The Spa Industry is booming and expert, industry specific front desk professionals are in high demand

If you have always dreamed of working in a spa, now is the time to do it. The spa industry is growing at a rapid rate, with the US alone contributing over 230,000 jobs to the spa industry. Add up the numbers worldwide and there are a lot of potential job opportunities for the knowledgeable front desk professional. The keys here are “knowledgeable” and “industry specific”. Anyone can sit at a desk and answer a phone, but employers in the spa industry are looking for front desk employees with spa education or experience.

What are potential employers looking for? They want someone who is familiar with the spa business. Answering phones and greeting customers at a law firm (or any other receptionist type position) is very different than working the front desk of a spa. In a spa, the front desk professional sets the tone for a client’s entire visit. First impressions are critical and front desk management is essential to a successful spa.

Properly executed front desk management goes beyond making a great first impression for clients on the phone or entering the spa. Other skills needed are the ability to monitor staffing and the length of various treatments, tracking appointments with reservation software, and basic computer skills. Additionally, the front desk professional needs to be well spoken and know how to resolve client issues, complete departure interviews, and sell retail products.

A frequent comment from progressive spa owners: “The front desk is an important job. Up front there are a lot of balls to juggle and systems to know. The clients notice quickly if something isn’t right. So I only hire people who already know how to work in a spa.”

Without experience, education is the only way to learn about the spa industry. Read books and magazines on the subject, check out websites related to the industry, and most importantly take a class which will teach all of the ins and outs of the business. Upon successful completion of a class in front desk management you will have a credential to add to your resume. This qualification will show potential employers that you are a front desk professional armed with the industry specific training needed to make you successful in their spa.

The Institute of Spa Management, the leaders in online spa management training, just announced a new program for 2009 — Front Desk Spa Management: Reservations, Retail and Front Desk Supervision (Winter 2009).

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