IN THE KNOW: BERTRAND THIERY, THÉMAÉ PARIS

I’m updating my spa menu – how can I ensure I get the right balance of treatments?

One trend we’re seeing at the moment is something we call “back to basics with a marketing twist”. In an economic downturn, people want things they know and recognise. A relaxing massage to unwind, a back massage to ease tension and a purifying facial to look fresh, for example. Your spa menu should therefore first focus on the services that will be your bread and butter, the treatments that fulfil the basic needs of your clients.

Ensure that your menu includes at least one massage for each of these basic needs: relaxing, de-stressing, re-energising and easing tension. The same applies to your facials. You should have one to moisturise, one to purify, one that’s anti-ageing, and so on. Once you have included treatments for these essential needs, you should also add options for specific demographics. A massage for pregnant women, a quick facial for stressed executives and a more high-tech anti-ageing facial for the baby-boomer, for example.

Then add something that’s partly for show, something you use in your marketing communications. This could be anything you want, a “miracle” facial, a massage that uses an unusual technique or a unique manicure, for example. And, finally, you should create some rituals. Bundle together a massage and a facial, a wrap and a massage or a facial and a scrub, for example – for a special price. The key to success it to keep it simple: don’t have page after page of treatments.

Bertrand Thiery is chief executive and co-founder of spa brand Thémaé Paris and has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years. A pharmacist by education, he spent nearly a decade working in the US, before returning to Paris, where he in 2007 created Thémaé with co-founder Guillaume Lefèvre
www.themae.fr