add peppermint essential oil to unscented facial cleansers, shower gels and other spa products and services. Offer an easy red and white holiday manicure or pedicure by alternating red and white polish among the different nails.
Step 2: Selfie Time
Take photos throughout the spa of your holiday decorations and post everywhere. Include a picture of your newly printed holiday menu. And remember, people like pictures of other people, so photobomb your own spa shots and include happy clients.
Step 3: Sell and Deliver
Peppermint essential oil is one of the least expensive essential oils of all. Purchase several retail sized bottles because you will find endless ways of how to incorporate this into your spa–such as adding a few drops to the bathroom’s liquid handwash and so forth.
Be prepared for extensive uses. But, if you purchase retail sized bottles, you can always retail what you do not use.
Purchase red, white and blue ribbons and wrapping paper to make holiday sales easier and more attractive to customers. Some people loathe gift wrapping (and the holidays altogether), so show off your one-stop shopping options.
Adding gift wrapping services to a wonderful spa present might be irresistible, just like offering gold, frankincense and myrrh to the three wise men (I mean the wise men have to get their gifts somewhere–right?)
If you print your own gift certificates at the spa, try using colored copy paper (and envelopes) that match your holiday promotion.
If you have computerized scheduling or retail, be sure that all the holiday offerings are added to the computer system for seamless sales.
If you can easily and economically add your holiday promotion to your website, do it! Just remember to remove the holiday promotion by January 1 to keep your site fresh.
Affix a printed holiday offerings list (with prices and descriptions) at the reception desk so that customer questions can be easily and immediately answered.
Altering your existing spa services with a little aromatherapy is a wonderful, inexpensive and easy way to increase festive offerings and income.
To learn more, please register for quality, affordable, professional training at: https://ceinstitute.com/
Author Selena Belisle is the Founder of CE Institute LLC in Miami FL. She is a retired professional athlete and has been practicing massage therapy for over 30 years. Selena is an approved CE Provider with NCBTMB & the Florida Board of Massage. She now teaches full time for the Complementary and Alternative Health Care Industries. You can learn more about Selena’s training and CE classes at www.CeInstitute.com
