Selling retail products is a vital business service and tool, yet many massage therapists and spa owners do not take advantage of this easy way to boost income while also adding client benefits.
One simple way to introduce retail is through aromatherapy. “Aromatherapy is great for retailing, upselling, stand-alone treatments or for enhancing any spa service,” said Karen Short, vice president of marketing for Universal Companies, a supplier of professional spa products.
Here are four ways you can seamlessly incorporate aromatherapy into your retail product offerings; when clients experience these products for themselves in your waiting area or session room, you probably won’t have to do much selling to convince them to make a purchase.
1. Retail what you sell
The smartest way to retail aromatherapy is simply to use it as part of your spa services. This way, you can retail in a low-key fashion by letting clients know that if they like what you are using, they can purchase the item. Using what you sell is an effective way to market any aromatherapy product.
Essential oils are a good example. “During each massage or facial session, you can mention that if the client enjoys the fragrance of your oils, [she] can purchase products from your retail boutique area to use at home between spa visits,” Short noted. “Clients will remember your service when they use the products. They may even be enticed to rebook or give the item as a gift—and that may result in a new client for you.”
2. Enhance facial massage
Add a massage with facial oils as an express service on your menu or as an enhancement to any massage service. Short said, “For a low cost per treatment of $2.97, you can easily add a 20-minute, skin-nourishing massage for face, neck and shoulders.”
Offer clients a choice of essential oil blends designed to complement their skin’s natural state; for example, you might offer blends ideal for sensitive, dry or oily skin; or one with anti-aging properties.
3. Add ambience
Weave aromatherapy into your sessions with a diffuser. Choose from several styles for any décor. A handmade soapstone diffuser is great for warming massage oils; a glowing Himalayan salt dome offers cleansing benefits; and a humidifying diffuser efficiently adds moisture back into the air in dry weather.
No matter which type you choose, the added benefits of easy-to-use blends will enhance your room ambience and provide soothing appeal to clients. You can then retail oils and diffusers to your clients so they can duplicate the healing benefits of aromatherapy at home.
4. Breathe in
Aromatherapy inhalers are perfect for retailing. Offering aromatherapy on the go, inhalers are available in many different blends for many different purposes, such as boosting energy, promoting mental clarity or relaxing before bedtime. Display them at your front desk for impulse buys or in a lounge area with testers available.
You and your clients can create whatever atmosphere you desire for relaxation, rejuvenation or healing. Start to incorporate these lucrative retail products into your massage or spa business now.
About the Author
Jenny Hogan is media director at Marketing Solutions Inc., a marketing, advertising and public relations agency specializing in professional beauty and spa businesses. She wrote this article on behalf of Universal Companies (universalcompanies.com), a leading supplier to spa professionals. Universal Companies offers the ESS aromatherapy line of essential oils and blends, roll-ons, room sprays, body washes, lotions and inhalers. She wrote the Expert Advice feature on retailing for the November 2014 issue of MASSAGE Magazine.