Creating spa packages for teenagers
Providing a spa experience for 11 to 16 year olds is a great opportunity to engage with potential clients. Treat them right and they may very well be the future of your business.
Before you invite the younger generation to your spa though, it is important to consider what safe guards you need to have in place.
Talk to your insurance company
I would recommend talking to your insurance company in the first instance. They will be able to explain what safe guards you need to put in place for minors and what exclusions there might be.
It is a good idea to carry out your own risk assessment to look at any potential ways your younger guests could hurt themselves. You can then demonstrate that you have put these plans into action to minimise the risks.
Communicate with your product houses
The next step is to check with your product houses what their policy is regarding under 18s and then assess each treatment to ascertain its suitability. You often find that each treatment will have its own guidelines with age limitations on certain offerings.
Tinting, for example, is usually for 16 plus due to the chemicals in the tint that the body can become intolerant to over time. There are some salons that will tint under 16s with patch tests, but this can be a grey area so be sure that you are covered.
Keep treatments simple
A file and polish is a great treatment for teenagers because it offers instant glamour and is considered perfectly safe. However, you need to be more careful with nail extensions as these can be potentially harmful to the young developing nail beds, so again, always follow your product house’s guidelines.
The parent/guardian needs to be present
Having double treatment rooms is a great way to treat teens alongside their parent or guardian. It’s best practice to have the parent/guardian in the treatment room with minors, especially for massage and facial treatments where a degree of undressing is required, so it’s nice if they can both have treatments at the same time.
This makes the first spa experience a positive and comfortable one for a minor who could otherwise feel awkward.
Think about your facilities
I think you also need to look at your facilities and work out how the teen market could benefit from what your spa offers. Teenagers are now stressed out, absorbed into their devices, and parents are in a constant battle of how to entice them away from their digital world – me included.
The spa is a great way for parents to engage with their teen and enjoy some quality time without distractions.
We hope by educating the teens of the benefits of the spa journey, creating positive wellbeing and by sharing our knowledge on areas such as skincare and make-up, we can be instrumental in helping the next generation take time out to focus on themselves and for the spa to be their place to relax and destress for years to come.