#PBLive: sustainability and aesthetics in spas
PB's Editor Eve Oxberry talks with Sara Young, spa manager at The Spa at South Lodge, about sustainability in salons and spas, and overcoming the challenges of introducing aesthetic treatments into the spa environment.
When The Spa at South Lodge opened in March this year, one of its core points of difference was the emphasis it placed on sustainability.
"All of the materials used in the build are from sustainable sources and one of the biggest things for us was to be as plastic-free as possible so in the operation we have no single-use plastics," says Young. "We reduced our footprint paperwork wise so everything is online.
"The food in our spa restaurant, Botanica, is sourced locally so we reduced our carbon footprint there. Over on the other side of the resort, we've got a garden and we grow our own vegetables as much as possible. The wine we use is local. As much as possible, we've reduced down our footprint."
For spas and salons that are already open and want to make changes to become more sustainable, but don't have the budget to go back to the drawing board, Young advises starting with your suppliers. "When we first got our flip-flops, each pair came in a plastic bag so we just said to the supplier, 'don't put them in the plastic bag'. Next thing you know, you've saved thousands of bags and they've cut down their costs as well.
"The next thing we're looking at, and something that's taking us a little bit longer to do, is paperless consultation using iPads, A lot of the really good spa software systems already have it integrated in. Unfortunately ours doesn't but we're going to get a separate one. All that paper you can save. And that's not too expensive either, so I think it's just working with suppliers mainly."