This article was originally published by American Spa.
Whenever I travel, my conversation with other travelers usually involves discussing some form of customer service that was delivered — good and bad.
Exceptional customer service is the most important deliverable a spa, salon, or wellness business can get right. When clients come in, they’re not just booking a service, they want to feel cared for, seen, and restored.
Prioritizing customer service builds long-term relationships, increases revenue, keeps therapists and technicians happier, and makes your business more valuable when it’s time to sell.
Yet, training in this area is often an afterthought, and that gap costs the beauty and wellness channel every single day. Here are a few of my thoughts when it comes to six-star customer service.
Let's break it down.
Good Customer Service …
1. Drives Revenue
- It’s cheaper to keep a client than to find a new one.
- Clients spend more when they trust the team.
- Exceptional service generates positive reviews.
- Happy clients are your best salespeople.
2. Keeps Your Team Happy
- When service providers see the positive impact of their work, job satisfaction improves.
- Training and service protocols help team members handle tricky situations with confidence.
- Providing service training signals that you value your team, which improves retention and morale.
- Loyal clients create stable schedules, which help managers and practitioners schedule the workload.
3. Increases Business Value at Exit
- A strong customer-service culture yields better retention and recurring revenue.
- Documented protocols, training manuals, and client communication templates reduce buyer risk.
When employees are engaged and trained, they’re less likely to leave during ownership transitions.
Where the Industry Falls Short
Service providers often assume a great treatment is enough. Without communication, empathy, and follow-up, many clients won’t feel the connection that creates loyalty.
Without consultative selling and soft skills training, team members leave money on the table in retail and add-ons. If every staff member delivers a different experience, the business is vulnerable — clients follow people, not brands.
One poor interaction can quickly spread on social media and review sites, undoing months of work, and might make staff think about leaving.
5 Simple, Practical Steps to Prioritize Service
- Start with structured onboarding and regular refresher training. Focus on empathy, consultation skills, and conflict resolution.
- Create easy-to-use service protocols. Think: greeting scripts, consultation checklists, post-service care messaging, and follow-up routines.
- Track the right metrics. They are: retention, visit frequency, retail attach rate, Net Promoter Score (NPS), and staff satisfaction. Use those numbers to guide training and incentives.
- Recognize and reward great service. Public acknowledgment, tangible rewards, and career pathways reinforce the behaviors we want.
- Ask for feedback and act on it quickly. Show your clients that you listen and that their input leads to real improvements.
Customer service isn’t fluff — it’s the business engine for spas, salons, and wellness centers. It converts one-time visitors into loyal clients, increases revenue through retention and upsells, reduces staff churn, and makes your business a valuable, sellable asset.
Investing in training and systems to deliver consistent, empathetic experiences is one of the most reliable ways to protect and grow your business.
Since 2010, Allan Share has been the president of the Spa Industry Association (SIA) and an acknowledged leader in the spa industry. He has been a manufacturer, distributor, and consultant in the spa channel for 36 years and currently is the unofficial (and unpaid) mayor of the spa channel. You can reach him at [email protected].