Wants to Open a Japenese Themed Spa

I am very new to the spa industry but would like to open my own day spa within the next 6 months. I would like to go with an Asian theme preferably japanese. Can you point me in the direction of Asian treatments and products and asian inspired designs for spas maybe in pictures. Also i would appreciate a foundation plan. Right now i'm really confused as to which direction to turn. What type of office space would make more sense to lease (a beauty salon, doctors/dental office or just an open floor plan office space) as there is no existing spa in my area. I would like to start out small, how many rooms would i need besides the reception area if i plan on having 2 massage treatment rooms and i also want to do facials and foot massages. what type of rooms are generally found in a day spa. thanks

Dear Jade,

Before you start, I would advise that you do a Business Plan and Market Analysis to determine the feasibility of what you plan to do. If you are not sure of how to write one or how to perform a Market Analysis, then you should consider either hiring a Spa Consultant or if you do not have the funding to do that, then I would advise that you contact the small business association in your area or SCORE which is comprised of retired business executives http://www.score.org/.

In regard to Japanese Therapies, here are a few. However, these are very technical services and really require proper additional training and certification to perform. Seeing how there are no spas in your area currently, You may not find specialists in your area who can perform these services. So, hiring staff may be a challenge.

Shiatsu

Ashiatsu

Thai Massage

Anma Massage

Reiki

Accussage

Accupunture

Acu Facials

Anma Facial

Facials & Body treatments incorporating Japanese Herbs or Green Tea

Japanese Enzyme/Herbal Baths

Location is going to be key, and starting out small is a good idea. Do consider how long your lease is for, because if you need to expand you do not want to be locked in. You will probably need to be in a high traffic area. Going into a strip center with a good anchor or a location where they are already generating the type of traffic /cliental that you determine is your market audience is also important. Locations near a salon, Fitness club, yoga/palates studio is beneficial. Developing a network with dermatologists, chiropractors, and plastic surgeons is advisable.

Make sure you get all of the legalities clarified so you know what is required in your area to operate an establishment with massage, aesthetics and nail services. Verify the need for water and equipment in the treatment rooms as required by local ordinances.

To view locations for ideas, just Google Japanese Day Spas and you can get a few ideas. Or visit Japanese restaurants to get inspired on colors and features. Spa Trade has a buyers guide that can assist you with locating Equipment companies.

Good Luck if you need assistance as you move forward please feel free to contact me.

Marie Bernat

COO Spavelous

The Best Spa Finder

Spa Advertising

Question From Lemans -

I have a magazine in Northern VA that is eager for me to advertise some what expensive 1300.00 a month any feedback

Dear Lemans,

So much information must go into making a marketing decision like this.

First, what is your monthly marketing budget? Your monthly budget should not be more then 10% of your top line revenue a month (with some fluctuation for seasonality). In some cases due to your fix costs, your budget may be less (3 - 5%). What is your marketing budget? Does this cost fit into your budget?

Second, what is the ROI (return on investment). I like to look at it this way, how much will that ad need to bring me on the top line to pay for itself on the bottom line. If right now, you are averaging putting 20% on the bottom line each month, that would translate to for every$100,000 on the top line you put $20,000 on the bottom line. So in this example, if you spend $1300 of your bottom line, then this should generate at least $6500 on the top line to pay for itself. If your average service is $100 this means that the ad would need to generate 65 treatments to pay for itself. Can this ad do that?

If you do decide to move forward with this, you should run an ad with a coupon this way you can track redemption to see if you get the ROI.

What is the distribution of the magazine? How is it distributed (subscribers by mail, available for free in supermarkets, placed in hotels)? Is it geared toward the demographics of your clients? Have you spoke with other advertisers in the magazine to see what type of results they experienced? How long has this magazine been in business. Is it a read once and throw out magazine or is it a coffee table magazine. What is the readership of the magazine?

I am familiar with N. VA, I lived in Fairfax and I still have a sister who lives in Sterling by Dulles Airport. I will be happy to help you as much as I can with research on the publication.

Today, depending on the location of your spa, most consumers are finding their spas by word of mouth and on the internet. For $50 a month or $500 for an entire year of service, my company Spavelous will support you. We work with you on your word of mouth by having you stay in touch with your current clients with newsletters and email blasts. We assist you with building sales by posting your spa deals and spa specials on our web site and in our Spa blogs. Many of our members receive these specials daily through RSS feeds. You can review our offering more at http://spavelous.com/mkt/index.html There are four plans to choose from. At very least you should sign up for your free listing.

As you can see by my posts, I am truly here to support you and the spa industry. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me directly. I am located in AZ so I believe I am 3 hours behind you now. 888-887-7831 ex 1818

I hope you have found this information helpful and not too confusing.

Sincerely Yours,

Marie Bernat
Spavelous - The Largest US Spa Directory