Spa menus always include fundamental services. These therapies are typically referred to as classic therapies. They are the meat and potatoes of your menu. Just as a restaurant menu would provide, your spa menu needs to contain basic therapies that will put your clientele at ease that all is well with your facility. Classic treatments include such items as:

These are the bare bones of a spa menu. Depending on square footage and talent supply this list can increase or decrease. Just as a guest in a hotel would expect a bed complete with pillows, most spa goers will expect this type of offering at a minimum.

THE SPECIALTIES

This topic varies given the theme, scope and feel of your spa. What is your club known for? Do you have a great number of body builders requiring contouring services? Do you have more of a wellness center, soft movement club feel? Whatever your club's target market is it needs to be targeted and complemented at your spa.

That entire theme should be reverberated in your spa. For instance, if you are playing up the Asian arts, you may want to theme your spa around Asian-styled treatments like bamboo body wraps and Asian forms of massage. Create an environment that supports your menu. In this case, an Asian theme might translate into thatched floors and orchids.

BEYOND FLUFF

The spa world has never been more competitive. Having said that the market has in many ways been running itself. While spas began as havens of relaxation where women were whisked away into a state of bliss, spas now are expected to be more than fluff. Spa goers have become more demanding and now also want to achieve real results from spa therapies. The way to accomplish results is several-fold. Having effective products and therapies that are cutting edge or time proven is a good start. Another way to achieve real results for clients is to create lifestyle-programming options that help create new ways of living as well as regular visits to the spa. For example, a contouring series would include a series of body wraps, home care, a visit or two with a dietitian and a series of appointments with a personal trainer. Real results and real business for your spa. Everyone wins.

MAKE IT SPORTS RELATED

Make it unisex. Men are now flocking to spas like never before. Where the spa industry used to report a mere 10 percent participation by men (massage and haircuts) that number is rapidly headed toward 40 percent. Unisex at its best means a separate section in your menu just for men. The most popular services for men right now include a gentleman's facial, manicures and pedicures, all sorts of massage and body buffs. Have a variety of sports-related massage offerings like deep tissue, general sports and body-part specific massage. If possible, blend the massage treatment in with a water therapy. Make men welcome.

Your menu is the first glimpse of what your spa is about. Make sure that it is beautiful, easy to read and inviting. Make your menu available everywhere in your club, especially in the locker rooms. Search the Web for menu layout examples that are beautiful and functional.

Melinda Minton is a spa consultant and health and beauty expert living in Fort Collins, CO. She is the founder of The Spa Association, which is dedicated to enriching the professional beauty industry through self-regulation, education and sound business practices.

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