I want to create a signature treatment for my spa. Where do I start?

When it comes to creating a new treatment there is much to consider – from the products you’ll be using and your in-house retail strategy to administration by staff and more. Before you start designing your ritual, first think about why it needs to be created.

New treatments are often created to signal seasonal change or celebrate an important date, such as the spa’s birthday. However, a gap in the market can also be a catalyst to introducing something new into your premises. For example, I noticed there wasn’t much out there to allow young girls to enjoy a spa day, so at The Headland we introduced the Little Miss Headland treatments.

When it comes to creating the treatment, think long and hard about the products you’re going to use, the process and how these products will retail in the spa alongside existing treatments and packages. Practical elements must also be put into place. For example, consider the step-by-step process that will happen during administration of the treatment and how this will be communicated to staff.

Once comfortable with the treatment and happy with the results it will bring, share this information with your senior therapist who can help to train the rest of the team. It’s also important to create a guide for the front-of-house staff so they are able to communicate the treatment effectively to clients.

Once all these parts of the process are in place, you can start to promote the treatment using external media, as well as sharing the news with your regular guests.

Lucy Mingo is spa manager at The Headland Hotel and Spa in Cornwall, where she has successfully created signature treatments. She won Spa Professional of the Year at the Catey awards in November 2015