Where Is Everybody? Going Solo Again! Options

[gael]

After 2 great years at the resort I just rented my own room again. So far it's just massage (no sink), and a few spa services. I'm hoping to add skincare by summer and products. I am excited to be doing my own thing again. I think I have more realistic expectations this time around too. Hope you are all prospering!! I will be reviewing preston articles for inspiration.

[Douglas Preston]

After 2 great years at the resort I just rented my own room again. So far it's just massage (no sink), and a few spa services. I'm hoping to add skincare by summer and products. I am excited to be doing my own thing again. I think I have more realistic expectations this time around too. Hope you are all prospering!! I will be reviewing preston articles for inspiration.

Hi Gael,

Whether or not solo is the best way to go, and only the individual practitioner can know that according to his or her preferences, one thing seems pretty clear—that small may be the wisest size for a face and body business. Over the many years as I watched compact skincare operations morph into very large ones, and start-ups build on a grand and opulent scale it was apparent to me that only the busiest of these costly facilities would survive even a small economic downturn. I warned and warned without much success, and now...

My own former spa business was ideal when it was only 4-rooms and easy-to-run. It had intimacy, was simple to care for and didn't require a large staff to manage. As it grew, and grew and GREW it became one expensive, impersonal and maintenance-heavy monster. I stopped enjoying my esthetics work as it was replaced by the day to day demands of business supervision and details. I'm quite convinced that a truly successful skincare business requires both a compact scale and the direct and personal presence of the owner/operator, at least one who is skilled in such work and enthusiastic about it.

I, too, am returning to professional skincare practice (my true career passion)in both northern and southern CA locations. These are more compact operations though one is more of a conventional day spa while the other is strictly a small skincare operation. The better the focus of a business the better it will deliver on its service mission, especially customer service. I'm starting with no clients whatsoever so it will be interesting to see what business growth will be like in this tough economy. I'm quite up for the challenge! I will also be working with a new private label supplier soon and will let you all know when I can announce the news about that.

Let's share our experiences here on the Forum. Happy to hear from others, too!

[SpaNancy]

Good to hear from both of you, Gael and Douglas. This board has been kind of quiet lately.

Douglas, I SO appreciate your practical writing skills. It's nice to hear the real version of our industry. I've also been around f-o-r-e-v-e-r, and totally understand where you're coming from. It's bringing it back to basics, isn't it? Sure, you can have a million-dollar establishment, but what price do you pay for all that glitter?

I'm apparently going to get on my soapbox here ... my former experience with dermalogica has really made me wiser. I listened to Jane (someone I looked up to and thought of as a mentor) speak - from her mouth directly - that they would never be in Sephora ... it went against everything she held dear (you know our professional standards, and all of "that") ... and now they are in Ulta. Show me the difference???

What's wrong with providing a good service along with good products to people --- the personal touch they can't get online, or thru these mediocre beauty stores?

What we do IS profound. We touch people's lives in the most intimate way possible --- and with our caring touch, they are transformed. We all need to be SO proud of that fact.