One of our former clients – Day Spa Magi has been transferred to new ownership.  It’s always a little unnerving and exciting at the same time when this happens to a business.  It’s unnerving because it’s change.  It’s exciting because you don’t know what’s coming and in which ways it will be different. 

We’re not involved with Magi any more, but it can still be fun to exercise our thinking caps and come up with a list of things a spa should do to reinvent itself.  So, here it goes: 

1. New Name – New Image with a new brand.  Choose different colors, update the entry room, basically, give a different look to your business.
2. Same People?  This is a tough one because your customers, those who come regularly, are used to their specific hairdresser, cosmetologist, etc.  And since you want to retain the customers as much as possible, it’s best to keep those members of the staff who are performing well.   And of course, weed out those which are not.  Try to balance this off with some new faces and some new services.
3. Offer an introductory coupon – you’ll need to entice past customers and new customer to come and try something new – i.e. your services, so offer a 20% off your first treatment coupon to get them in the door.  
4. Fix the website!  Of course, with every new brand, there must be a new website.   I would also recommend this for spas which are also not going through an ownership change – every 3-5 years, redesign your site.  It will keep your business looking fresh to potential customers.

And, as I am left with a $38 Magi gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket, I anxiously await the opening of the new spa, even if just to see whether I can still get a manicure with my certificate.