Spa Going 101
By Kiki Tan
PUBLISHED: JUNE 2009
“DO I HAVE to take my clothes off?”
What NOT to Do at the Spa
Don’t forget to (at least) make a reservation. This will, believe it, make the experience more worthwhile, as you won’t have to queue up to get the services you want. Similarly, if/when you have to, don’t forget to cancel.
Don't be late. You are not the only client to be serviced. In fact, arrive early, to allow you to check in, change, take a bath or whatever before you avail of the services you came for.
Don’t bring your treasure trove with you. It will just be a source of worry, since you have to remove jewelries for a treatment, and you may not want them in other people’s hands – so just leave them at home. Similarly, dress properly – it will have to be stripped off you for comfort, and that $3,000 Valentino dress may be better off left hanging in your closet than stuffed in some locker.
Don’t be rude now – just because you are getting serviced doesn’t make you some queen/king; be respectful of the service provider, and you are guaranteed to get their best work from them.
Don’t expect for the spa, health and wellness facility to be a miracle station. No, your problems won’t disappear when you visit one. No, all those blemishes won’t disappear in one visit, No, the blackheads won’t disappear forever just because you had some removed today. And no, your face can’t be changed to look like Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt because of the ethical issues, yes, but also because you want it done in under an hour.
Don’t forget the basics – e.g. not to stuff yourself with food at least an hour before a massage, not to forget to drink plenty of water, not to pig out after a massage, et cetera. Aside from making the spa experience pleasurable, these are healthy practices, as a whole, so are good for you in the long run.
Don’t rush. Relax when in a spa, health and wellness facility – meaning, quit discussions about your problems as this will just aggravate you, defeating the very purpose of you being there; and quit using the mobile phone, as it may be stressful, too, and not just to yourself, but to those who can hear you blabbering.
Don’t forget to communicate. Simply, it clears everything up. |
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Dindi A. was nervous – it was his first time to be given a massage in a spa facility somewhere in the City of Manila, and he was having a hard time ascertaining what he heard he was to do when in one, and what he thought he should just do because it was within his comfort zone.
“This is crazy,” he said, actually considering backing out of the massage.
And so, without even saying much, Dindi A. voiced out what many first-time spa-goers experience, almost always uncertain what to do when there, and/or even what to expect when in a spa, health and wellness facility.
Here is a rundown of the Spa Code of Conduct developed by The International SPA Association and Resort Hotel Association, as quoted by About.com’s Anitra Brown who says some sort of compliance will ensure that “you to have a more satisfying spa experience.”
Firstly, foremost of the rules is awareness of the policies of the service provider. The “trained staff (ought to) respectfully conduct treatments according to treatment protocols and the spa's policies and procedures,” Brown says, just as “(you also have to) adhere to the spa's published policies and procedures.”
Secondly, the general rule is for the guest to have a clean, safe and comfortable environment. If, at first look, one is dissatisfied with any venue visited, staying is optional, since security/comfort/et cetera, which are all reasons of visits, in the first place, should be priorities.
Thirdly, open communication channels as soon as possible. “When you walk through the doors of your favorite spa, sit down in the massaging pedicure chair and stick your feet into the water that isn't quite the right temperature, do you say anything to your therapist? Communicate your preferences, expectations and concerns,” Brown says.
Fourthly, and related to this, any guest “should be treated with consideration, dignity, and respect,” so that if there are disagreement between the service providers and the guests, “(you may) stop a treatment at any time, for any reason.”
And fifthly, the services agreed upon should be the services delivered – ditto with the products to be used. If/when there are dissatisfactions, gather information regarding staff training, licensing and certification to officially lodge complaint.
At the end of the day, Brown says, it all has to do with communication. “You should speak up and communicate your preferences in all situations,” she says.
Back to Dindi A., whose first-time spa visit jitters were finally assuaged with the “No, sir, you don’t have to, if that’s what you are comfortable with” statement from the one to give him a massage, he ended up having “more than a relaxing time – it was rejuvenating,” he said.
And with that, his visit – following the code of conduct – was a “spa-riffic experience, indeed,” Dindi A. ends.
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