Golf Ball Massage at the Four Seasons Dublin, Ireland

Posted by the US Golf Ball Massage Spa Distributor…..Deborah Evans & Associates, LLC

Recommended by Irish golfing legend Des Smyth, this exclusive sports massage treatment at the Four Seasons – a first in Ireland – uses a special rolling massage device with an inner golf ball to provide steady, gliding pressure and deep massage work, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the fairway in style.

Combine this massage treatment with golf conditioning from the Spa’s preferred conditioning coach and personal trainer, Eric Miller. Tailored monthly packages include four Golf Ball massages, eight golf conditioning sessions and full use of our facilities from EUR 850 for members and EUR 1,010 for non-members. For more information, please call Spa reservations at 353 (1) 665 4602.

 

Spa Trends-Back to our Wellness Roots

Reprinted from Spa Opportunities, May 21, 2013

It is gratifying to see the spa industry come full circle and return to it’s roots of health, healing and wellness. This new Swiss offering exceeds our US destination spa get away considerably. This investment in health sets a lifetime pattern for healthy living.

One of Europe’s leading wellbeing and medical health spa destinations, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland, has developed a long-stay lifestyle concept with a minimum duration of three months.

Lifestyle Living has been designed for guests who are looking to find out about and lead a healthier lifestyle – something which Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, with its wellbeing, medical and thermal spa offering, specialises in.

Guests will stay in one of the resort’s 24 luxury ‘home from home’ Spa Loft suites and, with guidance from experts, be able to pick from a myriad of services – covering hospitality, culinary, thermal spa, complementary and medical elements – to create their own bespoke package.

The minimum stay will be three months starting at CHF 7,500 (US$7,720, 6,000 euro, £5,080) based on two people sharing.

The Spa Lofts themselves are geared towards wellbeing and have the resort’s natural mineral water on tap, as well as spa pools and baths, saunas and a combined steamroom/shower.

Meanwhile, guests will also have unlimited access to all wellbeing facilities including the Tamina Therme, a natural water complex with mineral rich 36.5C waters; a sauna world which features the famous Swarovski crystal steamroom; two fitness centres; and daily exercise and relaxation courses. The package does not include meals, treatments or medical services.

“We already had long-term guests who were using the full hospitality infrastructure such as a daily laundry/clean and butler service based on a daily rate,” explains Kathrin Boerger, the resort’s director of marketing, sales & PR.

“But what we’re now offering is much more flexible as we offer guests the chance to design their own long-stay with components that fulfill their needs.

“We introduced Lifestyle Living because of customer demand and because it fits in extremely well with our philosophy of helping customers to take care of themselves. And we can offer that – whether it’s for those looking for a spa and wellness break or travelling on business, or those in need or rehabilitation or preventative medical care.”

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz has already put together a team he region that are creating compellinto sell the package and measure interest from calls and website clicks. If there’s demand, the next step will to be to combine two Spa Lofts to make bigger 125sq m (1,345sq ft) Spa Residence apartments for Lifestyle Living customers.

Situated in the foothills of the Alps in east Switzerland, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz features two hotels with 289 bedrooms and suites in total. In 2009, the resort completed a major CHF160m (US$165m, 128m euro, £108m) refurbishment.

Highlights of the overhaul included a new Spa Suites building with 56 bedrooms (24 of which will be used for Lifestyle Living); a 5,500sq m (592,015sq ft) spa, a revamped medical centre with 30 doctors on staff, and the renovation of Tamina Therme.

 

 

 

Where and How the Luxury Segment Shops

Reprinted from Beauty Packaging.com, May 9, 2013

High-income shoppers said they were just as likely to make a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store (78%) as they were online (77%), in the past 12 months.
The Luxury Institute surveyed wealthy consumers earning at least $150,000 a year about their usage of the Internet and mobile devices, and how these technologies affect their interaction with brands across platforms.

The report showed that despite the growing popularity of mobile and tablet shopping, research done on a traditional computer still feeds foot traffic into brick-and-mortar stores – leading to in-store purchases among 45% of the consumers surveyed. Only 25% of wealthy shoppers buy online after checking out merchandise and gaining insights at a store. Also, 20% of wealthy consumers reported using a tablet’s web browser to make a purchase during the last year. Catalog purchases were made by 17% of shoppers; telephone orders were made by 15%; and only 14% of shoppers made a purchase using a smart phone.
The bottom line is that brands should take note of this advice:
“Successful brands turn shopping and browsing into a seamless experience across traditional websites, apps for smart phones and tablets, and within brick-and-mortar stores. Wealthy consumers are eager users of the latest technologies and brands need to be, too,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO, The Luxury Institute.

The Luxury Traveler

By: Meagan Drillinger, reprinted from Luxury Travel Advisor, April 24, 2013.

Allow us to paint you a picture of who exactly the affluent American traveler is. We recently received The Resonance Report on Affluent Travel and Leisure, released by Resonance Consultancy and The Luxury Institute, and we think there are a few findings worth sharing.

First, the affluent American households take an average of three vacations per year that average six days. When these top-tier travelers are on the road, they are usually staying in a Ritz-Carlton hotel. We hear this is the number one hotel brand choice for high net worth households of $1 million or more. Affluent households under $1 million prefer to stay in Marriotts.

These travelers are visiting New York City, Las Vegas and San Francisco when staying domestic. Going Caribbean, they are most likely to visit the Bahamas followed by Puerto Rico and Jamaica. These households aspire to visit Turks & Caicos. (Maybe it’s time to start selling your clients their dream trip?) Italy is the number one overseas vacation followed by the U.K and France.

When on the road, affluent travelers are looking for wine country tours and luxury cruises.

 

Spa Legislation Washington State

By Anne Martin, a CIDESCO Diplomate, licensed esthetician instructor, the founder and chair of the Northwest Aestheticians’ Guild, and a former chair of the state advisory board to the Washington State Department of Licensing for Cosmetology, Barbering, Manicuring and Esthetics.

 

A bit of context for the need for law change in Washington state: estheticians are increasingly being hired by doctors, medical spas and clinics. We cost less than nurses and ARNPs, and our subject expertise is skin. In 2008 the cosmetic industry was a $60 billion industry; in 2011 it had increased by 5.3% … in a recession no less! The call for estheticians to work in these medical spas and laser clinics is sounding louder as the industry responds to the demands of aging baby boomers.

 

Currently, in Washington, estheticians are required to have 600 hours of education from a licensed school, and then take a state exam given by our governing body, the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL), to earn an esthetics license. Embedded in that 600 hours is the scope of practice that permits use of lasers. Granted, this work has to be delegated or supervised by a physician (a condition imposed upon estheticians by the Medical Quality Assurance Commission). But, and here’s the rub: no 600-hour school curriculum can fit into it even the most rudimentary instruction on lasers, let alone the in-depth teaching that would prepare estheticians for laser work.

 

How does laser training happen now? It relies on the business that does the hiring, with no training consistency required. Typically, that education consists of the representative who sold the laser equipment offering two to four hours of training. And then that trained individual usually carries out the training on the next hire, etc. … a little like playing telephone. Some estheticians or their employers opt to pay for private classes; some pay to go out of state to recognized laser schools, for more thorough and longer training. A good training idea, but it comes at an economic loss to this state. A colleague who operates a laser clinic, with two physicians on board for oversight, reckons she has spent over $25,000 sending her estheticians out of the state for training over the last several years.

 

To address the laser dilemma, and to raise educational standards in our remarkably advancing esthetic profession, the Northwest Aestheticians’ Guild first presented the idea of tiers in stakeholder workshops held over a span of three to four years and sponsored by DOL. We had carefully considered the idea of a single 1200-hour license and then discarded it, because we thought there will always be those who prefer to practice traditional esthetics, sans lasers and medium-depth peels, and we wanted room at the table for all. Moreover, we believe it is important in this economic climate to avoid putting smaller schools under such pressure as to double their training to the point that they go out of business. Choice, then, was strongly supported: for schools, as to which tier they would offer (if not both), and estheticians, as to which they would study. Our belief is that the workplace demands will help potential students make the decision as to which tier best suits their goals and answers the marketplace needs.

 

When offering our proposal, we kept laser and medium-depth peels within scope for the new 1200-hour master esthetician license; the added hours will more broadly and safely educate, while producing work-ready estheticians. And we raised educational standards with the 750-hour esthetician, while defining laser and medium-depth peels as beyond scope of practice.

 

This new esthetics law belongs to everyone. From its inception, many have worked hard to craft the ideas into a truly viable proposals for law; for that work, they should be justifiably proud. But most specifically and at the last, when we needed people to show up and, most notably, to stalwartly defend against attacks by those who sought to either destroy the bill or co-opt it, the following formed the “Committee of The Crossed Fingers”: Melissa Siedlicki, CIDESCO Diplomate, creator and instructor of the medical esthetics program at Clover Park Technical College; Jennifer Errigo, CIDESCO Diplomate, instructor in fundamental esthetics at Clover Park Technical College; Debbie Caddell, esthetician and owner of Caddell’s Laser Spa; Karlee Sorenson, esthetic instructor and laser specialist; Renee Beck and Christine Brown, students – and their many classmates. Each wrote the letters and made the calls, testified or showed up to support the bill in the House and the Senate, endured late nights and long days, and stood together in on behalf of our beloved profession.

 

And a special huzzah to Sylvia Garcia, chair of the Department of Cosmetology, Manicuring and Esthetics at Spokane Community College. Many long conferences, particularly those with a very patient legislative committee lawyer, as we worked with the original proposal to craft the language that was ultimately passed into law, strategy meetings, and all the rest that this legislative process demanded, have been our lot from the beginning … and we wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Gratitude, Sylvia. Gratitude, Team.

 

All together, this committee worked with excellence and doggedness, doing what was needed each and every time to make sure that our beautiful bill passed successfully through the Legislature. This good bill, soon to be signed into law by our governor, accomplishes the following:

•Increases current esthetician 600-hour training to 750-hour to meet the needs of new technology and allow students additional practice and theory while in school;

•Prohibits the use of lasers and medium-depth peels for the 750-hour esthetician;

•Specifies that injections are beyond the scope of practice for all estheticians;

•Creates a master esthetician license that requires 1200 hours of training, a standard which is in line with several other states; notably Utah with 1200 hours, Kansas with 1000 hours and Nevada with 900 hours;

•Stipulates that the master esthetician can operate lasers and perform medium-depth peels (while still adhering to the MQAC rules for laser operation);

•Automatically grandfathers into the 750-hour esthetician license all currently licensed estheticians;

•Provides five avenues for current licensees to qualify for the master esthetician license during grandfathering; and,

•Gives until January 1, 2015, for estheticians to qualify for the master esthetician under grandfathering.

 

Detox for the Skin

We love to share skin care advice and this is from the founder of sumbody,

the natural skin and body care we represent to the

wholesale skin and salon industry.

 

Summer sun and fun can take a

toll on skin, leaving it parched, congested and damaged. The stress of travel,

changes in diet and routine, and prolonged exposure to air conditioning, sun

and chemicals can wreak havoc on your skin. While sunscreen is great for

protecting skin from harmful UV rays, it can clog your pores and deposit toxic

chemicals, leaving your pores congested and unable to absorb or expel (see

references below).

Fall is the time to take a deep

breath and clean up our act. It is imperative to prepare skin for the harsh

winter, to make sure it survives looking luscious, hydrated and healthy.

Detoxing is the key to preparing your skin to stay healthy and beautiful all

winter.

Pores are the gateway to the

skin, and skin is a gateway to our bloodstream. When pores are congested and

suffocated, it is virtually impossible for them to absorb the actives of your

usual skin care products. If your pores are clogged, not only are they unable

to properly absorb any skin care you may use, they cannot expel the toxins and

oils they have been processing. This can aggravate preexisting conditions such

as rosacea or acne or make oily skin oilier, dry skin drier and accelerate

aging.

With fall comes cooler weather

and decreased humidity. The transition of seasons brings many changes to our

daily lives that affect our skin. I’ve highlighted some of the most important

changes below and included tips on how to protect your skin.

1. Weather

Cooler and drier temperatures and

exposure to constant heat fireplaces and cold, wind, and rain are harsh on skin. Changing your skin care regimen to keep up

with these seasonal changes is key. What worked in the warmer, humid months is

not what your skin needs now. Learn to layer. Use body oil rich in EFA such as

avocado under your lotion (try putting it on in the shower after soaping). Use

face oil under your face cream.

2. Dry dead skin

Use cream-based or gentle

exfoliates such as finely-ground sunflower seeds, almonds or quinoa flour (easy

to make at home!) to remove the dead skin cells instead of harsher drying and

irritating ones.

3. Artificial air

Fall weather and lack of humidity

can dehydrate skin. Use a serum with hyaluronic acid, which forms a barrier on the skin,

moisturizes and makes skin appear smoother or moisturizers with lipids or essential fatty acids found in avocado oil or evening

primrose oil to hydrate skin and repair damage from harsh chemicals and

over-washing.

4. Skin and wardrobe

color changes

Change up your makeup. Foundation

colors and your overall color palette need to change with the seasons. Make

sure to keep up with the seasonal colors and not get stuck in the makeup rut.

You can still be yourself and add a little pop to your look. Subtleness is key.

This fall and winter color is in. Try a vibrant color like purple or green as a

liner on the top of your lid for fun color with out feeling overdone.

5. Don’t forget your lips

Mix a little olive oil with sugar

and gently scrub it on your lips to keep them exfoliated. Stay away from lip

balms that contain petroleum products, chemicals and artificial flavors. Look

for balms that are high in shea butter, avocado oil, apricot oil and coconut

butter.

6. Basic musts that

become harder

Some things still stay the same.

We need enough water for hydration (take up sipping herbal tea during the

cooler months), proper nutrition (switch your summer salads to braised dark

leafy green such as kale, spinach and chard), get adequate “down

time” (fall brings on back to school, holidays… make sure to take time

for yourself) sleep, exercise and joy to both look and feel healthy.

7. The sun is still a

factor

Remember you can still damage your skin from the sun even during fall and winter.

So wear a hat that protects your face, limit your sun exposure or wear a

natural sunscreen when you go out.

8. The cooler months can

bring on the blues

Happiness is key to beauty. As

the days shorten and the weather cools, incidences of both cabin fever and

depression rise. A little fresh air goes a long way! Take a brisk walk, open

the window, sit outside and sip some tea. Have a room with full spectrum light

bulbs, invite friends over, read a good book, take time to meditate or try

something new. Beautiful skin goes beyond what we eat, how much sleep we get

and what products we use. The way we are feeling does show up on our face.

Think about the glow of someone in love versus how someone looks when they are

stressed or troubled. Reducing stress, and increasing laughter and joy help

maintain a youthful glow.

Skin Detoxing:

I have devised a simple five-step

program you can make at home that will unclog your pores and remove toxins,

leaving you chemical-free, happy, healthy and functioning skin, so you can both

absorb all the actives in your skin care and expel toxins so they don’t build

up in your pores.

Step 1 — Detox Cleanser

1 teaspoon organic apple cider

vinegar

2 teaspoons apple juice

¼ teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon soymilk

½ teaspoon Quina flour

Mix all ingredients in food

processer.

Step 2 — Detox Toner

1 teaspoon organic apple cider

vinegar

3 teaspoons of roobois tea

Step 3 — Detox Serum

1 teaspoon aloe vera juice

½ teaspoon of burdock root tea

½ teaspoon white tea

Step 4 — Detox Moisturizer

Pure jojoba oil

Step 5 — Deep Pore Mask

1 teaspoon kaolin clay

1/8 teaspoon activated charcoal

Mix with one part apple cider vinegar and four parts

water to make a thin paste.

 

By Deborah Burnes, CEO and Founder of sumbody and author

of Look Great, Live Green

Where Men Shop for Beauty

The latest research from Mintel reveals that online retailing is the ultimate shopping channel for American men when it comes to beauty products.

According to the market research company, the ease and convenience features of shopping online appeals to some 60% of men aged 18-34 who buy beauty products – and they agree that buying online is more convenient than shopping in-store.

This compares to 52% of women of the same age – and 41% of their older male counterparts (aged 55+).
Moreover, 37% of younger men who buy beauty products also report being more likely to make impulse purchases when shopping online compared to shopping in-store, versus 26% of female consumers of the same age.

Shannon Romanowski, beauty and personal care analyst at Mintel, said: “The time-saving factor is one of the key drivers for shopping online. As men are particularly motivated by time-saving and convenience as reasons for shopping online, beauty retailers may want to consider expanding more marketing efforts to this often untapped consumer in the beauty category.

She continues, “Men are a prime target for online beauty retailing as they are less likely to want to spend a lot of time browsing stores and are looking for quick, simple and convenient ways to get the products they want. Additionally, the internet allows for a level of anonymity when shopping for products that may be a bit embarrassing to shop for in person like anti-aging or hair thinning products, particularly for men.”

Mintel’s research also shows what types of beauty products online shoppers purchase he most. So – what’s the most popular online beauty purchase? Facial skincare.

One in ten (10%) U.S. consumers who buy online say they have bought facial skincare products online in the last year, followed by women’s fragrances (8%), male fragrances (7%), and makeup (8%).

“Facial skincare, fragrance, and makeup are the most purchased beauty products online, which is a departure from the most purchased beauty products in-store,” explains Romanowski.

She continues, “These products tend to be higher priced, making them more of an investment, and also have longer purchase cycles so consumers may not mind waiting a little longer for shipping. Online shopping also provides consumers with access to more premium and specialty items that were once only available to those who lived near urban areas or high-end shopping outlets.”

Reposted from Beauty Packaging.com Posted 1.10.13

Hilton Hotels & Resorts Unveils Report on Global Spa Trends

Hilton Blue Paper Finds Spas are Key Factor for Travelers Making Booking Decisions

July 17, 2012

SYDNEY and MCLEAN, Va. – Generational use of spas, the overall impact of spas on hotels and the increasing significance of the male spa-goer are among key topics discussed in “Emerging Global Spa Trends,” a new Hilton Blue Paper released today by Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide. The report outlines insights from a collection of industry experts, including the Hilton Worldwide spa team, founders of top spa product brands and other thought leaders in this space. The Hilton Blue Paper also includes a survey of 6,000 respondents throughout the United States, Great Britain, Australia and China to offer additional global and regional insight. A key finding of the research is that nearly 50 percent of the respondents said the existence of a spa is an important factor in selecting a hotel, with Chinese travelers finding it most important followed by those from Australia.

“Spa is a key differentiator for us within both the leisure and business travel segments today,” said Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. “This new research emphasizes the importance of spas in the decision to book a hotel stay, particularly in the rapidly expanding Chinese market. Of particular note, we found that 69 percent of travelers said they were at least somewhat likely to visit the spa at their hotel. Through innovative concepts like eforea: spa at Hilton we are providing unique spa experiences for our guests and best in class solutions for our owners.”

In summary, the Hilton Blue Paper:

 

• Identifies spa-goers and spa behavior based on generation, highlighting key differentiators and motivators for each age group
• Discusses the increasingly savvy modern spa guest, who is more enlightened about the overall efficacy of spa treatments and related products
• Highlights the growing importance of men to the global spa industry and how a successful spa should tailor its offerings for this audience
• Touches on the need for global spa concepts to offer consistent services across their portfolios while also allowing for local flexibility
• Underscores the overall importance of spas to the hotel industry, which are offering properties a distinct competitive advantage in booking, driving revenue and attracting local customers beyond the overnight guest
• Notes the significance of business travelers, who are increasingly looking for relevant ways to decompress between meetings, as well as extend their visits as part of the “blended travel” experience
• Offers additional insight on regional trends being seen by experts throughout the Americas, Middle East and Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific

“While we find that many of the global spa trends are consistent around the world, there are also notable and significant regional differences,” said Tyra Lowman, senior director, global spa, full service and luxury brands, Hilton Worldwide. “A successful spa concept on a global scale is one that offers reliable services across its portfolio while respecting regional differences by providing locally influenced treatments and services.”

This Hilton Blue Paper is released as eforea: spa at Hilton, the global spa concept created by Hilton Worldwide, continues to expand its global footprint. Since its October 2010 launch by Hilton Hotels & Resorts, eforea has grown to include 11 locations in seven countries, with more than 90 additional locations in development, making it one of the fastest growing spa concepts in the world. The concept is currently available to properties across Hilton Worldwide’s Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Embassy Suites Hotels brands. Hilton Worldwide is one of the world’s largest spa operators today, with more than 250 spas across the company’s ten market leading brands.

To view a summary and full version of the “Emerging Global Spa Trends” report, other Hilton Blue Papers, visit http://news.hilton.com. To learn more about eforea: spa at Hilton visit hilton.com/eforea or http://news.hilton.com/eforea.

Making Men a New Target Market in Your Spa

Despite the reported growth in men in spas, some spas still do not see this as a viable market - Why?

A repost of reported growth in this market segment.

NPD Study Shows Potential for Men’s Skin Care Growth

Posted: February 17, 2012

According to a new study from The NPD Group, Inc. titled Men’s Grooming Consumer Report, more than nine in 10 men (ages 18+) are using some sort of grooming product today, which can include facial and body skin care, shaving, hair care and fragrance. However, only one-quarter of men are currently using facial skin care products such as facial cleansers and moisturizers, lip and eye products, and anti-aging treatments.

The men’s facial skin care market has grown 11% in dollar sales in 2011, compared to 2010, according to The NPD Group.

When looking at those men using facial skin care, over one-third (37%) reported using facial cleansers (excluding bar soap) and facial lotions/moisturizers. Three in ten (30%) were cited using lip products, and over one-fourth (26%) are using acne treatment products.

Even within facial skin care, men purchase the more commonly used products that target basic cleaning and moisturizing, while those that offer more specialized benefits such as treating acne and preventing or diminishing the signs of aging, are less likely used by men.

“There is a huge opportunity with men for facial skin care. The challenge is getting them involved and engaged,” said Karen Grant, vice president and senior global industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Seventy-five percent of men ages 18 and up are not currently using facial skin care products. There is a feeling that facial skin care products are not needed unless you have a specific skin problem such as acne. For men to use a product, he first must be aware that there is an underlying need that requires addressing.

Once men know they have a need to fill, their problem-solution orientation will fuel their desire to find products to alleviate their grooming challenges. They also have to unlearn the idea that the body skin care product they use such as bar soap and body lotion works just as well for facial skin. And, while men of all ages present an opportunity, need-based opportunities seem to be most pronounced with black and Hispanic men, as well as younger men ages 18 to 34. To create life-long users, marketers will not only need to build awareness of the benefits that products offer, but also show that these products can be seamlessly incorporated into his grooming routine,” Grant concluded.

For more on the potential of the male market, read Imogen Matthews’ “The Sleeping Giant” article from the January/February 2012 issue of GCI magazine.

Salon & Spa Industry Rebounding?

Some great new stats to share, we are seeing the same. Let us know how you are doing in the new year.

REPUBLISHED:

Salon & Spa Industry Rebounds in Fourth Quarter 2011
Posted: February 7, 2012
Driven by stronger sales and traffic levels and a more optimistic outlook for sales growth and the economy, the Professional Beauty Association’s (PBA) three main tracking indices for the salon/spa industry, which include the Salon & Spa Performance Index (SSPI), Current Situation Index and Expectations Index, rose in the fourth quarter of 2011. Following three straight quarters of decline and having hit their lowest levels in two years in the third quarter of 2011, the positive results for fourth quarter 2011 are a welcome relief to the professional salon and spa industry.

The SSPI, which is the main index of the three, is a quarterly composite index that tracks the health and outlook of the U.S. salon/spa industry. The SSPI rose 1% from the third quarter of 2011 to stand at 102.9 in the fourth quarter. A base level measurement of 100 is used, with values above considered positive.

“The salon and spa industry remains resilient. As with the broader economy, it is encouraging to see positive growth and expansion as indicated by the Salon & Spa Performance Index,” said Steve Sleeper, executive director of the PBA.

The SSPI is based on responses to PBA’s “Salon & Spa Industry Tracking Survey,” which is fielded quarterly among salon/spa owners nationwide on a variety of indicators. It is constructed so that the health of the salon/spa industry is measured in relation to a steady-state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction. The Index consists of two components—the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.

The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in five industry indicators (service sales, retail sales, customer traffic, employees/hours, and capital expenditures), rose 1.3% to a level of 101.6. Four out of five indicators were positive in the fourth quarter. Most notably, 59% of salon/spa owners reported an increase in same-store service sales between the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011, up from 50% who reported higher service sales in the third quarter. Fifty-four percent of salon/spa owners also reported higher retail sales. Employee hours were only slightly down and were the one negative in the report.
The Expectations Index, which measures salon/spa owners’ six-month outlook on five industry indicators (service sales, retail sales, employees and hours, capital expenditures, and business conditions), increased 0.7% to a level of 104.2. Overall, salon/spa owners are more optimistic about industry growth in the months ahead. Service sales, the core of most salon and spa businesses, was the most encouraging with 67% of salon/spa owners expecting to have higher service sales in the coming six months. Sixty-one percent of salon/spa owners also expect higher retails sales as compared to 7% that expect a decline.

Despite the stronger outlook for sales and the economy, fewer salon/spa owners said they plan to expand staffing levels in the months ahead. Forty-three percent of salon/spa owners said they plan to have higher staffing level in six months. In comparison, only 6% of salon/spa owners expect to reduce staffing levels in six months, matching the proportion who responded similarly last quarter.

The full SSPI report and the “Salon & Spa Tracking Survey” can be found at www.probeauty.org/research.