Spas in the News
Sante Spa Victoria 2013 revenue growth: 18%
Average Spa Industry 2013 revenue growth: 4.7%*
The difference? A SpaExcellenceSM Quality System!
SpaQuality LLC awards Sante Spa Victoria at the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada with second SpaExcellenceSM Certification
*From ISPA’s 2013 US Spa Industry Study by Price Waterhouse Coopers
GREENVILLE, Del. - February 13, 2014– Sante Spa Victoria, a resort spa located in the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is the second spa to achieve SpaExcellenceSM certification under the updated International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2014 from SpaQuality LLC. The Standards provide a framework for everything that a spa does including strategic planning, day-to-day operations, behind-the-scenes processes, leadership, teamwork, training, system evaluation, continual improvement and more.
Sante Spa Victoria Team
Sante Spa Victoria was SpaExcellenceSM certified for the first time in 2012 after a challenging and rigorous process of establishing a quality system modeled after The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2010. This quality system has become the foundation for the spa's growth and improvement. With this system, Sante Spa Victoria saw progress in teamwork, safety and hygiene, control of documentation and data collection on guest’s experience. Their manuals and recordkeeping of important spa operations improved dramatically and provided a foundation on which to build team training and business decisions.
According to Jen Spencer, Sante Spa Victoria's Spa Director, "It has been a pleasure working with SpaQuality LLC, and we are so proud of the team’s achievement and the growing success of the spa. Since starting our journey with SpaExcellenceSM, the team has gone through a total transformation. From fear of change and the unknown, we have grown into a thriving successful and empowered team. The engagement and pride each team member demonstrates in upholding our quality system’s standards has been inspirational. Over the last 2 years the spa’s revenue went from stagnant to an increase of 12% in the first year and 18% this past year. I am certain that much of the growth we have experienced can be attributed to the increase in quality, delivery, internal standards and team engagement. It has been a journey of constant growth, change and adaptation but it gets easier and better every day, and that is what quality is about. At the end of the day, we strive to have our guests enjoy a wonderful experience from start to finish, and we believe we are achieving that with our spa quality system.
"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!”
Note: Sante Spa Victoria's revenue grew revenue by 18% in 2013 when the average spa revenue grew by 4.7% (according to ISPA’s 2013 US Spa Industry Study by Price Waterhouse Coopers).
A SpaQuality Certified Assessor conducted the scheduled, "open-book" assessment of Sante Spa Victoria's quality system for compliance to The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2014. 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. Sante Spa Victoria met all the requirements of The Standards for Level 3 SpaExcellenceSM certification. Sante 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.
"Sante Spa Victoria has successfully established their quality system and is reaping the rewards," said Julie Register, co-owner and Managing Director of Operations for SpaQuality LLC. "Since beginning their SpaExcellenceSM journey two years ago, the spa business has seen financial rewards; the spa culture has evolved and staff works well as a team, is empowered, takes pride in their accomplishments and seeks improvement; and, most importantly, the spa Guests are rewarded with a well-managed spa experience that is delivered with consistent excellence. I look forward to seeing how Sante Spa Victoria uses its quality system to propel the spa into the future."
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 Sante Spa Victoria in building their quality system so that it aligns with The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2014 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 Sante Spa Victoria
Located minutes from downtown Victoria, Sante 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, men's treatments and rejuvenation for golfers.
The 12,000 square-foot Sante Spa Victoria offers 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 Sante 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 sixth edition.
Other Spas that have been certified to The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2014 include 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
SpaQuality LLC
Providing a Roadmap to Performance Excellence through Quality Management System Standards, Education, Assessment, Certification and Consulting for Spas since 2004
