A visit to the doctor is a scary occasion for many people. Hospitals and clinics are almost always painted in white to convey cleanliness and efficiency. Add to that the prospect of being subjected to diagnostic tests using machines and needles. Truly, medical facilities are the most unwelcoming of places. This is probably the reason why diagnostic centers and clinics are reinventing themselves to make them more appealing to the patients. On the other hand, traditionally non-medical institutions like wellness centers and spas are also trying to gain credibility in an era where consumers are more health savvy and demand more scientific-based health services.

Reinventing the names

Many diagnostic centers have coined their facilities’ official name to include the term “wellness.” Wellness is a word associated by many with alternative medicine and spas conjures pictures of well-being and relaxation.   Read the rest of this entry »

“Connect for Success” was the theme of this year’s International Salon/Spa Business Network’s annual conference, which played host to owners and managers from approximately 40 of North America’s top multi-unit salon and spa companies.

“What an appropriate theme for this year’s conference,” said Gordon Logan, CEO/founder of Sports Clips, who was reelected to his second two-year term as ISBN board president. “Success comes to those who seize opportunities and there is no better opportunity to learn how to improve our businesses than connecting with our fellow members and our supplier partners here at the ISBN conference,” Logan said, citing favorable business conditions like lower real estate prices, availability of stylists seeking stability and work opportunities, affordable advertising and low-cost social networking sites as trends that can help salons and spas build business. Read more …

From PC Money Secrets

The beauty salon is a strong business to be in these days. Not only are ladies interested in maintaining their looks and making themselves look more attractive, but in many regions men are inclined to spend a good amount on facial and hair care also. It isn’t a business sector geared just towards women any longer. Broadening the customer base provides the ability for more people to successfully start their own beauty salon because there are a broad variety of people utilizing these services on a regular basis.

Starting Up your own beauty salon can be as easy as setting up to see clients in your basement. Read more …

In order to run a successful Spa business it is necessary to have a software management system to keep track of your clients, employees and products. Management software is capable of keeping a history and record of your client’s visits as well as their product record. It is also capable of keeping track of employees hours and pay scales. It has the ability to keep a record of inventory and sales.

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By Racheline Maltese

While many anti-aging treatments such as wrinkle fillers and Botox focus on hiding the signs of aging, the most effective anti-aging treatments are designed to actively rejuvenate the skin, providing it with a better appearance, elasticity, firmness and moisture.

One exciting new medical spa treatment of this nature is called LED skin rejuvenation. This process uses light to encourage skin cells to multiple and produce collagen, which gives youthful skin its natural firmness. Unlike many popular laser treatments for more youthful skin, this process does not start by damaging the skin to promote growth. This makes the procedure safer than laser skin treatments and also reduces recovery time from any redness or swelling. While LED skin rejuvenation does require several treatments over a few weeks or months, it is pain free, unlike laser procedures. Read more …

By Catherine Trebble

When you provide the ‘Wow’ factor to your clients, they are a lot more likely to recommend your business to their friends, colleagues and family. Always your aim is to turn your clients into your ‘Raving Fans’. To build long term client loyalty you need to offer a quality of service that far exceeds their expectations. With a little planning this doesn’t have to be difficult. The secret is the little touches you provide.

Idea 1: Send your clients a birthday card with an enclosed gift coming up to their birthday. The gift can be money off their next service with you, or it could be a little add-on service the next time they are in having their regular service.

Chances are, with everyone emailing and texting these days, your birthday card with gift can be the only one they receive in the post. This special touch won’t cost you very much, but this is exactly the sort of unexpected special touch your client will love you for. After all, who else offers this kind of personal attention?

Idea 2: When you are using good salon software it’s very easy to add a note to a client’s file detailing not only what service they had, but what way they like their coffee and even what they discussed with you.
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By Anastasia Zoldak , eHow Contributing Writer

A comprehensive medical spa practice business plan is the vital first step in building a successful business in the medical spa industry. Without a business plan, spa owners could not apply for loans or government grants. A business plan for a medical spa practice is an operational and financial map of how the spa practice will be operated. It will detail the licensing required and give an account of the costs involved. For additional guidance on researching and creating a business plan, visit the free on-line business plan programs offered through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Read more …

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 7, 2010 — The Global Spa Summit (GSS), the premier annual event for the global spa and wellness industries, today unveiled the final agenda for its conference being held in Istanbul, Turkey from May 16-19. Under the theme “Bridges Worth Building,” delegates will be immersed in three days of high-profile keynote addresses, interactive panels, new research presentations, breakout workshops and hosted dining and networking events. The Summit reports a record number of top-level executives have already registered, spanning a historically diverse number of industries and nations.

The complete, detailed agenda can be accessed here:

Read more …

Trimmed clippings could be woven into mats, stuffed in panty hose to sop up mess, group says

May 05, 2010|By Mike Clary, Sun Sentinel

Can your next haircut – or even Shep’s next appointment at the dog groomer – help clean up the mess if Florida beaches are blackened by oil?

And by the way, got any old panty hose?

As the massive Gulf of Mexico spill threatens to spread toward the Sunshine State, a California-based group has asked South Florida hair salons and pet spas to save clippings that could be woven into mats and stuffed into used nylons, which then can be used to soak up oil. Read more …

By Catherine Trebble

To set yourself apart from your competition it’s always a good idea to offer a treatment that is exclusive to your salon or spa. When you are working out what your signature treatment should be, consider this question:

What is currently the most popular treatment in your business? Read the rest of this entry »