Spas in the News
SpaQuality LLC awards Santé Spa Victoria at the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada with SpaExcellenceSM Certification
GREENVILLE, Del. - December 20, 2012– Santé Spa Victoria, a resort spa located in the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has achieved SpaExcellenceSM certification. This certification is the culmination of months of organizing and documenting Santé Spa Victoria's quality system in accordance with The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2010 from SpaQuality LLC. The Standards provide a framework for everything that a spa does including planning, day-to-day operations, behind-the-scenes processes, leadership, teamwork, training, system evaluation, continual improvement and more.
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Santé Spa Victoria's team members
Santé Spa Victoria's Spa Director, Jen Spencer, shares the benefits of adopting SpaExcellenceSM for Santé Spa Victoria, "SpaExcellenceSM was a challenging and rigorous process of learning and improving our spa but highly rewarding for our team and guests. Through our experience, some of the areas we have seen improvements are in teamwork, safety and hygiene, documentation control and collecting data on our guest’s experience. Our manuals and recordkeeping of important spa operations have improved dramatically thus giving us a foundation to build our team training and business decisions on.
"Over time, we have started to see more standardized and effective methods in all of our operations. Instead of re-inventing the wheel every time there is staff changeover, we are able to continue maintaining and improving how we do things. We expect to see this become even more efficient as we progress. Sometimes we ask ourselves how did we function before we did this? And how do other businesses function without laying out a road map and documentation control? It is well worth the investment for new and old businesses to lay a quality foundation and SpaExcellenceSM gave us the tools to do that.
"The challenge was well worth the reward!”
A SpaQuality Certified Assessor conducted the scheduled, "open-book" assessment of Santé Spa Victoria's quality system for compliance to The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2010. The assessor sampled procedures, records and system integration and interviewed team members. The spa's processes were assessed in several categories - Intention and Strategy, Leadership, Guest Experience, Operations Support and Improvement - as well as how well they worked together as a quality system. Santé Spa Victoria met all the requirements of The Standards for Level 3 SpaExcellenceSM certification. Santé Spa Victoria received a detailed feedback report from SpaQuality LLC highlighting things the spa does well and opportunities for improvement based on an analysis of the assessment. The spa can expect an unscheduled Anonymous Guest Assessment to evaluate the spa from a Guest's perspective before the next annual assessment.
"It is refreshing to experience outstanding, seamless teamwork," said Linda Bankoski, co-owner and Managing Director of Education and Assessment for SpaQuality LLC. "This great teamwork translates into great efficiency. The motivation and enthusiasm of the staff is
contagious. Their attention to detail in providing excellence for their guests is unique. Because of their demonstrated ability to improve, it is easy to anticipate their continued success."
Vivienne O’Keeffe, President and CEO of Spa Profits Consulting Inc., a renowned International Spa Development Company, is a Senior SpaQuality Certified Consultant and has worked with SpaQuality LLC since 2005. Ms. O'Keeffe has guided Santé Spa Victoria in building their quality system so that it aligns with The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2010 and notes, “It is a worthwhile investment of time and resources for serious spa operators to have an annual assessment by an independent third party.”
About Santé Spa Victoria
Located minutes from downtown Victoria, Santé Spa Victoria draws from the elements of nature to offer an array of spa treatments that harness the therapeutic benefits of locally cultivated ingredients such as coastal sea kelp, northern clay, and lavender. Offerings include facials, skin analysis and photo imaging, massage, body scrubs & wraps, manicures and pedicure, make-up, hair removal & tinting, men's treatments and rejuvenation for golfers.
The 12,000 square-foot Santé Spa Victoria offer the following facilities:
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Twelve multi-use treatment rooms including a Vichy room, a nail suite with three manicure and three pedicure stations and two duet suites, the Birch Room and the Crystal Suite (with a jetted soaking tub for two and fireside lounging area), that offer a comfortable, private environment in which two Guests can enjoy side-by-side treatments.
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Forest Lounge - a uniquely designed relaxation area created to assist guests in taking time before and after treatments featuring both a fireplace and Vertical Garden that contains numerous plants in the form of a living wall to provide a grounding connection to nature and to help filter the air by adding energy rich oxygen.
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Terrace on the Mountain - one of the most spectacular patios in Victoria offering expansive mountain and forest vistas and a Therapeutic Mineral Pool.
For more information about Santé Spa Victoria, please visit: http://www.santespavictoria.com.
About Spa Profits Consulting Inc.
Spa Profits Consulting Inc. is a spa industry-specific consultancy that specializes, since 1994, in creating profitability in commercial spa operations– both existing and new; from concept to opening celebrations and daily spa operations. They have shown their many clients across Canada, the United States and Asia how to grow spa profit margins and manage risk by improving spa systems, enriching spa mission statements and philosophies, nurturing the spa's cultural authenticity, and developing spas as legitimately recognized health and leisure social resources.
For more information about Spa Profits Consulting Inc., please visit: www.spaprofits.com.
About SpaQuality LLC
SpaQuality LLC is an independent organization specializing in evaluating quality systems in the spa industry. In an effort to bring quality management principles and practices to this industry, SpaQuality created and maintains The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM, spa industry specific quality system standards; provides quality system education and consulting to spa leadership teams; assesses spas' quality systems; and certifies those spas that follow The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM.
Julie Register and Linda Bankoski created SpaQuality LLC in 2003 and released the first edition of The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM in 2004. It is currently in its fifth edition.
Other Spas that have been SpaExcellenceSM Certified in 2012 include: The Spa Ritual in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; MAJESTICSPA Essential Moments, the spa at the Hotel Majestic in Barcelona, Spain; Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona, California and Glen Ivy Day Spa in Brea, California.
For more information about SpaExcellenceSM certification and consulting and The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM, please contact:
Julie Register
Managing Director, Operations, SpaQuality LLC.
Phone: 302-426-0274
Email: Register@SpaQuality.com
Web Site: www.SpaQuality.com
