When you are a spa manager, there are a lot of things that you need to take into consideration. No two days are the same, and it is a surprisingly tough role.
Your responsibilities may include the schedule, guest service, supplies and team support. Agree with the owner which decisions belong to your role and which need their involvement.
There are so many things to consider, that sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming. This is especially true for new spa managers. However, it does not need to be difficult, and there are many things you can do to ensure that you are a better spa manager.
It is important to note that there is no “one size fits all” method when it comes to being a spa manager. What might work well for one spa manager, may not work well for another.
This is why it is so important to do what you feel is the best option. While it is great to have some points to work on, ultimately, only you can improve your managerial skills.
Even so, there are a handful of things that every spa manager should try to implement where possible. They are easy changes to make, and they can greatly help in making you a better spa manager.
1. Communication
The first thing you will need to take into consideration is your communication skills. When you are a manager, one of the most important things you can do is listen and communicate well.
Communication is needed in all aspects of the business, from listening to your employees and customers to building important business connections and relationships. Without communication, you cannot be a successful manager.
Ideally, you will want to encourage open conversations so that your employees feel like they can approach you with any queries and concerns they may have. You will also want to clearly communicate what is expected from each job role, and the direction you want your spa business to take.
The way in which you listen is just as important as the way in which you speak and communicate, too. You can find more in-depth articles on this subject at HBR.
2. Provide Support
One of the most important things you can do as a manager is to provide a good amount of support for your employees. You want to ensure that the workplace is a safe and open environment where all employees can be happy.
Be approachable when employees raise questions or problems. Listen before deciding what support or follow-up is needed.
While there are targets and expectations for your staff members to achieve, if they are struggling, you will want to have the correct support on hand to help them. Support can cover many areas, from employees needing support in their role, and further training, to support with personal or family issues.
The more welcoming and supportive you are, the more honest and comfortable your employees will be. This not only helps to resolve their issues, but it gives them confidence and reassurance in you as the manager too.
You will want to maintain your professionalism while offering support, but you can do this in a way that allows you to be an approachable and reasonable manager that deals well with delicate situations.
3. Be An Example To Employees
Being a good example to your employees is so important. After all, you will want your employees to look up to you, and that requires a level of professionalism and respect.
While it is great to build up a good relationship with your employees, you will want to do this in a professional manner. When it comes to talking to clients, you will want to lead by example to show your employees what you expect from them.
If you are not being a good example to employees, then you cannot expect them to act in a specific way. You want them to understand that you do take the role seriously and that there are targets and goals to achieve.
4. Company Goals
To be a better spa manager. You will want to ensure that all of your employees are on the same page when it comes to work and expectations. You will need to be able to manage the expectations well, to ensure that everyone is on track.
Everyone should always be aware of what is expected of them so that there are no surprises, and so that everyone is happy and confident in their role. Goals are important within a company as they are something to aim for and achieve. Goals help to propel the company forward and are important to put in place clearly.
5. Be Prepared To Be Wrong
This is something that many managers will struggle with because there is a level of pride attached to admitting that you are wrong. However, managers are not immune to being wrong, and as a manager, this is something you will need to be prepared for.
You want your employees and clients to be comfortable enough to challenge something you may have said that is incorrect. As a manager, you should be able to take this constructive criticism on board and allow it to help you improve in the role.
Constructive criticism is important for everyone, even managers, and you should always try to deal with this in the best possible way. Humbling yourself will drastically improve your relationship with colleagues, and it will also help to improve the business as a whole too.
6. Ask Colleagues for Their Opinions
Asking for the advice and opinions of their colleagues and employees is something that not all managers will do. However, it can significantly improve how well-suited you are to a managerial role.
Asking for advice allows colleagues to feel heard and valued within the company, which is great for building a relationship with employees.
In addition to these, managers can often be apart from the day-to-day running of the business. As a result, the employees that are involved with this may have some great suggestions you have not considered or thought of.
7. Managing Expectations
This is something that we have already touched upon, but it is very important to consider. If you want to be a better manager, you will need to be prepared to have more difficult conversations about an employee’s progress.
While this is something that is not always easy to do, colleagues do need to be held accountable if they are in the wrong, or are not meeting their goals. Managing expectations is essential for everyone, and also the business too.
8. Rewarding Employees
Recognize specific work that helped the team or a guest. Make your feedback clear and consistent, and discuss wider support through your employee retention planning.
Turn one problem into a weekly improvement
Adaptability is easier to put into practice when you give it a specific job. Choose one recurring problem from the week: a late room handoff, an unanswered guest question or a supply order nobody followed up. Describe what happened without assigning a personality label to the person involved.
Ask the people doing the work where the difficulty starts. A manager can miss details that are obvious to reception or the treatment team. Then agree on a small change, a person responsible for it and a date to check whether it helped.
For example, if reception repeatedly offers slots that the treatment team cannot use, check how availability is being communicated. Try a shared opening-shift check before changing the whole schedule. This is an operating example, not a promise that one meeting will solve every scheduling problem.
When introducing a change, explain why it is being made and what it means for each role. The HSE guidance on managing change emphasizes timely information, staff input and clear timing. Give people a chance to point out a practical difficulty before the change becomes routine.
Choose a measure that matches the problem. For staffing questions, the staff utilization calculator can help you review booked and available time. For handoffs, count the missed or delayed handoffs themselves. Neither measure tells the whole story, so review the results with the team.
Use client feedback to choose the next change
Build client relationships by following through on what people tell you. If a guest raises a concern, record the issue, agree who will respond and check that the response happened. You do not need to change the whole spa around one comment, but you do need a way to notice repeated concerns.
Use a few consistent customer satisfaction questions to collect feedback you can compare. Keep the discussion specific: a confusing booking message gives the team something to fix; “we need a better guest experience” does not.
Bring one example to your next team check-in. Ask what worked, what got in the way and what support would help. The staff productivity guide offers related areas to examine, while the employee retention guide can support broader conversations about the working environment.
Finish the review with one action and a named owner. At the next meeting, start by checking that action before adding another initiative.
