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Day spas can provide welcome relaxation for clients with stressful schedules, and without time for home pampering regimens. “Entrepreneur” magazine notes that day spas offer many services featured at spa resorts. Serve your regional market by analyzing your market’s demographic makeup. Visit your city’s Chamber of Commerce for market data, such as residents’ age and income levels, educational background and leisure time activities. Gauge your market’s sophistication and readiness for unconventional day spa services
Step 1
Establish your day spa business. Select a business structure with a Certified Public Accountant familiar with spa businesses. Business structures include sole proprietorships, limited liability companies and Subchapter S corporations. Meet with a commercialinsurance agent with liability background. Obtain a business license and required permits at your city or county clerk’s office. Ask your health department about a pre-opening inspection. Contact your state department of revenue regarding a sales tax license (See Resources).
Step 2
Lease a convenient and visible location. Find a building easily accessed via main roads, and with adequate customer parking. Obtain written zoning department approval before you sign a lease. Work with an interior designer to create a color scheme that complements your spa's soothing environment. Locate a designer through the American Society of Interior Designers (See Resources). Contact a sign-making company for building signage that describes your day spa and mirrors your interior color scheme.
Step 3
List your regional day spa competitors. Find day spas within your city and in surrounding towns. Visit each one discreetly, and observe the spa’s décor and overall customer service practices. Analyze spa service menus to identify nationally recognized services that are not available in your region. Examples include specialized massage modalities, aesthetician-provided facials and unconventional wrap treatments (See Resources).
Step 4
Publish a menu of day spa services. Create a spa services menu tailored to your regional market. Include professionally applied facials and scrub treatments, as well as signature applications such as custom-blended body scrubs. Hire a licensed massage therapist with experience in several modalities, including niches unfilled by other day spas. Consider aromatherapy and other body-enhancing treatments as well.
Step 5
Order your spa fixtures andequipment. Contact a national supplier of spa equipment that includes facial steamers, massage tables and other treatment-specific fixtures. Include specialty shower and sauna equipment if you plan to offer those services. Work with the supplier to ergonomically blend the fixtures into your day spa’s environment (See Resources).
Step 6
Hire outgoing and experienced staff. Find gracious and capable employees with prior experience at a hair salon or other personal service business. Ask community college cosmetology instructors to recommend qualified students likely to excel in receptionist and customer service roles. Locate a licensed massage therapist through the American Massage Therapy Association (See Resources). Find a licensed aesthetician through the Aesthetics International Association (See Resources).
Step 7
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Host a luxury-filled grand opening. Welcome customers by pampering them with introductory spa package pricing. Conduct hourly spa accessories giveaways, and create a mailing list with the entry forms. Ask your massage therapist and medical professionals to speak on the benefits of stress management and relaxation. Advertise the event in local newspapers’ lifestyle sections and in health-focused magazines. Place tasteful invitations at non-competing hair and nail salons, fitness centers and upscale ladies’ clothing stores.
Things Needed
- Business structure documentation
- Insurance documentation
- Business license
- Local permits (if applicable)
- Health department certificate
- Sales tax license
- Written zoning department approval
- Lease
- Building signage
- Competitors' spa services menus
- Your spa services menu
- Spa fixtures and equipment order
- Introductory package pricing sheet
- Entry forms for grand opening giveaways
- Ad rates and copy for newspaper ads
- Ad rates and copy for health-focused magazines
- Grand opening invitations
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