Spa Controversy
By Cherie Sohnen-Moe
The spa industry has expanded in new and exciting directions over the last two decades. While the image
of the local day spa remains most familiar, spas have also become common vacation destinations and are
desirable amenities at resorts, in luxury hotels and on cruise ships.
Dental and medical offices are including spa treatments to make their procedures more pleasant and
attractive to their patients. Many spas have expanded their scope from simply furnishing beauty services
to offering healthcare services. Estheticians, massage therapists, aromatherapists, acupuncturists,
reflexologists, yoga teachers, nutritional consultants and energy practitioners are commonly found in
these spa settings.
As public demand has grown, even the image of the local day spa is growing and changing with
corporations like the Red Door Spa and franchise systems like Massage Envy Spa, Elements and Massage
Heights getting involved in promoting day spas at the national level.
Online forum chats overflow with comments about the good, bad and ugly aspects of working for spas.
Franchise organizations seem to bear the brunt of the negative remarks. Practitioners complain of the poor
working conditions and the low wages. The people posting in these forums often claim these companies
are making it difficult for independent therapists to survive.
I have to question that. Because of these companies, many people are now receiving massage that
wouldn't have even considered it in the past, and probably weren't aware of the benefits even a year
earlier. These companies provide thousands of employment opportunities for massage therapists, as well
as tremendous visibility at the national level. For example, in 2012, Massage Envy Spa provided 14.5
million services to 1.17 million members and 2.6 million guests. In 2013, they provided 56,000 services
per day. And that is only one of the many national franchise organizations today. I see this as being
analogous to the hair styling industry. Yes, there are many franchises such as Supercuts, where you can
receive a haircut for about $15. Yet, many people still go to other salons where they pay closer to $60 for
a haircut.
Do the Math!
Most people working at a franchised day spa earn more than $25 per hour, including tips. So, if you are
working 25 hours per week, that's about $30,000 per year. Plus, many of these companies offer benefits
such as health care, paid time off and educational opportunities. That is much better than the average
worker receives. Also, while some therapists have a college degree and extensive training, others enter
into this field with a mere 500 hours of schooling. This is a good return on investment.
Part of the problem comes in when people think about how they could charge between $50 to $60 per
hour (even more in some cities). Worse, they fail to consider the cost of building and maintaining a
business. That $30,000 salary starts looking better when you factor in rent, utilities, equipment, linens,
supplies, front desk staff, marketing, taxes and insurance. Just the cost per session (e.g., linens and
lubricants) is between $2 to $6. Even the bare bones minimum cost to operate a small practice is about
$12,000. And that amount doesn't include taxes, staffing, health insurance, continuing education or other
benefits. Finally, this number includes a barely existing marketing budget — which needs to be
dramatically increased when building a practice.
If you want to work an equivalent of the 25 hours per week at a franchise spa, then you really will only
have time for 15 clients per week, as you will need at least 10 hours per week (and a lot more in the
building phase) to manage and market your practice. Let's say you charge $50 per hour and work 50
weeks per year, seeing 15 clients per week. Your gross revenue would be $37,500. Then deduct the
$12,000 for the base operating expenses and you are now making $25,500 per year. Realistically, your net
profit will most likely be closer to $20,000 — and you have to bear all of the risks.
Of course, you can change those numbers by working more hours, charging higher fees and selling
products. Yet, many people don't have the desire or personality to run their own business. According to
CG Funk, Vice President of Industry Relations and Product Development for Massage Envy Spa, working
for a franchise spa may be a good option for practitioners who are new graduates, those that want to
supplement their private practice income, those that don't want the responsibility of operating their own
business or those who simply want to work part time.
Overall Success Strategies
Working in a spa requires conforming to a corporate image and structuring your treatments to align with
the company's schedule, treatment protocol, policies and philosophy. Marketing is another area that is
often a source of conflict. In a spa, you don't have to do marketing or schedule clients, but there's no
guarantee your work hours are filled. Many practitioners discover to their dismay that to increase the
client flow they need to market their services themselves (this is more so in a local day spa than a
destination spa).
To be successful in these environments, a practitioner needs to understand employer expectations and
understand the rationale behind the policies and procedures set by the employer. Certainly these measures
are set up to protect the client and the company; very often they are set to protect the practitioner as well.
Good communication skills are vital in this environment. In addition to client interactions, practitioners
need to communicate well with the front desk staff, management and co-workers.
The Work Environment
Creating an ethical working environment is, of course, the mutual responsibility of spa management and
employees. Ideally, spa management acts diligently to protect and serve the rights of both employees and
clients. On their side, spa employees ideally commit themselves to quality work at all times and in all
circumstances and express loyalty to the organization by cooperating with policies and procedures and
avoiding conflicts of interest. Difficulties arise not just with actual lapses in these ideals; they also arise
when suspicion and distrust surface within the organization. Both management and employees, therefore,
need to practice transparency, honesty and integrity in communications with one another.
On one hand, the relationship between spa management and employees boils down to a question of
autonomy. In most spas, practitioners don't have a choice about how many clients to see in a day, which
clients they'll work with or even what type of work is to be performed. Serving the customer is the spa's
priority. Management expects employees to work to an assigned schedule, to expand their therapeutic
repertoire by learning spa treatments outside their specialty and to conform to the corporate image. On the
other hand, spa management may offer the employee numerous benefits such as compensation based on
seniority, commissions on product sales, health insurance, paid vacations, paid sick days, pension plans,
profit sharing and reimbursement for continuing education.
Perhaps the most serious ethical concerns in the spa environment surround issues of inappropriate touch
and sexual misconduct. Management usually has a zero tolerance policy, meaning that if a client
complains of sexual misconduct on the part of a practitioner, that practitioner is terminated without
recourse. A similar policy might exist regarding practitioner complaints against clients who sexualize a
session. Management needs to examine whether their policies disempower practitioners in these
situations, while employees should know the limits of their legal rights.
The next sections highlight some of the ethical considerations shared by spa management and spa
employees to create an atmosphere where cooperation and ethical behavior are encouraged and supported.
Ethical Guidelines for Spa Employees
 Spa employees know the goals, mission and standards of the spa; understand what actions on their
part support those standards; and express their loyalty to the business through such supportive
action.
 Employees insist on the correct classification of their relationship with the spa, whether that is
independent contractor or employee, so they legally meet IRS requirements.
 Employees clearly communicate with management concerning the treatments they're willing to do
and the additional training they're willing to undertake.
 Employees are willing to conform to the corporate image to represent business success and unity
to clients.
 Employees know the scope of practice parameters and contraindications to treatment and maintain
professional standards at all times.
 Employees maintain awareness of boundary issues and be diligent in avoiding dual relationships
with management, peers and clients.
 Employees are very familiar with HIPAA requirements and confidentiality measures taken by the
spa management to ensure client confidentiality.
 Employees know and utilize the established means of communications to inform management of
any ethical concerns that arise and should be aware of their obligations, both legal and ethical, if
management doesn't respond appropriately to their concerns.
 If sales are expected, employees base their sales pitches on honest evaluations of products or
services they feel support their modalities and client wellness.
 Employees are willing to research and create ethical marketing techniques to increase the visibility
of their modality within the spa setting.
Ethical Guidelines for Spa Management
 Spa management is responsible for creating clear written codes of conduct and policy and
procedure manuals and for ensuring that employees receive training that reviews these
expectations.
 Management formulates employee contracts that clearly spell out all aspects of financial
agreements, methods of compensation and benefits.
 Management ensures that front desk and other support staff are educated regarding the types of
treatments offered, they understand the ethical principles behind scope of practice considerations
and they're aware of basic contraindications to the treatments offered by the spa.
 Management does its best to design and decorate the spa environment in a way that doesn't elicit a
confusing or sexual ambience.
 Management clarifies the types and means of communication that are appropriate among
practitioners, as well as between practitioners and clients, and between practitioners and
management.
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Management invests not just in modality training for its employees, but in continued education in
communication, interpersonal skills, HIPAA and confidentiality regulations, and avoidance of
sexual misconduct and harassment charges.
Destination spas and day spas are here to stay. The growth rate continues to be strong for these
companies. The question really isn't, "Are these companies good for the profession?" The question
is, "Are these companies good for you?" Evaluate your goals, style and personality before you
decide to work for a spa on a part-time or full-time basis. Then evaluate each specific company to
see if you mesh well with their corporate culture. Find out if they follow the above guidelines.
Keep in mind that even though a company might be part of a larger corporation, every manager or
owner has their own style and may run that specific location differently than others.
Reprinted without permission
Massage Today
June, 2014, Vol. 14, Issue 06
By Cherie Sohnen-Moe
(reformatted slightly for improved reading)