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by Douglas Preston
At a recent spa trade show I was approached by several estheticians lamenting their fear that new medispas were poised to drain away their skin care practices. Doctors equipped with syringes, lasers, and powerful peels were about to render the traditional esthetician obsolete, these women believed, leaving them without the career they love. And certainly the trade show floor supported this concern: it virtually bristled with new technology and devices geared toward the medical market, one in which most estheticians could neither afford nor qualify to compete. Educational seminars hype the hot new medical esthetics movement, while new certifications are offered for the skin care professional aspiring to rise above the ranks of the common practitioner. It’s almost as if a “brains vs. beauty” cleft has begun to divide the profession, at least in the minds of some.
While I have watched the medical spa trend with interest, I share none of the growing fear its emergence has created. Why not? Because I don’t believe that spa facial clients are about to diverge into two distinct groups, with mass migration from traditional esthetics into the arms of medical professionals. What I do see, however, is an expanding array of service options, options that will do more to attract new customers to anti-aging programs than dilute some present and finite number of them. The questions for any esthetician trying to build and preserve a business are these: 1. Who is my customer? 2. What about my treatments do they value most? 3. What can I do to keep them satisfied with me? As much as we may think we know the answers here, I find that very many do not. Let me explain.
During a presentation I gave last week on spa customer service I asked the many estheticians in attendance what clients always tell them they liked most about their facial appointment. Overwhelmingly the response was “relaxation”. Relaxation. For the sake of simplicity let’s define that as a quiet, calm, and luxurious escape from the chaos of everyday life. A break. A time-out. A chance to feel something inward and personal instead of the constant pressures of occupation and relationships. We sometimes call this stress relief, and who would not agree that stress plays a powerful role in the aging process? If you dismiss the importance of relaxation and stress relief then you’re sorely out of touch with the one of the key values of the esthetician’s impact on human lives. We are increasingly living in a world of isolation, time constraints, and social specialization. Communication between people is more often electronic rather than direct, and we pride ourselves in our ability to function independently of other people. As a result loneliness, depression and addictive behaviors are on a rapid upswing in the US. Maybe one day Prozac will join fluoride in the municipal water supply. And if medical spas are positioned to deal with the more serious physical effects of premature aging (very often caused by stress), isn’t the prevention of those effects high on the list of benefits in traditional esthetics? Are we forgetting this as we worry over advance of medical esthetic treatments? I believe so.
During my 16 years as a practicing esthetician, one populated with sophisticated and everyday clients, very little about the way I performed facial services had evolved. I used the same steamer and dermascope for over 10 years, bought little in the way of high-tech devices, and never  performed microdermabrasion or other so-called high-efficacy treatments. And yet I maintained a remarkable client loyalty throughout those years with steady referrals to replace normal attrition. I understood that while technology may evolve, that technology failed to address a constant among my customers: the need to be personally cared for and drawn away from the crush of demands life imposes on them. In that regard I was without equal, simply because I never lost sight of my primary responsibility to perform well in that role. And no facelift, laser resurfacing, or Zyderm filling could substitute for the unique and essential benefits of my work. Those treatments address something else, something that comes with the passing of time but worsens through self-neglect. A facial is not a commodity; it is a reconnection with our humanity, our physical consciousness, a reminder of the life we work so hard to achieve but abandon in the pursuit thereof. This knowledge, along with the years of gratitude and joy expressed by my hundreds of wonderful clients, is what sustained my career, and my undiminished interest in it.
What I hope to illuminate for all estheticians, regardless of your particular focus, is the true opportunity in all aspects of the profession: traditional, medically oriented, or a blend of both. The 16-year old acne sufferer or the 75-year old woman may have little concern about the aging process at that point in their lives but their emotional needs are very much in influence—as are anyone’s in between. For those that are motivated to dramatically reduce advanced signs of skin aging, the personnel and resources are there for them. And the gift certificate-redeeming novice to the world of spa services, rare as their visit frequency may be, are still entitled to, and capable of, enjoying the profound experience of personal professional care.
If I were to return to a hands-on esthetics practice again I’d probably approach it exactly as I had in years past. That customer is still out there, now in greater numbers than before, and not dependent upon the next technology in order to please. I think that the medispa phenomenon is a brilliant and needed bridge between classical esthetics and the operating room. And yet it is  a replacement for neither. Select your professional discipline, learn your customer and business, and then remain dedicated to it without the temptation to be discouraged by the inevitable changes that occur around you. Remember, some good wines can be mass-produced but many of the best are still crafted by hand.
My best to you!
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