Confessions of a Day Spa Owner

Great Fall Equinox Spa Party last night...

2009-09-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

I conducted a focus group back in July of 2009 with some of Pavia's best clients. I played several games with them and ran some ideas by them on a warm Sunday afternoon. One game I played was called, "Speedboat," where I asked them to imagine that Pavia was a speedboat and that we had anchors that caused our speedboat to be "slow." I asked them to each write down the name of the anchor and come and post it on the poster of the speedboat. This is a game intended to get them thinking about what they don't like about Pavia.

One of the biggest anchors was, "Have more parties." Meaning, they wanted us to have more events and spa parties - I didn't realize these events were so enjoyable, so I decided to listen to them and do quarterly parties. Along came the inaugural "Fall into Pavia" equinox party, to celebrate nothing more earth-shattering and impactful than the seasonal transition. Which, in California, is kind of non-existent. (The full import of this realization occurred yesterday, as I was scattering leaves throughout the spa and putting paper pumpkins into vases, that it was fall inside the spa, but it was definitely summer outside, if the 95-degree weather had anything to say about it).

Nevertheless, we proceeded bravely with our "Fall into Pavia" event last night and we had a great time. Even me, though I was running around for the most part a la a headless chicken. For the first time ever, the party was completely sold out, and I think this was due to our membership program. Every guest was either a member or the guest of a member, and if they were neither, then they became a member by the end of the night. We offered services that I tried very hard to name as "cutely" as possible:

Stick-Me: Acupuncture. Although our LAc, Anne Dugan, is so fabulous she can do needle-less acupuncture.
Peel-Me: Facial, featuring our Yam & Pumpkin Enzyme Peel from Eminence. Great for fall!
Read-Me: Tarot reading, featuring the ever-insightful Theresa Hatcher.
Forget-Me-Knots: Massage. Forget my knots, get it? Haha.
Wrap-Me: A body wrap, which included dry-brushing session followed by a wrap in the Eminence Pumpkin Cream Wrap in our wet room, which has a 5-headed Vichy Shower in it (makes for an fabulous water treatment).
Me Dogs Are Barking: A foot treatment. Because the swine flu has hit our town pretty hard, I included a hot oil treatment with Thyme and Eucalyptus to bolster immunity.

All the guests seemed relaxed and content afterwards, which is always a good feeling. It was stressful this time, especially as the person who was going to cater canceled on me one day before, and she was also one of the estheticians who was going to perform the peels. We did a last-minute scramble (thank God for our new hire Kim Boyd, who is a nail technician possessed of an esthetician license), begged Summer to come in and do the foot treatments, and all was well that ended well.

Took a quick poll to see if the next party should be before or after the holidays, and they seemed to concur that it should be post-holiday, when everyone has time to relax and detox. Am going to have fun concocting mini-treatments for that, for sure!

MBF Leasing continued...

2009-09-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm reasonably even-keeled now. Let me tell the facts of my story.

1. I thought that just because I am a Stanford MBA, that I could never be swindled. Well, I was WRONG. Joke's on me!

2. This was actually a good lesson in humility for me, because I had a habit of behaving like an arrogant ass in the past, and I definitely needed to be taken down a peg.

3. In July 2005, I was approached by "Dave" of Vericomm, who explained that he could save me a great deal of money on my Visa/Mastercard processing. Instead of paying 2.5% on all charges, I could pay just 1.69% (this did not turn out to be true either, but that is a story for another time). I agreed to take him up on a meeting.

4. During our meeting, he stated that in order for me to take advantage of his low rates, I would have to lease some equipment from an affiliated company (MBF Leasing), even though I already owned my own credit card processing equipment. He said that my equipment could not be re-programmed to work with his, and that leasing from this company was the only way to process with Vericomm. Well, this turned out to be patently false, too, but I didn't learn that until later.

5. "Dave" explained that this would be a "lease-to-own," and that it would cost $159.95 per month, for 48 months, after which, the lease would cancel. He showed me the one-page lease, and I signed it. He left me a copy of the one-page lease that I signed, which I have until this day.

6. Later, I search online and find out that the equipment I have leased are purchase-able for just $400. I became incensed at myself, just furious. I lay awake for nights crying, feeling my heart racing and my blood boiling and that terrible, tight, taut feeling in my chest. I must have shaved a few years off of my life during all those sleepless nights full of tears.

7. Finally, I decide that it may be an expensive lesson, but I deserved to pay for it, since, after all, I had signed that "non-cancellable" lease, had I not?

8. I faithfully allow them to withdraw $178.10 each month out of my account (even though the lease was for $159.95) - when I asked why, they said it was for "insurance waiver" and "sales tax." I didn't really understand this, but I was too busy running my business to protest.

9. So imagine my happiness when 2009 comes around and I can finally get out from under this very expensive lease and move on with my life. July 2009 is my last payment, supposedly.

10. Except that in August 2009, they take another payment out of my account for $179.70. I leave 3 irate messages (after holding for 7 minutes each time) at 1-866-781-0411. They never return my calls.

11. They do it again in September 2009 (on the 3rd), and now I am incensed. I tell my bank to put a stop payment on any charges from MBF Leasing. Whaddaya know, NOW they start to call me back, because NOW they have no access to my money.

12. Here's the kicker: they tell me that the lease I signed is only the FIRST PAGE of a four-page lease. Bullshit. There was only the 1 page. They even FAX me a copy of the lease I signed, which in no way, shape, or form, resembled what I actually signed, because what I actually signed was just one page...

12a. By the way, this lease they faxed over, which was never presented to me, basically said that the lease was not cancellable, regardless of whether the equipment worked or not. Now, I may be a doofus, but I am not THAT big of a doofus where I would sign something that said I owed someone even if the equipment they provided did not work. I am SURE that was why this "Dave" of Vericomm never provided the real lease to me.

12b. The copy of the lease they sent me says, "Page 1 of 4" in teeny tiny print at the very bottom of the page. MY copy of the lease that I signed has no such thing. This has become a rallying cry for them, as Mark, ID # 8290 of MBF Leasing, said to me, "Why would you sign a lease document if you didn't have all the pages? It clearly says, 'Page 1 of 4.'" Um, no, it didn't. He admonished me for not "reading carefully" - well, I did read carefully, and the copy presented to me said NOTHING about any other pages. I mean, I can't help it if this "Dave" from Vericomm fraudulently gave me only a single page to sign, and now they want to hold me to this lease that I was fraudulently induced to sign?

13. So now they tell me that I have 3 options: 1) buy out the equipment; 2) go month-to-month; or 3) return the equipment AND pay a "payoff" balance of $359.40. This despite the fact that I have paid them over $8,000 for the right to use a $400 piece of equipment, that I only ended up using for 3 months total. Because after THAT, I was swindled by yet ANOTHER company...and that really is a story for another time, because it will provide evidence that I might really be genuinely stupid.

14. And the thing that struck me as hilarious, was that Mark, ID #8290, was repeatedly argumentative with me...and he's supposed to be a customer service guy. And what's more, he did not sound AT ALL surprised by my complaints, which meant that - ding ding ding ding ding - he's heard them before! In fact, I bet he's heard them hundreds of times, from hundreds of other people. So he's got to ask himself - are all of us leaseholders just evil and trying to lie our way out of a lease (I mean, I at least paid for ALL of mine), or is there something really sinister going on at his company? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Well, folks, this was a public service announcement. I will likely just suck it up and pay off the money, because I don't want the negative energy and I just want to flush Vericomm and MBF Leasing down the toilet of life like so much dog excrement and move on to better things. But I wanted to save anyone who might be reading this the toil, trouble, and heartache of dealing with these inglorious you-know-whats. I'm out!

WOW...RAMPANT FRAUD. I AM AMAZED AT THE NERVE OF MBF LEASING.

2009-09-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

I really wrestled with myself as to whether or not to write this. On the one hand, I hate to complain, and feel terrible doing it. It just brings negative energy to me. On the other hand, I have learned some really expensive lessons that lessened my faith and trust in my fellow human beings, and I want to share them so that other innocent people are not victimized. So I will tell my story in the hope that I can prevent other people from being rampantly de-frauded and victimized by a company that has zero ethics or morals.

Here is the MORAL OF MY STORY: Read every contract diligently. MBF Leasing, also known as Northern Leasing and Lease Finance Group, is OUT TO GET YOU. DON'T SIGN ANY LEASE, OF ANY KIND, WITH THEIR NAME ON IT. YOU WILL REGRET IT, I PROMISE YOU.

Here are some links posted by many, many other people who also have a tale of woe. In fact, all you have to do is type "MBF Leasing" into Google and you will see the 26,900 listings that almost all have the terms, "ripoff, complaints, scam, beware, pissed, or fraud" in them. I wish I had done this myself, BEFORE I signed that lease.

http://www.merchantpointofsale.com/index-tmp.php
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/mbf-leasing-c56355.html
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/mbf-leasing-c140059.html
http://mbf-leasing.pissedconsumer.com/
They were even on the news for their sins: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=5316084

Okay, my blood is starting to boil again, mostly in anger and self-reprobation. I will go take a few deep breaths and see if I can calm myself down enough to write again.

Changing the Date & Time for Pavia Well-binar

2009-09-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, as it turns out, I consulted no one's convenience but my own when scheduling our inaugural Pavia "well-binar." I basically scheduled it for when it was convenient for me, and me alone. Duh. Everyone knows you should not do that. Except, apparently, me. So I have gone ahead and changed the date and time to a day when others are NOT working. Here is the new information:

"Interpreting Your Dreams for Personal Success" Well-Binar

Date: September 26, 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 10am Pacific
Cost: $8 (20% off for Pavia Health Nuts and Health Advocates)
Registration link here
Instructions: Click on the link above, choose the week of 9/21 to 9/27/09, and you will see the class listed under Theresa's name.
After you register, we will send you the link for the on-line well-binar!

Hope to "see" you there!

Everybody is always coming and going...

2009-09-10T15:45:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think Pavia is not a spa, but a train station, a gateway point where different people intersect, for what seems just a transitory moment in their lives. We don't have the turnover issues that others in this industry have, but it has felt lately like the comings and goings at Pavia rival those of Grand Central.

Goings...

Well, Miss Annie Banannie (that is what we call her) is dropping down to just one day a week at the end of October. Our nail goddess extraordinaire is just working way too hard with two jobs.
Julie Matthews is now working at a chiropractor's office as an Office Manager. We really miss her - lucky for us she is not too far away.

Comings...

To replace Annie's hours, we have hired Kim Boyd - she is a truly cool lady with a great vibe and I know everyone will like her.

Going...but Coming Back

Shelly Shelly Shelly...having a baby, and will be out on maternity leave until December. Can't wait to meet baby Dylan!

Coming...but Going Again

Sarah, CMT, is back at Pavia from her sojourn in the city, and she has brought back some great ideas for us. She has an idea for a new service that I can't wait to launch...more on that later. But this little dynamo is moving to Chicago in January, and I will miss her sorely.
Angela, a long-time friend of Shelly's, is also substituting for her while she is out on maternity leave. I've gotten really attached to Angela. So I don't even want to put her in this column...hopefully we will manifest a way for her to stay on past Shelly's return.

See what I mean? A veritable train station...

Inaugural Pavia "Well"-binar: Interpreting Your Dreams for Personal Success

2009-09-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

So excited to announce our first ever Pavia "Well-binar!" Theresa Hatcher, intuitive healer, Reiki master, certified hypnotherapist, and dream interpreter extraordinaire, will join me to discuss the importance of our dreams and why they matter for our wellness. We will talk about how learning the language of dreams can provide insight into and solutions to our problems, the meaning of certain dream symbols, and common dream scenarios. You will also have the chance to hear Theresa interpret two of my own personal dreams (Yikes! Talk about baring my soul) and answer your questions.

If you care to join us, please check out the details below:

Date: September 25, 2009
Time: 10am Pacific
Cost: $8 (20% off for Pavia Health Nuts and Health Advocates)
Registration link here
Instructions: Click on the link above, choose the week of 9/21 to 9/27/09, and you will see the class listed under Theresa's name.
After you register, we will send you the link for the on-line well-binar!

Hope to "see" you there!

Changing business models!

2009-09-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am trying a radically different experiment for my spa that no other has ever thought of...at least, not that I have ever heard before. It's a true wellness model, one that encourages clients to come more frequently to experience true wellness. Remember that old guy Hippocrates? Yeah, the first true "doctor." He said the way to health was through an aromatic massage and bath every day. Well, why can't we resurrect that old model? I know, I know, we're busy, not enough time, not enough money.

So I thought of a way to make wellness more affordable...I created a membership program that provides a hefty discount on all spa treatments - 20% off. The membership fee is $20 a month (our Health Nut level), or $25 a month (our Health Advocate level). As a Health Nut, you get 20% off of all treatments, all the time, no matter when you come. You even get 20% off of Off-Peak services. As a Health Advocate, you get the same, plus you get to share your discount with two non-members each month, so that you can promote health and wellness. At these prices, my hope is that people can afford to come 1-2x every month, creating true well-being and really getting the benefits they need to get out of going to a wellness spa.

There will also be members-only services that others are not privy to - I am having a great deal of fun designing them as I write this (almost gleeful). We will see how it goes - this could either be the greatest thing since sliced bread, or I could fall flat on my face with this "economic recovery plan." But nothing risked is nothing gained, so I am moving forward bravely with this plan. I would definitely be interested in hearing anyone's feedback on it!

Woman vs. Hill

2009-06-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Lately the hubby and I have taken to walking up the Stanford foothills on Sundays. Okay, to be candid, we have done it 3 times in the last month or so, and each time seems to be a little easier on me. It's that hill that Stanford Avenue ends with, the one that goes up steeply, like the back of an elephant's behind. I know it doesn't look that bad, but it FEELS like it. My ass can attest to that - it always hurts afterwards.

So, the first time I go up, it's the early part of May, the height of my allergy season. O-M-G. I couldn't even talk about one-third of the way up that hill. I was quite a sight - my face was red from the struggle, tears were coursing down my sweat-stained cheeks from my allergies, and I was panting like a walrus (do walruses pant? I mean, they seem like they do). I dearly wanted to strangle my husband, who was coasting along cheerfully. What was the most humiliating was, these two grannies go zooming by me, talking about their hedges and not a single iota out of breath, and most unforgivably, not a day under seventy.

I had thought about turning back, but not after that. I kept going and going until my thighs were burning and rubbing together so hard I thought my underwear was going to catch fire. There is a great birthday card that uses that as a punchline, but I do wish I had made that up first. So, needless to say, that day, I fought the hill, and the hill won. But I've been up twice since, and each time it's gotten progressively easier - I wouldn't say I've run up that hill, but the day will come when I do! So that's where I've been since April - celebrating the hubby's birthday (April 26th), celebrating our 7-year wedding anniversary (May 10th), and celebrating my 37th birthday (May 15th), and working on my physical self and whipping it back into shape!!!

How to Impress a Spa Owner in the Interview

2009-04-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

There are 5 cardinal rules that I feel strongly about, and all 5 of these need to be observed when someone comes to interview with me, or any spa owner, for that matter. If any one of these rules is broken, then I am likely to have an extremely negative impression of the prospective candidate and their chances of being hired are just about nil.

Rule #1: Be on time. This may seem like the easiest of rules to follow, but to me, if you're not even able to show up on time for the interview, which is the FIRST CHANCE you have to make a good impression, then you're not going to show up on time for your job. I've had candidates come as much as 30 minutes late, with no phone call. If you're lost, or stuck in traffic, or find that you cannot come because of an emergency - that's understandable. But at least give the courtesy of calling ahead to let me know - by the way, nail technicians are the worst offenders when it comes to not showing up for interviews. They are so in demand, they don't even bother calling to cancel.

Rule #2: Bring your resume. Don't assume that just because you sent it to the spa owner by mail, email, or fax that she will have it ready and available. We get tons and tons of resumes and applications each day, we rarely have the time to print out your resume, and if you show up without one, then we'll need to take the time out of your interview to search for it and print it out. NOT a good way to spend the first 10 minutes of your interview. I myself have made the mistake - twice! - of not bringing a resume to an interview, assuming that the prospective employer already had it. Well, both times, I did not get the job, and guess what? That's 100% my fault, and I accept responsibility for that. I would never do that again.

Rule #3: Be prepared for common interview questions! Have your answers thought out beforehand. Okay, you got yourself there on time, you brought your resume. Great! But when asked, "What are your three major strengths and weaknesses," don't just give a blank, cowlike stare. Or worse yet, you say 3 positive things about yourself, but then say you have no weaknesses. Um, WRONG ANSWER. Everyone has weaknesses. I have a list of weaknesses a mile long, and I am not afraid to share it. This lets prospective employers know I am self-aware and open to improvement. I'll even make it easy - this is what I ask in every interview:

* Tell me about yourself.
* What motivates you to work in the spa industry?
* Why did you choose to become a ____________ (insert esthetician, massage therapist, nail technician, etc.)?
* What are your three greatest strengths and weaknesses?
* Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?
* What goals do you hope to accomplish in your first year at Pavia?
* Why did you choose to apply to Pavia?
* Why do you think I absolutely need to hire you?

Rule #4: Don't ask about compensation right off the bat. So one time, we had barely sat down and introduced ourselves, when the candidate cuts me off in the middle of my first question (which was, "Tell me about yourself") and says, "How much do you pay? I want to make sure it's worth my while to even interview." Okay, gong! Thanks for playing. If a candidate asks about compensation immediately, then it turns me off and tells me he/she is only in it for the money. I will know right away that this person is not a fit, and end the interview on the spot.

Rule #5: Dress appropriately. You know, I don't know where some people get their interview wardrobes. I have seen so many inappropriate outfits, I don't even know where to start. Here is a list of things I do NOT like seeing at a first interview: tank tops, denim anything (jeans, jackets, etc.), tattoos, flip flops, low-cut tops, T-shirts, short skirts, hot pants, tennis shoes, skintight leathers, chaps, stiletto heels, nose rings or body piercings, and my favorite: sweats! Ugh! Just remember you are meeting someone for the very first time, that it's your one and only chance to make a favorable first impression. You don't have to wear a suit, but what's wrong with a button-down shirt and khaki pants or skirt? I'm just saying...I think it's important to be inoffensive when you don't know what the interviewer's personal tastes are and when you want them to concentrate on you and your talents, not your clothes.

That's it! Next time I'll talk about the qualities of my favorite kinds of employees...

Green Zebra Guides!

2009-04-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

It's important to me that I support green businesses, because I really do believe the way I spend what's in my wallet can help make a difference in the world. And so when Green Zebra offered me the chance to advertise in their Bay Area guide, I said, "OF COURSE!"

The Pavia coupon we put in is awesome - it represents a total savings of $75. It's so good, in fact, that I just bought one for myself yesterday! (Hilarious: using my own coupon at my own business). But beyond the Pavia coupon, it's still a book of discounts worth $10,000, for only $25! Ha, that will be the fastest ROI ever for me. There are coupons from some of my favorite places: Whole Foods, East-West Bookstore, Planet Granite, and others.

We are selling these at Pavia, but if you can't make it in and want to buy it on-line, you can do so by clicking on the banner below:

My first bikini wax...

2009-04-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

All right, I admit, I have never had a bikini wax, despite having owned a spa for 5+ years and despite believing that I should try every service we offer before a customer tries it. I just couldn't do it...it was too weird a concept for me and entirely too personal.

Well, impetus #1 was, I had to go to Mexico (which I blogged about on 4/1). Impetus #2 was, I rented the movie Sex and the City and was horrified at Miranda's "growth" - I was right with Samantha when she asked her, "Wax much?" as she spotted the veritable jungle spurting out from under Miranda's swimsuit. And impetus #3 was that I have been shaving all my life and finally got tired of the bumps and ingrowns and itchiness. And that AIN'T a place that a woman can just scratch whenever she wants. Note: a man, on the other hand, can scratch there at will. It is not only accepted, it is expected.

So, I decided to give the ol' bikini wax a try. Result? OMG, I am now addicted. I don't think I can go back to shaving. It's been 2 weeks now, and I'm still swimsuit-worthy. No bumps, no ingrowns, especially since I've been taking Ila's advice (Ila is my esthetician, and she rocks the house down on waxing) and exfoliating a lot.

I guess it's just one more "maintenance" item to add to my monthly agenda, but it is worth it. Now, the next step is...........BRAZILIAN, mwahahahaha. Okay, I'm *probably* not quite there yet mentally, have to work up some more courage. But hey, it's walk, then run, then fly, right?

Just got back from Mexico.......

2009-04-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

...where the sun was shiny and the boys were lovely. Oh wait, I'm married. Ahem. Let's start over - just got back from Mexico, where the sun was shiny, the sand was warm, and the spas were .... pretty cool!

One of my BFFs surprised me with a trip to Cabo for Christmas, and we ended up, due to a serious of somewhat-life-threatening-and-alarming mishaps, going during College Spring Break. In addition to feasting on eye candy (translate: men who were in diapers when I was in my teens), we swam with dolphins, bought lots of turquoise, and what else? Went to the spa.

I wasn't that impressed with the spa at my own hotel, the Riu Santa Fe, to tell the truth. I had a male therapist, and usually, the male therapists I've had are very careful not to go too high up on the inner thigh. He did nothing inappropriate, it just felt funny. Also, he rubbed my face AFTER rubbing my feet...hmmm, not that my feet aren't clean, but what if they were dirty? Well, I should have said something.

I ought to know better. In fact, what I thought was most hilarious about this spa was on the intake form: "If you have any concerns, please state them to your therapist. Otherwise, we will assume you had a good experience." I thought that was "great" - I am a spa owner, and I even have a hard time speaking up during my "spa experience." I can't imagine what non-spa prima donnas must go through when they feel somewhat uncomfortable during a service.

Next up: the spa at the Pueblo Bonito Rose. I booked myself in for a body wrap and scrub, and I finally got to experience it on one of those tables with the blue cushion on it that looks like a shallow bathtub. Ahhhhhhhhh, it was heavenly...mostly. Not to be Ms. Picky Pants, but I hadn't specified what service I wanted because they told me I could pick when I showed up. When I showed up, I chose the Royal Mexican Lime treatment, but I guess they failed to communicate this to the therapist, because I got the Tropical one.

I learned several things from that particular service: 1. Wraps really are cold. This room had no overhead heat lamps, so I shivered as she scrubbed me front and back. I said, "Es frio!" multiple times to her through gritted teeth, but what could she really do? 2. Wraps get warm really fast after they pile on the mylar wrap and the towels. Now that's nice...but my feet started to hurt because of the way they were splayed out under the pressure, so I am making a mental note that clients might appreciate a little support under the knees during a prolonged wrap. 3. She left the hot water showering me for 30 minutes - this was DIVINE. I loved loved loved it. I thought I'd died and migrated to Heaven...I wish I could replicate this in my own spa, except that if I tried that, it would interact with the washer/dryer and my drains would plug up.

Overall, it was splendido! This spa had two awesomely warm jacuzzis, a waterfall, and then an extremely cold plunge bath. I alternated between the hot and cold twice, then just gave up because I couldn't get more than hip deep in that freezing water. And I loved my therapist, Lupita! We had a good old time communicating in Spanglish.

Oh gosh, if I could go back tomorrow to Cabo, I would...

Yelp, Yelp, Yelp. When will you GET it????

2009-03-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

So, I got another email from Yelp today. It read:

Hi Maryling,

Some of your reviews were flagged by the Yelp community, and our Customer Service team has determined that they fall outside our review guidelines (http://www.yelp.com/faq#great_review), specifically as it relates to conflicts of interest. We appreciate that you've disclosed that you own a spa when reviewing other businesses in that category, but in our opinion we believe this presents a conflict of interest and so we need to remove these reviews.

In the future, please remember that your reviews should be unbiased and objective.
If there's any hint of a conflict, please don't post the review. We hope you will
continue to provide great reviews, while keeping in mind our Review Guidelines. See
you on Yelp!

Regards,
Cecilia
Yelp User Support
San Francisco, California

Oh my goodness, all I've got to say is that they have their head further up their collective ass than I thought. Okay, so here are the facts:

1. I had legitimately been to ALL of the day spas or spas that I reviewed as a customer. I handed them my very own precious money.
2. I had great experiences at ALL of the day spas I reviewed, and I posted 4- or 5-star reviews about each one. If I didn't have a great experience, then I did not post a review.
3. For most of those reviews, I did not even own a spa when I had those experiences. So now I can't write about them?

It's okay to leave up a review from someone who's never been to your spa or just wants to write something evil about you because they have a vendetta against you, but it's not okay to preserve a review from a legitimate customer? What gives? And it's not okay for me to say GOOD things about spas that are now my competitors (simply because I bought a spa now, but did not back then)? HUH????????????????

I am scratching my head. Well, just another arrow in my quiver for why I just will never, ever support Yelp financially.

Soul Therapy Room - Finally, a Reality!

2009-03-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

More "move your stuff, change your life" - we have cleared out my office and opened up a new "Soul Therapy" room! Yay! Thanks so so so much to Claire, Sushila, Ila, and my very own hubby for helping to make this happen. Without them, that office would a) still be messy and b) still be non-revenue-generating and c) still be mine, and instead, we now have a new haven for taking Soul Therapy clients! I'm so excited.

Can't wait to do Aromatherapy or Herbal Consultations in there...we are going to be doing all Acupuncture, Astrology, Tarot, and Reiki in there from now on! Yee ha! We can truly be a wellness spa now, instead of being a wellness spa masquerading as a day spa.

Laundry, Laundry, Always Laundry

2009-03-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

The lifeblood of a spa is....not what you'd think. The phones? Yes. Although these days email and Instant Messaging are also ways for customers to schedule appointments. The employees? Well, yes. Without them, there is no capability to schedule appointments or take customers. But what really brings a spa to its knees? The laundry machines - the washer and the dryer and when they break!!!

Sorry, I feel particularly strongly and particularly emotional right now because at the moment, our dryer is broken. The kicker is, I paid ~$120 over Christmas to have it fixed...first it was squeaking, so we called in an appliance repair team. They came, but then broke the dryer even worse because it stopped working shortly after they came. Turns out, a belt was loose. So I paid another $21 or so to replace the belt, and all was hunky-dory again.

Well, fast forward to February 26. Once again, my staff call me up and tell me the dryer is squeaking again. I get to the spa on Friday, February 27th, and sure enough, the things sounds like an army of mice are caught in it. So I call up the same repair place - yay, it's under warranty. Yay, or so I thought. They come back today, and guess what?!??! They broke it worse again! Not only did they not fix it, but a part caught on fire when they went to plug it in, the dryer sparked, and now it doesn't work any longer. Give me the army of mice any day!!! At least it worked.

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH! Okay, okay, I am calm now. I am obviously resisting the situation, and I could just choose to drop the resistance....but that doesn't help with my dryer!!!!!

Feng Shui-ing Pavia

2009-02-23T22:53:00.000-08:00

Lately I've gotten on this "Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life" kick. I've moved things around my apartment, and also at Pavia. Pavia, especially, is a mixed bag when it comes to Feng Shui or Vaastu (the Indian version of placement). On the positive side, we have an entrance in the WNW that is auspicious, and we have a stream that flows south to north in the east of the spa. On the negative side, our abundance corner (the Northeast Corner), has a bathroom in it, which means we are "flushing" our money down the toilet. Well, not much I can do about the bathroom. The water lines are where they are, right?

But the front lobby, on the other hand, was something that I could change. When you walked in the front door, there was a fountain smack dab in the middle, against a wall that the previous owners put up. It's certainly beautiful, but it also creates an unnecessary energy block and cuts up our beautiful, auspicious entrance. The fountain facing the entrance, of course, means the abundance is going right back out the front door.

So, with the help of Claire and Julia, two of my wonderful staff, we moved the fountain to the northeast corner of the lobby (the abundance corner). Claire had the idea to create a "portal" with a mirror that would allow the auspicious energy from the entrance to flow "through" the energy-blocking wall and towards the whole spa. So we put up a mirror and a nice hallway table, and I think the whole thing looks lovely. Well, it can't hurt, right? We will see how it goes...

IQ is not EQ, apparently....

2009-02-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

I was completely fascinated by Mr. Stephen Fowler's performance on Wife Swap. I don't usually watch that reality show (America's Next Top Model, Survivor, and Amazing Race are more my speed), but I just had to find out what happened to stir up the rage and ill will of an entire nation. I went onto Youtube and searched on "Wife Swap Fowler" to find the highlights posted, and I was completely stunned. I started looking him up and reading all the blogs about him that I could find, and I even went on LinkedIn to look up his profile, sure that he must be in my network somewhere. Sure enough, I am only 3 connections away on LinkedIn from Mr. Fowler, so I know people who know people who know him. Small world indeed. I even posted on someone else's blog about him.

When I watched the videos, I thought, well, that just proves it. All the IQ in the world doesn't buy any EQ - emotional intelligence. Mr. Fowler has impressive credentials and pedigree, to be sure, but I think he is realizing this week that all of those outward accomplishments are useless if he is hated on sight. The sad part is, I think I used to be like him, valuing myself only by my education and achievements. And the truly sad part is, his display of superiority is only a reflection of how deeply he hates and despises himself. Can you imagine what it must be like to be so filled with bitterness and devoid of happiness that the only joy you can take in life is in the fact that you have an MBA from an elite school? I can imagine it. I've been there. So I'm not going to rag on Mr. Fowler. In fact, I have compassion for Mr. Fowler.

So that's why I'm not joining the chorus of those who are dying to send him back to England, see him suffer bankruptcy and loss, or wish him major misfortune and calamity. His life IS a disaster now, I am sure. He shared his extreme self-hatred with the nation, and it does not take a psychology major to see that this man is deeply damaged, fractured, and possibly even depressed. How did this happen? How did an apparently successful executive with so much going for him create such a mess for himself? I can guess: the void inside that causes him to strive for external accomplishments to fill that void, the deep-seated inferiority complex that causes him to want to lord his superiority over others who are less "accomplished" on paper, and the self-loathing that causes him to spew vitriol to anyone who will listen, even in front of his children, even to a guest in his home.

Mr. Fowler, I sincerely hope that you are able to find something more to love in yourself than your Cambridge and London Business School education. Those are monumental achievements, but they in themselves, do not a joyful life make. I hope you can pick up the pieces from this public relations nightmare and move on to a more healthy life with your wife and children. And lastly, I hope you are able to show your face safely sometime soon...the good news about us "horrible" Americans is that we forgive and forget....quickly. Good luck!

Dr. Suzanne Hamilton - In Memoriam

2009-02-01T10:29:00.001-08:00

When I learned recently of the death of Dr. Suzanne Hamilton, my dentist and my client, I cried all night. My poor husband, who had to bear the news all day and give it to me at night, also had to bear my initial tantrum. I shouted at him, "Stop it! What do you mean? It makes no sense! What do you mean, she 'passed away'? A woman of 39 who has given birth only 12 weeks ago does not 'pass away!'" It was truly surreal. At one moment, I could separate myself from my body and watch it going through the initial shock, then the rage, then the disbelief. My mind said, "Oh look, I'm going through a stage of grief: denial."

I had only known her a few months, but she had apparently touched me deeply. I don't think I've cried so much in a long time, nor for anyone else. She had everything to live for - a husband she deeply loved, and who deeply loved her, a newborn daughter, a thriving and successful practice, and the admiration of a whole community. She was one of those "telepathic" dentists - what I mean by that is that she seemed to know exactly what I was thinking at each moment, but could not convey because in our normal interactions, my mouth was usually wide open and she was drilling in it. And yet, all I would have to do was "think" a question at her, and she would answer it as if she had heard me.

The last time I saw her, January 14, 2009, she was putting a crown on me. It seemed to take a bit longer than I expected, and I sent a thought at her, with my mouth wide open, left side of my face numb and drooling, "Why is this taking so long?" She said, without missing a beat, "Oh, I'm sorry it's taking a while - I had to take an extra mold of your tooth to make sure the lab can make your permanent crown perfectly."

She was also the most extraordinary dentist I have ever met, someone who was constantly seeking ways to improve her patients' experience. I know this firsthand, because she came to me for Aromatherapy advice. She wanted to know if I could make her a blend for her dental patients to "relax" or "calm" them. She understood that people visiting her office had anxiety about it, and she wanted to reassure them through every sense possible, including smell. And so she bought Lavender, Chamomile, and various other soporific essential oils, as well as a blend I put together for her office, and put it on diffusers throughout the place. She even put it on my bib that last time I saw her. That was Dr. Hamilton for you - loving, caring, nurturing, and always thinking of the needs of others.

All I can really liken her to is a flower - no, a rose, the queen of flowers. Like a rose, she was generous with her own special unique fragrance, and in her case, if I could bottle it into perfume, I would call it, "Compassion."

We attended her memorial service yesterday and listened to all the stories of how she lived her life, which only further served to confirm that a bright light has truly gone out of this world. She was beloved by many, if the standing-room-only crowd was any indication. I, too, loved her, though I only knew her a few months. I will miss her sorely, and I pray fervently that God offers comfort and solace to those she leaves behind and are most wounded by her passing.

Great Recipe for Holiday Room Spray

2009-01-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

I had to get this down before I forgot it. I just combined 20 drops Clove, 20 drops Cardamom, and 20 drops of Orange with 2 ounces of vodka in a spray bottle. Mmm, mmm, mmm, smells soooo good - sweet and spicy and holiday-like!

Survivor Gabon Finale

2008-12-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, I watch Survivor. Religiously. It functions as a guilty pleasure for me, and I am not so sure I feel that guilty about watching it. Anyway, I can't stand the last tribal council because people who were voted off invariably come back and say unforgiving things to those who outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted them. And last night was no different.

There was this one woman, Corinne Kaplan, who I am ashamed to say is a Florida Gator (my hubby went to Florida, and I usually root for those who went to UF in all things). Anyway, she said what has to have gone down as the meanest thing ever said on reality TV: "Sugar (yes, that is the name of one of the contestants), you are unemployed, uneducated, and a leech on society. All that I would vote to give you is a handful of antidepressants, so that you can seem more sincere when you're crying about your dead father." Well, maybe it wasn't that VERBATIM, but it was pretty darn close.

That comment knocked me back a mile. Wow, Sugar had lost her dad only 5 months before the show started, and was obviously still processing her grief while on Survivor. This woman's comment was so un-loving and hateful, and so completely unnecessary. What was she thinking? And then, on the reunion show, she was given a chance to apologize by Jeff Probst. When asked if she had any regrets, Corinne replied, "It was like being stuck out there with a colicky baby!" In other words, "No regrets. I am a true bitch, through and through."

Wow. I did not realize people like that existed in this world. I thank my lucky stars that everyone I magnetize into my sphere is loving and lovable. Corinne must be carrying around a great deal of self-hatred to behave like that, and to "enjoy" behaving like that. Talk about unconscious. She was definitely crowned Empress Bitch of Survivor last night.

My first Aromatherapy Class at Pavia...

2008-12-09T23:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm finally doing it. All that money spent on Aromatherapy education is not going to waste. I am teaching my first class on it, called "Holiday Aromatherapy," on December 14, 2008. We are going to make holiday-scented diffuser blends, bath salts, body oils, room sprays, and carpet powders. We are also going to have a blast - yes, that's on the agenda too.

Here are the details:

Date: Sunday, December 14, 2008
Time: 5:30 to 7:30pm
Place: Pavia
Cost: $35 (includes all the goodies you get to take home)
RSVP: 408-741-1555 to sign up!

"Beside" myself...

2008-11-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been coughing up a storm. And not to gross anyone out, but stuff was coming up and it was....well, gross. Hacking away at work, at home, especially whenever I lay down flat on my back (i.e., to go to sleep), just had me feeling totally beside myself.

Which brings me to this rumination: what does it mean to be "beside" oneself? Is it like, I've stepped out of my body and I am sitting next to it watching it suffer? Or is it, I am so discombobulated that I am out of my mind (which could be a good thing) and disembodied, even? Well, these stream of consciousness rantings come as the culmination of several sleep-disturbed nights, that is for sure.

Last night, however, I did something as a last resort that seemed to help right away. I took a drop of Thyme oil on a teaspoonful of honey, and then I put a drop of Ravensara oil on a square of paper towel and held it over my nose. Then I went back to bed, and counted the seconds until I coughed again. I was like a cat waiting to pounce on a mouse as I lay there, watching, waiting, tensed up to cough.

But it never came, and the next thing I know, I am awakened by the sound of the tree-cutters working next door. So I guess it worked! Yay! My husband said it was the first truly "quiet" night he had heard since I first contracted the cough, so this could be good for him too. Poor guy, has had to put up with a phlegm-spewing and lungee-coughing wife for over a week now. He ought to be canonized.

Pavia Meditation 101 Seminar, 11/10/08.

2008-11-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

It seems like all we hear is bad news on a daily basis. The economy is in turmoil, big, trusted companies like GM are running out of cash, respected investment banks like Lehman Brothers have gone out of business completely, and the government has put together a $700 billion bailout program for the banking industry that will cost each taxpayer about $8K in debt.

(Where is the government when small businesses need them, I wonder? I would not mind a bailout *wink*. But that is neither here nor there.) Actually, I don't need a bailout, because I have unlimited abundance and I create my own reality. And, I know how to meditate and anchor my life in harmony and peace.

This is why I asked my staff soul therapist, Theresa Hatcher, to give a session called Meditation 101. We know that times are tough for our spa clients, too. But perversely, we know they especially need relaxation right now, and do not feel they can afford it. So, we put together a "Meditation 101" seminar that will introduce them to two meditation techniques....and meditation is free, once you learn how to do it, and you can access that inner peace and harmony anytime.

Here are the details:
Date: Monday, 11/10/08
Time: 6:30pm to 9pm
Place: Pavia
Your host: Theresa Hatcher
Cost: $30 (but includes Theresa's "Meditations of the Heart" CD, which is a $22 value alone)
RSVP: 408-741-1555, or email info@paviadayspa.com

The list is filling up fast, so RSVP soon!

Wow, I am so happy.

2008-11-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

Watching Jesse Jackson's face last night in the crowd and listening to Obama's victory speech, I felt so indescribably happy. It does not matter that as a small business owner I am normally Republican, or that I would have voted for McCain had he chosen a more palatable VP candidate, I was just happy at the change that America has gone through. Electing Obama says that we as a nation are willing to change, to release old patterns of consciousness, to evolve into something better, to live up to the standards that we set for ourselves so long ago. Watching him on TV and all the jubilant faces in the crowd, I felt a surge of hope that I have not felt at any presidential election since I first voted for Clinton in 1992. Since then my voting track record has been a bit....well, no self-judgments necessary. Let's just say I voted for Bush twice.

Anyway, I am excited and positive and hopeful. We've come a long way, baby!

I got lashed!!!!

2008-10-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am really excited, perhaps unjustifiably so. But I got lash extensions today from my employee, esthetician Kristine Van Tassel, and I just love them! Wow, what a difference! No wonder I've always been so jealous of those with naturally long lashes...your eyes just look so much sparklier when you have long lashes!

Here are some before and after pics (hopefully, I don't have to say which is before and which is after!!!)

Doing my part for the economy!

2008-10-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's not buy into the fear! I know things seem scary, but if we also realize that we, as a collective human race, created our reality, then we also realize we have the power to change things. We can create a different, and more prosperous, future for ourselves.

So I decided yesterday...to go shopping! If we all went and spent some money, we enrich each other and we can get ourselves out of this mess. Of course, what I spent was a drop in the bucket...$513 at Anthropologie on new work clothes...but it was the energy behind it that mattered. As I put down my debit card, I thought to myself, "I am unafraid to spend...spending with others increases the energy around others spending with me."

And I feel so confident in my new clothes, and they are so fashionable. They are sooooo worth it!

The husband bought me a scale....

2008-10-04T17:14:00.001-07:00

and I'm not sure if it's a gift or a curse. Of course, I asked for it. I told him it would motivate me to lose the twenty extra pounds I've been carrying around for 10 years. Except when I got the scale, it said that I actually weigh THIRTY more pounds than I should. And now I'm de-motivated. 20 seems like a surmountable number, but 30....might as well not even try. Haha.

And it's one of those "Biggest Loser" scales......which means it allegedly does percentage of body fat measurements, too. But every time I step on, it says "Er03," and when I look up what that means in the manual, it says that the "impedance" is too strong, and my body fat is immeasurable. Wow, great. I surmise that that means I have SO MUCH body fat it is immeasurable, and the scale doesn't even know where to begin. Lovely!

Lash Me, Baby!

2008-10-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

I am bringing Lash Extensions into Pavia. For a long time I wrestled with this decision, given our focus on "Sanity, Not Vanity." But my short lashes drive me IN-sane, and I know it's 100% ego-driven. But I have always longed to get my fringe on, and I know many Pavia clients agree with me.

So, I am making the one exception to vanity that I can. No, I cannot articulate even a single health benefit of having lash extensions, except maybe that a set of raven's wings lashes will help me....keep more dust out of my eyes? Ahem. I know. I'm reaching.

But let me tell you, getting one's fringe on is a high-maintenance thing. The initial set is $220, and takes the esthetician 2 hours as she painstakingly bonds each and every synthetic lash onto each and every real eyelash. Apparently, it doesn't make lashes any thicker, just longer. Obviously, if there is no lash to bond to, then it can't be simply glued to the skin. The first follow-up session is free, provided it is scheduled for within 2 weeks of the initial set, but then a follow-up every 2 to 4 weeks after THAT is required. We will charge $75-100 per follow-up, because it could take 45 minutes to an hour of her time.

And then, every 3 months, another set has to be put on...sigh. I know I will be first in line, but I don't know if I can sustain the upkeep that is required. On the bright side, there's always Revitalash....

I just couldn't do it.

2008-09-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

Nope, I didn't get my Amazon Rainforest at the MGM Grand Spa after all. I just couldn't justify spending the $280 plus built-in 20% gratuity of $56. I just felt so....irresponsible that I could not do it.

But I do so badly need a massage, so I am getting one tomorrow at Pavia, plus a facial. For the same $336, I am getting an hour massage, an 80-minute facial, and eyebrow and lip wax. And my people are waaaaayyyyyy better than any hotel or resort spa, simply because they cater to locals and we all care that they come back.

I also didn't sleep well in Vegas, for some reason. The lights outside the MGM are an eerie green, and all night long I would toss and turn and stare out the window at them, reflecting on my life. Vegas in general seems like such a hollow place for me now, whereas I used to love love love it! How strange that I've grown out of gambling, drinking, clubbing, partying, and gambling some more.

I used to think nothing of losing $300, back when I was a student and losing just my loan money. Now that I work so hard to earn it, I can't even stomach the thought of putting down $10 for a hand of blackjack......I keep thinking to myself, "$10!! That's a movie! That's 1.5 to 2 hours of entertainment and I would lose it in 2 minutes here!"

Yup, I've become a turnip, for sure.

Vegas, baby!

2008-09-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I flew into Vegas today for business (for my high-tech marketing consulting practice, that is), and am staying at the MGM Grand. I figured, why not avail myself of the spa services here? After all, I haven't ventured out and tried a new place in a while. In fact, I haven't had a treatment since that RIDICULOUSLY GOOD facial Kristine VanTassel gave me at my own spa on Sunday, 9/14. Yup, I'd say that 1 week is too long to go without a good spa treatment. :-)

So, I scheduled an "Amazon Rainforest" ritual tomorrow at the spa here. Can't wait can't wait. Among the other attractions, the spa's web site here plays soothing music. And THIS is how the service is described:

Amazon Rainforest Ritual (100 Minutes)
This healing ritual contains Plantain and Cocoa Powders, and a South American herb called "Una de Gato", used for many years to stimulate the immune system and to reduce inflammation. The rhythmic massage uses Cocoa butter or Passion Flower oil.

But DAMN! It's expensive. It's $280, plus a mandatory 20% tip!! So it's a whopping $336, and do you know how much you could get for that at my spa?!? An hour massage, an hour facial, a Gardener-manicure and a Lavender & Lemongrass pedicure! So, what would buy you 4 hours at Pavia buys you 100 minutes here. Sheesh!! It better be good! I will update later, after I've lost an arm and a leg to the spa.

A facial so good, it was ridiculous!

2008-09-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

I had a facial yesterday with Kristine VanTassel, my newest esthetician. It was SO good, it was ridiculous. Ridiculously good. Everything was perfect, her touch, her massage, her extractions, everything, EVERYTHING! I can't say enough about her, I am just so honored to have her on my staff!

FINALLY! An esthetician who is my perfect ten! I know we all have different preferences, but this facial was the closest to my ideal experience that I have ever had. Kristine has IT. I mean, I think all of my esthetics staff have been very good facialists (otherwise they would never have made it through my screening process), but I did not actually audition Kristine because I had my lead esthetician, Sushila, try her out first. Sushila gave her the thumbs up, and I have to agree! Two thumbs, way way up! I wish I had more thumbs, I'd give her 3!

I looked in the mirror this morning and my face was almost glowing. I pretty much did not even have to put makeup on...I had the cleanest pores and the freshest complexion and I was just so thrilled. I am so glad she joined my staff and isn't out there on her own anymore...it would be HARD to compete with this woman!

The Neverending Quest for the Perfect....Massage Lotion?

2008-09-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

You would not think that massage lotion would be a difficult thing to settle on at a spa, but believe me, when the egos and opinions of seven different massage therapists are in play, it can become a hornet's nest.

We had been using Soothing Touch for a while, which seemed to be a great choice for both clients and therapists alike, and everything was hunky-dory. And before I went to go and knock everything out of whack, I mayhap should have just asked myself, "If it ain't broke, why try to fix it?" Well, the reason WHY was that Soothing Touch was not organic. It contains such chemicals as Diazolidinyl Urea, a compound that was recently classified as IARC-1 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer - IARC 1 means it is a known human carcinogen - as well as parabens (both methyl and propyl), as well as TEA stearate.

And I'll be damned if all I'm going to do is talk the talk and not walk the walk. That is in no way, shape, or form the kind of person I am. So, I decided to stop getting Soothing Touch and go get Bon Vital. Oh my good Lord, what a hot mess that was. Everybody hated it, saying it was slimy, smelled like old sweat, you name it, that was a complaint about that product. "But it is organic!" I protested. "Well, it's unusable," was the reply.

So I hunted around some more and found a wonderful, all-organic brand called Sacred Earth Botanicals. What a great combination! Vegan massage lotion, only the purest and most natural ingredients in it, and when I got some for the staff to try, they LOVED it! The best of both worlds, right? Well, sort of.

I was afraid they would like it, actually, because that sucker is 45% more expensive than Soothing Touch and twice as expensive as Bon Vital (yes, the sweat-smelling organic lotion). At $54.95 per gallon, this stuff will put me in the poorhouse, so to speak.

Well, what can I say? It's important to me that we use only the best products on our clients, they deserve nothing less than that commitment. If we represent ourselves as an organic spa, then doggone it, we're going to be one, even if my massage lotion costs double. So that's what we did...we've arrived at the end of our quest, we've passed Go a hundred times, we are sipping, at long last, out of our grail.

BodyTalk

2008-09-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am excited that we are going to announce this month that Pavia will be offering BodyTalk Access services. I am so excited about my staff member, Claire Stringer, a BodyTalk Access Technician, performing these services.

Seems like such a simple methodology, just tapping on one's heart and crown chakra, and yet it has done such amazing things for so many people. Claire explained to me that tapping the heart and the crown chakra helps the body "remember" how to heal itself, strengthening the mind-heart connection that gets broken every day through the stress that we modern day human beings incur. Or rather, subject ourselves to, because I think it is a choice.

This morning I got up and heard a frightening thing: Tom Brokaw's voice saying, "...at least 4 airliners were hijacked, I repeat, at least 4 airliners were hijacked this morning..." I froze while brushing my teeth. Every hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. It was like the nightmare was back from 7 years ago, when my husband was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and I had no idea whether he was dead or alive, and all I could see was a pile of rubble.

I ran outside into the living room and saw that it was a minute-by-minute reliving of 9/11/01. But in that split second before I figured it out, I could feel the stress and adrenaline rushing through me, and I was ready to fight or flee. That was for sure. It just seems that some people spend all their lives in that fight or flight mode - maybe that explains some Yelpers - and of course the mind-heart connection is completely broken.

So if tapping helps it, then I'm all for it. It's completely simple and effective, and you can do it for yourself anytime you want. Now I just want to know if there is a tapping methodology for getting my body to lose weight! ;-)

I deleted some posts.

2008-09-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

A one-star Yelp review posted by paris h. made me more closely examine my previous posts. She said that I was insulting clients on my blog, and that woke me up because I had never perceived it that way.

But Claire and Sushila, two wonderful members of my staff, got me to see that I was being defensive in my blog. At first, I protested that I had started the blog in the first place to tell the other side of the story, the side that Yelp doesn't allow you to tell, the side that malicious Yelpers also don't mention. Like the fact that they have never visited your spa, for example. I also did it to stand up for my staff, who were insulted in certain Yelp posts and called stupid.

Anyway, when I went back and read the posts, I could see I was being defensive. I could see that I was emotionally charged when I wrote them, and so what I want to say to paris h. from Yelp is: You are right. I was being emotional and unprofessional. Thank you for pointing this out to me. I accept this and I will change.

I realized I was so focused on the unfairness and negativity in the reviews, I was lowering myself to the vibrations of the people who posted them in the first place. And that is not where I want to devote my energy, so thank you for reminding me of that.

And to Claire and Sushila, thank you for sharing your wisdom and opinions with me. I know I have a tendency to shoot the messenger sometimes, so I appreciate your tenacity. See, I do listen!

Thanks for making my newsletter a success!

2008-09-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite ways to market to my clientele is via newsletter. I've grown the list to almost 2,500, and have had a great deal of positive feedback about the issues. I don't just ram promos down their throats, because that's not providing anything useful...that's just pandering for business. I take the time to write informative articles about health issues and how spa services address those health issues. I also use the newsletter as a forum where clients can tell me their opinions. If you want to check out past issues, here they are (I am keeping this month's issue a secret because I want to keep the promo for newsletter members only).

August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008

That's it.

2008-09-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend was a joyful one in my family. My brother, Oliver, got married to a wonderful woman named Anika May. Okay, not just Anika May, but Dr. Anika May - she is a first year resident going into Family Practice medicine. The event went off perfectly in Sacramento, CA, and although it was hotter than the 9th circle of hell on 8/29 during the rehearsal, by the time 8/30 (the wedding day) rolled around, it was only 94 degrees out and I barely broke a sweat.

Okay, so this is the part where I said, "That's it, I've had it." Check out this picture of me posing with my new sister-in-law and my first cousin. I look like a beached whale! I am tipping the scales at a whopping 140 or so pounds and for the first time, it shows and I am tired of it. That's it! I'm going on a diet, I am going to stick to it, and I am going to lose 20 pounds. There's nothing like getting your self-esteem steamrolled in a bridesmaid dress to motivate you, huh?

Olympics: Pleasure & Pain

2008-08-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've had Olympics fever for the last several nights. Ever since it started, I've been up until 2:30 in the morning gobbling up every moment, from Phelps' golds to the men's gymnastics surprise to the women's gymnastics meltdown. I *love* the Olympics - I always feel so inspired and happy to watch the culmination of so many years of hard work, determination, and perserverance. I feel like it is a time when we can celebrate each other's achievements. I am just as elated to see an American athlete achieve their dreams as any other nation's athletes. After all, people are people and we all want the same things for ourselves, our families, and our children.

So that's why the photo of the Spanish basketball team slanting their eyes in an advertisement hurt me so much. I even commented publicly on a blog about it. This is what I wrote:

"When I saw the photograph of the Spanish basketball team slanting their eyes, I felt extremely hurt and saddened. As a Chinese-American growing up in Georgia and in Pennsylvania, I remember painful moments during childhood when classmates tormented me with this very gesture. They pulled at the corners of their eyes and said, "Me Chinese, me play joke, me put pee pee in your Coke!" I always went right to the bathroom to cry secretly in the stalls, and would do so again later at night before going to sleep. I remember feeling different, less worthy, less good-looking, and certainly like I did not belong. I fully understand and credit that the players were not attempting to offend, insult, or injure, but as we all know, what we think we are saying or intending does not always reflect what others are receiving. The Olympics is supposed to build bridges between cultures and nations, not tear them down. This gesture highlights differences between the Caucasian and Asian races, rather than trying to unify us as a human race."

Featured in Renew Magazine. Cool!

2008-07-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

When I got in on Friday I had a message from a Dana DeLaurentis (sp?), owner of a Chicago-based day spa. She said she had read about me and our new spa cancellation policy in this month's issue of Renew magazine and had questions to ask me. I called her back (she was pleased and surprised - but I told her we spa owners have to stick together), and it turns out that we were in an article called "20 Ultimate Spa Business Boosters" and we were #6. So cool!

I had NO idea that we were going to be published in a nationwide magazine. No one called or interviewed me to ask me any questions, but I guess the author of the article subscribes to my newsletter because she quoted me directly from there. I got really curious and went online to search for it and voila! Click here if you want to read it.

So relaxed after ACUPUNCTURE.

2008-07-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am so tired right now and so relaxed that I could crawl under my desk here at work and fall asleep. I had an acupuncture session this afternoon with Anne Dugan, L.Ac. of Sunnyvale (123 S. Murphy Avenue, 408-245-4820), and I never thought it would put me under this way. She only put 5 or so needles in me...but I had an amazing nap there and have basically spent the rest of this afternoon in a continued haze. I still can't remember what my name is as I type.

Oh gosh, how am I going to make it to my staff meeting tonight at the spa? I may just close up, jump on a massage table, and snooze 'til morning...

Mare at 17...and 36.

2008-06-30T00:24:00.000-07:00

I was rummaging through a box of high school memories the other day, and came across a pic of myself at seventeen years old, taken in the summer after high school graduation. I thought I'd post it for fun and for self-serving purposes. Fun because, haha, who doesn't like showing pictures of themselves at seventeen, when they were young, dumb, and didn't know any better. And self-serving because, well, I really don't look that much different at 17 than I do now at 36, almost 19 years later. Of course, there is the fact that back then, my eyebrows were unkempt and the hair above my upper lip was positively...manly. Or that I am definitely about 25 pounds heavier now, and it shows in my fuller face! But substantively, I am still recognizable in these photos as Mare. I think it's a great testament to the efficacy of regular facials (which I started at age 20).

So if you haven't started getting facials yet...what are ya waitin' for???? Life is long!

About Tipping

2008-06-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is a tough topic for me. I can see it both ways, now that I've owned a spa for the last 5 years. Actually, I can see it three ways, because there ARE three perspectives: the client, the technician, and the spa owner.

CLIENT
This is how I feel as a client: "I'm already paying $100-$150 for my (insert your service here). If I have to put a 15-20% tip on top of that, then my bill is skyrocketing to $115 - $180. It costs way more than at a restaurant ($115 - $180 is a meal for 3-4 people), so I don't really want to tip that much. Besides, these therapists make a lot more than minimum wage, unlike the wait staff at a restaurant who depend on gratuities to make a living."

TECHNICIAN
"I work hard. Giving a one-hour massage is the equivalent of working out for an hour. Unlike the wait staff at a restaurant, I actually had to go to school to develop my skills. And as a trained professional, I had to pay for a license as a (insert your profession) to gain the knowledge of (insert skin care, anatomy, nail care, sanitation, as appropriate) in order to provide therapeutic services. So I definitely deserve a tip!"

SPA OWNER
Ugh. Talk about monkey in the middle. I can't stand when my technicians look eagerly in their tip boxes to fish out their gratuity envelopes, only to turn away in disgust when a) their client has not tipped them; or b) their client has not tipped them "enough." To me, any amount greater than $0 is a blessing because a) it could have been $0; b) some cultures do not tip - in fact, most cultures don't, including those in Europe and Asia; and c) a tip is supposed to be an expression of appreciation for a service. It should not be expected, it should be earned. And most of all, it should be appreciated by the receiver.

Of course, tipping is a big part of a technician's income. I think I figured out that tips are about 25% to 33% of their paychecks each month, so that is a huge deal to them. It's also a huge deal to me because I pay an additional 13.45% of their tip in payroll taxes, without receiving ANY economic benefit from their tip. And that's BEFORE any credit card charges are figured in either. It is literally a straw that can break the camel's back.

So from a financial perspective, I am on the fence about it. Sometimes I think, "Don't tip! If you tip, I'll have to pay taxes on that tip." Other times I think, "No, tip them...they work darn hard and do an outstanding job and deserve the extra money."

But bottom line...no one should *expect* a tip. EVER. And when they get one, they should be grateful. And when you, the client, come to our spa, you should NEVER feel like you are obligated to leave a tip, unless you really really enjoyed your service and want to let your technician know it.

So there are my two cents on tipping.

Stress, Digestion, and Plane Seat Assignments.

2008-06-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Bear with me: I am having one of those stream of consciousness days. What can I say, I am on my cycle, so it is going to be a barely coherent blog entry. My husband was getting ready to leave for Orlando this past Saturday, and he wanted to secure his seat assignment on the way back. He called up the airline (think it was American), who told him that if he wanted to secure his own seat assignment on-line, then it would be free, but that if he was going to call up and have his seat assigned by an agent, then there would be a charge. My husband replied, "Well, if I had been able to do it on-line, I certainly would have, but it isn't letting me."

Wait a second, that wasn't my point. My point was that they're even taking this vestige of customer service away from us! How many more human interactions are going to be reduced in the name of corporate profits? We don't go to tellers anymore, we go to ATMs. We don't really call up airline agents anymore, we book tickets and fares online. We don't even talk to a live human being when we have a question about our electric bill before we punch a long string of numbers into the keypad or listen to an interactive voice response system that has me (usually) shouting "NO! NO! NO!!!!!" at the top of my lungs into the phone. And even that isn't really my point. So let me get to it: with less and less human interaction, human touch is even more important. Trust me, we are here on this Earth for each other, and no other reason. I don't care if you had all the blessings in the world, money, cars, clothes, your health, toys, private jets, land, buildings, mansions, yachts, it would not be worth one iota to you if you were the last human being alive.

It breaks my heart to think of all the people who go through life without sufficient human touch. And our lives are getting more complicated, not less. Truly. I was doing herbal consultations all night long at our Midsummer Night's Dream spa party, and what do you think most people wanted as their customized tea blend? EVERY SINGLE CLIENT I saw said she had trouble with stress, anxiety, and digestion. EVERY SINGLE ONE. What does that tell me? Well, we all know stress leads to indigestion. Of course it does, because all the resources that are normally used to properly digest food are being diverted to galvanize us into action, to achieve more and deliver sooner and accelerate our advancement in...whatever....faster. So every single blend I made was pretty much nervine (valerian root, skullcap, chamomile) and digestant (peppermint leaf, licorice root, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and marshmallow root). I had oodles and oodles of juniper berries left over! Okay, I am digressing again.

Anyway, this all means that spas are more relevant in this day and age. And not just any spa. I am not talking about the kind where you pay to get a MACHINE to work on you. I am talking about the kind where a real person, a human being with a talent for creating a healing sanctuary and the attention to detail to tailor it to your needs and the skills and training to perform a therapeutically excellent service gives you an hour of bliss.

I never understood these spas with machines and such. Why do people pay to be zapped, squeezed, injected, lasered, or rubbed by an electronic device anyway? I never got that and I never will. That's not a spa, that's a....that's what we call torture in some countries.

A beautiful Midsummer Night's Dream.

2008-06-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

It's 11:21pm, and I have just gotten home from our spa solstice celebration: A Midsummer Night's Dream. It went splendidly, with all 18 clients leaving extremely happy. I must say, as fun as it is for the clients, it is equally fun for the staff. It really is true that when you give, you also receive (if not more so).

Claire was solidly booked for the night, with all 9 of her available slots taken by clients interested in learning more about BodyTalk Access. Next was Sarah, ever popular with the mini-massage. So popular, in fact, that we had to co-opt Annie into doing quite a few of them as well. Shelly did mini-facials, with Annie backing her up, Sushila and Teri did Tarot, and I did all the herbal consultations and custom herbal teas (because poor Bridget had a death in her immediate family and had to pull out).

The most rewarding parts of the night were when a client named Stephanie said to me, "You have a great staff! They are all just so wonderful." And another client, Donna, who came all the way from Florida, said, "Your business should just be doing fabulous. There is such a loving energy here, you can really feel it." Oh goodness, it meant so much to me to hear that. My heart was full to bursting.

I didn't realize my little manager-on-duty Julia was such a great cook and an obvious Foodie. She made watermelons with balsamic, feta, and mint! Good Lord, that is a concoction that I would never in a million years think of throwing together. I guess this is how you find out about your staff's hidden talents! Phew, I am exhausted, but really happy. What a great midsummer celebration it turned out to be.

I have a great staff. :-)

2008-06-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

I was really touched on Saturday and today by the caring hearts and minds of my staff. On Saturday, a client called same-day to cancel, and instead of being upset at this client, the technician that was affected said that the client was going through a difficult time and we should not charge her our cancellation fee. This particular client had gone through the death of a spouse and whenever she does come to the spa, she spends a lot of time during her treatment crying.

Immediately, when this story was related to the staff members standing nearby, these other staff members volunteered to do healing work on her, whether massage, Reiki, or just general take-care-of-the-client services. I was so touched I started tearing up myself at their willingness to expend their precious energy healing someone else for no money.

And then again tonight, we had a client faint twice during her time at our spa. There was an army of staff surrounding this client, getting her juice and food, putting cold towels on her, holding her hand. It really made me so proud to hear how much concern my staff had for her, and to watch all of their faces bearing those angelic, loving expressions. They were really ready to jump through hoops to ensure this person's health, safety, and good experience. I *know* that anyone who does come to us is getting wonderful service. I know that for a fact, and I am so proud and honored to be working with such people.

It's days like these that I get to see their true colors and I really like what I see. I hope all my clients see this as well, and appreciate them for the gems they are.

Gut-wrenching.

2008-06-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

I have never terminated a single employee in the last 5 years of owning the spa. This past month, I terminated two. Talk about gut-wrenching, unpleasant, yucky, stressful, sad....just "ugh."

I have always put people first, even if it is at my own expense, or that of my business. I attempt to be flexible, understanding, even-keeled, and lenient. I think that gets taken advantage of, big-time. I was saying to one employee that instead of, "Three strikes you're out, I'm more like 25 strikes and then you're out." The employee said back to me, "No, Mare, you're 25,000 strikes and then you might get a slap on the wrist." That's a very telling statement, and eye-opening, to say the least. If that is how I am perceived, then no wonder I experienced all these problems.

I had this one employee who was chronically tardy. You could basically count on her to be tardy at least once or twice a week, and she only worked four days a week. I mean, come on. How hard is it to be on time? But I put up with it, giving her verbal warnings and my version of "tough love." Did it work? No. The problem only got worse. It got so bad, in fact, that a client stormed out of the spa in a fury because this particular person showed up more than 30 minutes late to her appointment. It made us look ghetto and low-class. I don't blame that client in the least. I probably would have done the same thing myself.

The other employee, well, I have this habit of tolerating "physical limitations." Other spa owners could care less if you're in pain or hurting, you are going to be working your entire shift no matter what. Business is business, after all. Well, not me. If someone came to me and said, "Mare, I don't feel well, can I leave after my last appointment?" I usually say "Yes." My rationale is, if you're in pain, you're not giving a good service anyway. Secondly, it's less of a workers' compensation risk to let that person go home, even if it means turning away same-day business.

Well, I went away Memorial Day weekend, and this other employee asked to be let out early. When the front desk did not accommodate her request, she went ballistic. She said, and I quote (well, this is secondhand, of course): "F--- this shit! F--- this place! I am so over this place." Wow. When I heard that, I was on my way to a wedding in Washington, D.C., and my heart sank into my stomach and made a hole there. Even worse, it was a client who told me that she had overheard this while sitting in our lobby!

I felt mortified. I felt furious! I felt ... pretty much worse than I've felt in a long time. So, needless to say, I had to terminate that employee as well.

I don't choose to run my business this way anymore, or treat my clients this way. They deserve better, and they will get better. If it means I have to toughen up, then so be it, I will toughen up. I have never wanted to be one of those employers who just mowed through employees, but I think I need to a) manifest the right people in the first place and b) remain conscious and true to my clients. I had hoped that by taking care of my employees, they would, in turn, take care of my clients. But that is evidently not the case.

Odds and Ends

2008-06-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am surprised at how much support my 1-star review of Yelp has gotten. Lots of compliments, sympathetic private emails, and even 12 Useful, 4 Funny, and 6 Cool tags. Just goes to show you that when one person thinks a certain way about you, at least 10 others do as well. Which is why we have to be careful about pissing clients off...they'll also go TELL 10 people about it.

In this particular case, that of Ms. Angela Frenkel, it is a totally different story. I am just amazed that a person exists in the world who can hold a grudge for so long over something that never actually happened. I think that must actually be a real skill of some sort.

Well, onto happier topics. The May 18th spa party was so successful that we are doing another one June 22nd. This time, we're calling it Midsummer Night's dream, and it will be a Tarot/Dream/Herbology/Energy party, mostly. Details are in our June newsletter, that I just killed myself to get sent out yesterday (June 3rd).

What with consulting 28 hours per week at NetApp and finishing up my Master Herbalist classes and also finishing up ROI models for two telecom clients, I don't even have time to go to the bathroom, let alone write thoughtful, witty, and useful newsletters on time. Or blogs, for that matter. But I will do better!

Yes, Yelp. I'm reviewing YOU.

2008-05-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is the text of the review I put up on Yelp last night, ABOUT Yelp. Felt great to get it off my chest. But of course, Yelp has found a way to hide it already. Just par for the course.

ONE-STAR

"I never write one-star reviews. I figure, if I don't have anything good to say, I just won't say it. But as a conscientious business owner who cares about her clients and uses online reviews as a way to improve our services, I must openly deplore the lack of accountability on this web site. I mean, people can give you reviews for not even ever having set foot in your business, simply because they have a personal grudge or vendetta against you.

I know this, because Yelp has allowed a review from a certain Angela F. to be posted about my business. Little does Angela F. realize that by posting her picture, I recognized her as the woman who first came to my spa in tight leather pants held together by safety pins trying to sell me spa consulting services. I even did her the favor of referring her to someone else. Fast forward a couple years, she applies for a front desk position, and I do not respond to her (as I do not respond to about 99 of the 150 applications that I received for the same position). She, not to be outdone, comes onto Yelp to give us a 2-star review and how if people want to "overpay and leave dissapointed [sic]," they should come to our spa. All I've got to say is, "Lady, I am sorry for you because you are obviously at a dark place in your life. And secondly, please go take a spelling class. And thirdly, how have you ever overpaid when you haven't handed us a dime and the only times you ever came into my business were to try to sell ME something?" Can you spell: L I B E L?

And Yelp, of course, is unresponsive despite my flagging the review and explaining the situation, identifying the Yelper by first AND last name and phone number. Okay, fine. Don't respond to me. But then don't add insult to injury, having your ultra-unctuous marketing people calling and exhorting me to advertise on your low-classed, irresponsible web site. They are all so oily I want to go take a shower immediately after getting off the phone with them. So let me get this straight: you want to take my hard-earned money AND still allow libelous reviews to appear about my business that anyone who knows me knows that I put my HEART and SOUL into and lose many nights of sleep over?

Normally I am all about forgive and forget, personal growth, enlightenment, reaching Buddhahood, etc. etc. But your pettiness has to be pointed out...even calling your web site "Yelp!" is obviously encouraging users to complain and spread negativity into a world that has more than enough of it already. I wish I could give you negative stars, but alas, you even rigged that."

Yay! More Good PR!

2008-05-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

I just found this article about Pavia recently, and was extremely delighted to see it, having completely forgotten that it was going to be written. It was published in San Jose Magazine in the April edition, and the subject was "Spas Going Green," and I love the fact that the entire first section is devoted to PAVIA. No, I did not pay the reporter anything to have this placement, but yes, I did comp her a facial so that she could experience and have something substantial to report on. (Sorry to the grammar-phobes, I am aware I ended the previous sentence in a preposition. What the heck - can't be perfect.)

The Ego and 10-Year Reunions.

2008-05-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have a pimple on my forehead so big it hurts. It throbs, in fact, and is doing so right now. Lovely. At least I can be grateful that it didn't manifest during my 10-year business school reunion, which transpired just this past weekend.

My ego would probably have killed itself if that had happened. My ego wanted me to appear as the youngest-looking woman there, first because I AM either the second- or third-youngest woman in my graduating MBA class, and second because I am Asian and therefore must represent the gene pool well, and third because I actually own a day spa, and therefore have no excuse to be showing up pimply anywhere. I even went and got a facial before I left...that's how egoistic I was acting.

Well, it was a great reunion, but somehow unsatisfying. Did I get to look great? Yes, but as with everything the ego desires, it wasn't fulfilling. Did I get enough COMMENTS from other people that I looked great? Well, no. Nothing is ever enough for the ego, and mine has a rapacious appetite for compliments. "Oh, it's the beautiful Maryling. You're still stunning, I see." That was the best one of the night, care of Barnaby Grist. Upon its utterance, I was so moved that I asked him to marry me, forgetting momentarily that I was already married.

It was unsatisfying because...well, because I didn't get to really have many deep conversations. I wanted to pull aside so many of the 200+ people in the room and find out every detail about their last 10 years that, well, I ended up only having somewhat short and stilted conversations with about 30 people or so. Oh well. There's always the 15-year, right?

I am off to the bathroom now to squeeze out my pimple. That's a no-no for the rest of you, by the way. Or at least, if you're going to do it, use Kleenex, not your fingernails.

May 18th Spa Party!

2008-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

We haven't done a spa party in at least 4 years. I am so excited for this one, though, because we have so many cool things to offer this time. For $75 per guest, each guest receives:

* 3 mini-spa treatments (out of a choice of 6)
* A valuable gift bag
* Yummy food and drink
* Great company
* 10% off all retail purchases made that evening

So, I can't wait. We're calling the spa party, "MOM-ents," after MOM. Haha, get it? (I sure hope so). Each of the mini-spa treatments is called a "MOM-ent of ____," and we filled in the blank with "Peace, Rest, Bliss, Awareness, Truth," etc. etc. to describe the purpose of the treatment. (I thought it was clever, but maybe that's just because I thought of it.)

Here they all are:

* MOM-ent of Peace: A youth-ifying hand treatment that gives back vitality to your overworked hands. Includes our revolutionary Omega Peel treatment.

* MOM-ent of Balance: A super-relaxing Ayurvedic facial rejuvenation treatment that restores balance to your skin with a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha oil blend massage.

* MOM-ent of Bliss: A chair massage that includes a refreshing and uplifting Geranium and Ylang-ylang scalp rub.

* MOM-ent of Awareness: Want to try Bodytalk? Now's your chance to learn and experience this simple, yet extremely effective, form of energy medicine.

* MOM-ent of Allure: We show you how to create eye-catching peepers with our Colorescience mineral makeup and a simple three-step process.

* MOM-ent of Truth: Want some insight? Have a mini-Tarot-and-numerology reading that will shed light on your current life experiences.

Want to join us for an evening of fun and insight? Call us at 408-741-1555 to reserve a spot.

Still Acting Egoistically...The Only Difference Is...

2008-04-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

I'm aware of it. Since reading Eckhart Tolle's book, I would say I became conscious. But what has surprised me is that it hasn't stopped me from continuing to behave out of my ego and my pain body. What is the point of being conscious if I am just going to repeat the same old patterns of behavior? Is it truly better that I am aware of it?

I recently had a situation where one of my favorite employees experienced a personal loss and family tragedy. This particular employee was going to leave in late May anyway, but she was so distraught that she decided to quit her job immediately without giving any notice, and without talking to me personally about her situation.

I noticed that I carried feelings of irritation and anger and disappointment about how it was handled. I said things out loud to myself like, "You just don't do that to an employer who has treated you so well. You just don't!" I wanted her to have said to me, "Mare, I'll give you 2 weeks notice," or "Mare, I really am in no emotional shape to work. Please, help me...let me leave the company early."

In the middle of ranting and raving about it to my best friend, I realized something important: that even were this employee to have given me two weeks' notice, I would not have accepted it anyway. Did I really want someone who was that emotionally fatigued and fragile to be working at my spa? No way. The other staff would notice and clients would notice and everyone would be affected adversely. So what was I so mad about?

Well, at its core, I just wanted her to observe the NICETY of giving me the two weeks...in other words, I wanted her to quit on my terms, not on hers. And that is solely EGO. Hello, my old friend. You never do seem to go away, do you?

In any case, I want to say to this employee (and you know who you are): I wish you all the joy and abundance and happiness that life has to offer. Thank you for your wonderful work at Pavia. The time you gave us was cherished and held precious. Your warmth, your beautiful smile, your giving nature, all of those things were treasured by me and the other staff. I know that you will be successful at everything you do. May you heal and rest, and then may you flourish. I release any ill will, and I hold only loving energy for you here in my heart. Love, Mare

UNBELIEVABLE.

2008-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's bad enough that I have to worry about people coming to the spa for a service, not liking their experience, and then writing about it online and giving us a negative review. But I never thought I'd have to worry about someone who's NEVER been to our spa for a service whatsoever, never paid us a dime, and still went on Yelp to blast us! What am I talking about? I am referring to this 3/22/08 review of our spa, written by Angela F:

2 Stars: 1 for Great Website Design and 1 for Marketing Efforts, what ever else they could of gotten was dissolved by my in person experience -very dissapointing and misleading.

I wonder how they got Best Spa by anyone who actually visited them - starting from Obscure location in a dingy strip mall, small over stuffed space claiming to be a Day Spa for Relaxation, to say the least there is nothing that will want to make you spend a Day there.

Yet one thing for sure if you want to over pay and leave dissapointed visit Pavia "Day" Spa.

If I would give them any Award - it will be for Over Promising & Underdelivering...

How do I know that she's never been to our spa before? Because I know who she is, and her name is not in our database (she posted her picture on Yelp.com, and I recognized her). She called me three years ago asking to come talk to me about doing spa consulting for me. I agreed to a meeting, and then after meeting her, realized her skills were more appropriate for a larger spa (she specializes in creating healthy, nutritious menus for spa clients). So I referred her to a friend of mine who owns a much larger spa.

Then, fast forward to March 14, 2008, when she called Pavia to respond to an ad I had placed on Craigslist for an open spa coordinator position. Because I had already hired someone, and because I was overwhelmed with responses for that position, I did not contact her (or any of the other 56 people who had applied that I could not meet or hire). So clearly, she went onto Yelp.com to fulfill a personal grudge and smear our reputation.

This is why I really hate Yelp. You can't respond to negative reviews publicly, and no one who posts there has any accountability for what they write. Obviously, they can write stuff about your spa and never have even been there for a service. What actually really cracked me up was her statement that if you want to "overpay and leave dissapointed [sic - obviously, she's never won a spelling contest]," then go to Pavia. Haha, seeing as how she's never handed us a dime, I don't see how she overpaid for anything.

I did alert Yelp that this was a libelous review, and we will see whether they do the right thing. I trust that they will remove the review soon. And if they do not, I don't see that there is much I can do about it, unless I want to file a libel suit.

Well, I will just blog about this and then let it go. She is evidently in a difficult place in her life, and I feel only compassion for her. I will send her light during meditation and hope that illuminates the darkness within her.

Cancellation, schmancellation.

2008-03-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

Our cancellation policy is something I've wrestled with a long time. On the one hand, clients who don't give us any notice before cancelling or rescheduling their appointments hurt us a great deal. If you don't know until 10 minutes before their appointment that someone is not going to show up for their service, then you've held that slot and turned away others that you could have taken instead. So some amount of compensation for your lost revenue and the opportunity cost of replacement revenue seems in order.

On the other hand, clients get really PISSED when they are charged for services they did not receive. Sometimes, life is beyond our control, such as when our flights are delayed, or when we get into car accidents, have to go to the hospital, have family emergencies, and more. So I really do see it both ways. My therapists are really disappointed and upset when they are canceled on, and my clients are really angry when they are charged. It seems like goodwill is lost no matter what.

After thinking about it a long time, I decided to take a different approach from most spas. I passed it around to my 2,300+ newsletter clients, and a significant number of them wrote in to give me feedback on my new idea. And we arrived at something I think will work out well!

Basically, it goes like this: as a spa, we want repeat business. That means we're interested in a long-term relationship with our clients, not just one-night stands. So if life "happens" to them, then we want to be understanding of that fact. We WILL charge a 50% cancellation fee, but we will then allow the client to use 100% of that fee towards their next service, so long as it occurs within 3 months of the original appointment that was canceled. This way, the client doesn't "lose" the value of their money; they will simply have pre-paid for part of their next appointment. That preserves their goodwill, and meanwhile, it also ensures us that they will, indeed, come back (if they want to use up their credit on file).

So far, we've had good comments on this policy. We are implementing it starting this month, so we'll see how it goes!

Fell off the wheel!

2008-03-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Future spa owners take note: don't take your bad mood to work. Your employees will get contaminated by it, they will think you are irritable, rude, and angry at them, and the spa's entire atmosphere will be permeated by it.

I should know: I made this mistake this past Saturday. I chose to react negatively to some of my staff showing up late, some of my other staff continuing to make the same mistakes as they have done in the past, and some of my other staff took my negative attitude personally. Oh, you could say I fell "off the wheel!" Where was my Eckhart Tolle training when I needed it?

I am still wrestling with my own ego and its position of ascendance. Some days I do feel completely open and peaceful, and other days, before I even know it, I am walking around under a nest of storm clouds. I guess it's just continuing to practice calling myself to awareness and understanding the emotions that are roiling around inside me AS they are roiling around, before they've caused suffering to others.

My spiritual teacher, Theresa Hatcher, often calls me "Little Buddha." I have to be worthy of the name, though! So I went back to the drawing board and flipped open Eckhart's book for a second read last night. I guess I would say I am still a "Buddha-in-Progress" at this point.

Just gaw-geous!

2008-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful day. I don't normally work Sundays, but I had an appointment with a couple today that I had to make customized aphrodisiac blends for, so I dragged my husband to the spa with me (since I don't get to spend much time with him except on Sundays).

On our way to Pavia, driving down Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, I felt a most blissful sensation, the most unutterable and profound joy that swelled up in my chest and made it full to bursting. It was the sight of those cherry blossom trees, the ones that bloom pure white and carpet the ground in pale pink and white petals in the springtime. At least, I think they're cherry blossom trees (I'm not sure). What I do know is I was just in awe of their beauty, and just so grateful to get to drive past them each day.

While at the spa, I got to welcome several clients and introduce them to my new herbal tea bar, which consists of 6 blends that I personally specified and had custom-formulated for Pavia. I just LOVE doing that. I LOVE introducing people to healthy ways of living, and seeing their reactions to herbs and realizing how helpful they can be.

Then I met my clients, and I started off by brewing them some aphrodisiac tea (our "Sensuali-Tea" blend consisting of rosebuds, damiana, nettles, vanilla bean, and vanilla extract). Then we created a custom aphrodisiac blend for the husband and wife together that they each really liked (what a charming couple they were). The gentleman settled on Sandalwood, Ylang ylang, Ginger, and Grapefruit, and it made for a very sensual, yet not too feminine scent. It smelled great. The wife's blend consisted of Sandalwood, Rose, Anise, and Peppermint, which was surprisingly fresh and yet sexy. I was getting very turned on myself. Hee hee! That was tons of fun.

I also showed them the differences between True Rose oil and Rose Perfume oil. I had them experience the real one and the fake one and watched, beaming, as it dawned on them that their own nose could help separate out the good stuff from the bad. I love that ah-ha moment that people have when they realize that their nose "knows" the difference!

Then after the appointment, my hubby and I went to Il Fornaio and had their "Tosto Francese," french toast smothered in berries and mascarpone cheese. I tell you, I was in heaven today right here on earth. Beauty in my eyes, beauty in my stomach. Life just can't get any better than this!

I Think I've Pissed Off My Pineal Gland.

2008-02-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

In my Master Herbalist class, we are studying the endocrine system this week. That is essentially the system of glands that secrete hormones that affect our bodies so profoundly. Anyway, I think I've learned the hard way that I may have run afoul of my pineal gland.

The pineal gland sits in the middle of your head, and it produces the hormones melatonin (at night) and serotonin (during the day). Some have called the pineal gland the "third eye" because it receives sensory information from the optic nerve, and the light and dark that comes through that nerve causes it to vary its output of melatonin (increasing at night and decreasing during the day). This may be why melatonin is thought to be intimately associated with our body's internal timekeeping mechanism. (Source: Structure & Function of the Body by Thibodeau and Patton).

While melatonin is not all that well understood, scientists believe that its effects are mostly restorative. It promotes sleep (which explains its use in sleeping pills), is a good antioxidant, appears to be able to inhibit cancer, and blocks the negative effects of estrogens. Okay, so now let's hold this thought for a second.

The other thing I learned is that all these cells doing all this work in our bodies generates our body's own electromagnetic field (EMF). It's not surprising that nerves and muscles require electromagnetic energy to function and do their jobs properly. So, it should not be surprising that man-made electrical fields can interfere (or at least impact) our own EMFs...and that constant exposure to large power lines, computers, or electric blankets can produce negative effects. EMFs are known to inhibit the body's nighttime release of melatonin. But if melatonin can be anti-cancer, then couldn't it be putting ourselves at increased risk of cancer if we disrupt our natural sleep-wake cycles or stay on the computer too long?

As a matter of fact, one study showed a correlation between breast cancer incidence and exposure to large power lines. And another study showed that there was an increased risk of breast cancer for women working night shifts (presumably the theory goes that their melatonin levels are off because they're working against the body's natural cycle). So, there may be some food for thought there.

Now, back to how I've offended my pineal gland. I've been unable to sleep well lately...I'll go to bed early enough (11pm or so), but I'll toss and turn and flail around like a beached whale and next thing I know, I stare bleakly at the clock and it says 2:00am. In fact, my IPod said it was 2:41 am when I turned it off last night. And here I was, up at 8:18am again this morning. My theory is that it's because I am glued to the computer all day long. At the spa, I sit in front of a computer. When I come home, I sit in front of the computer. Even when I'm watching TV or having dinner, I have a laptop on me! So I think I've screwed around with my EMF, which has screwed up my melatonin, which has caused me to be unable to sleep.

I am going to go cold turkey on computer use for a while (especially at night). No more after 8 or 9pm...it'll be hard to resist checking emails, but I need my sleep back!!

Smile from the Liver!

2008-02-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of "Eat Pray Love" was when Ketut Liyer, the Balinese medicine man, tells Elizabeth Gilbert, "Smile from the liver, Liss. You will have pretty power!" He was teaching her a simple smiling meditation, which is really very simple. It is just this: sit and smile. But smile from the liver.

I tried this technique, actually. Once you actually locate your liver, it becomes easier to do, and to imagine a big fat smile emanating from it. We also happen to be studying the liver this month in my Master Herbalist diploma class, and let me tell you, if your liver isn't working properly, you are f***ed. It's probably got the hardest job in your body after the heart. It is the main organ of detoxification, and everything you ingest...EVERYTHING...eventually makes its way to the liver to be cleaned. So for a lot of prescription medications to work, they have to come into your bloodstream in such large amounts that they are able to bypass the liver's natural cleansing mechanisms. Scary, huh?

Well, with all the toxins out there in today's complicated society, the liver works extra hard in all of us. Liver congestion means that the liver can't do its job properly, which means that you can have excess fat in the liver, essentially rendering it ineffective at performing its myriad functions. According to my coursework, signs of liver congestion can include headaches, indigestion, tiredness, apathy, a poor appetite, easy weight gain, and general muscle weakness and pain.

So what to do? A good liver cleanse to flush out that old liver never hurt anybody. And an easy way to do it is to take the juice of half a lemon and combine it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Drink it down first thing in the morning before breakfast...and DON'T have breakfast until more than an hour later. Do this for 3 days in a row, then take a break for 4 days, and start again for 3 days, and so on and so forth. Or if you don't like the slimy sensation of oil oozing down your throat, you can also imbibe lots of dandelion tea or coffee (it's called dandelion "coffee" when the "tea" is made with roasted dandelion roots, instead of just regular dandelion roots).

Your liver will say, "Thank you!" Oh yes, and it will also be smiling.

Egos, Sore Throats, and How Herbs Lead to Health and Happiness

2008-02-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

My ego is always looking for ways to feel superior to other people. Years ago, it was that I had to be better educated, which is why I strove and strained to go to places like Stanford. Then, I had to be better-looking and recognized as such, and that's why I entered beauty pageants. Then, it was that I had to make more money, which is why I went back to Stanford to get an MBA and join the ranks of the 6-figure salaried luminaries.

Now that I own a spa, wherein my degree, good looks, and financial earning power have no use whatsoever (and perhaps do not even exist anymore), my ego is still looking for ways to feel better. And the mechanisms are really laughable: the other day, I found myself saying, VERY proudly, to an employee of mine who was sick, "I NEVER get sick. I can't remember the last time I was sick. I just have the strongest immune system." And in saying so, I purposely hugged her and touched her on the shoulder. And here is what was underlying that sentence: "I am better than you. You are sick and I am not, which means that I am MORE than you. Haha."

Well, as Providence would have it, I woke up the next morning with a sore throat. The kind that is scratchy, sore, and hurts when you swallow. The kind that makes you wish you didn't need your trachea for breathing, talking, or ingesting food or drink. Ow! My first thought was, "This serves me right." My second thought was, "What can I do to make this go away? I would prefer not to feel this way."

I dragged myself off to the kitchen to make myself a hot infusion of horehound and elecampane, both very good expectorants. I took a half-teaspoon of each and infused them in 8 ounces of steaming hot water. I took one sip and the bitterness of the brew nearly stopped me cold. I then pounded some rock candy into submission and dropped it into the cup, and then I had me some liquid Ricola (at least, that's what it tasted like). And then you know what happened?

My sore throat went away. It really did, I am not kidding, and I am not lying. I felt great the rest of that day and the next. The sore throat never did bloom into a full-on cold or flu or debilitating ailment, thank goodness. So, unlike my ego thinks, it's not really my immune system that keeps me healthy, it's good old knowledge of herbs and Nature's medicine chest.

So here's to HHH: Herbs, Health, and Happiness.

So excited!

2008-02-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

I found a local herbalist in Campbell, CA. She got her Master Herbalist diploma from the same program I am currently attending, and she has the same birthday as I do! Well, okay, so she is 6 years younger. Her name is Bridget, and I have brought a lot of her products into the spa. They are absolutely fabulous and delicious. Can't wait to have our clients try them out.

The best part is that I'm supporting a local herbalist instead of one far, far away (like in Europe or NY or Seattle), and that the products are 100% pure and organic and natural, etc. etc. I like being able to understand the ingredient list exactly. For example, the Rose Tonic syrup contains: Dried organic red roses, vegetable glycerin 65%, and distilled water. I just love it!

We formulated several teas together, and I am going to start selling those too. She does herb walks as well, and when spring rolls around, that will be such a fun activity to offer clients. I can't wait, so fun so fun!

Appointments by IM?

2008-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I've decided to try something new and different...again. I've decided to make it more convenient for clients to schedule appointments with us, this time over INSTANT MESSENGER! I remember how nice it was in my corporate job to be able to just send an IM over to a colleague instead of having to ring them up or climb up out of the chair to go talk to them. Hmm, perhaps this is why I also gained 20 pounds in corporate America too.

In any case, sometimes clients don't LIKE to ring us up on the phone to make an appointment. Sometimes, the client feels email takes too long. And sometimes, the client sits in a cubicle, and just plain doesn't want those surrounding her to know she's booking a bikini wax or a brazilian. (I wouldn't even want anyone to know I was making a spa appointment of any kind!)

So IM is perfect...silent, but effective. Anyway, if anyone out there wants to add us to their Instant Messenger list, our Yahoo! Messenger ID is paviadayspa95070. And our email is paviadayspa95070@yahoo.com, of course.

See you online!

Ideas for Books

2008-02-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to write a book. I fancy myself some kind of published author, engendering worldwide praise for the people running around in my imagination that are just dying to be introduced to the general public. I think, if I were to really get down to it, I would love to write a fantasy book. A fantasy book set in a non-traditional place (most fantasy is sword-and-sorcery), like the Chinese Imperial Court perhaps, or an environment very like that.

In any case, with the advent of blurb.com, I really CAN easily and cost-effectively publish my own books. But I thought, a full-on fantasy epic is a little too much to take on right now. So how about a nice, 20-40 page volume about essential oils or herbs or something similar that I can either give away to good spa clients or sell?

I was thinking of two topics, and I think this will do just great. One is "As Within, So Without: The Herbal Approach to Good Skin," and the other is more whimsical, "The Girlfriend's Guide to Spa-Going." The former is about how to use herbs to bolster the body's natural toxin elimination systems, which in turn, helps keep our skin clear, supple, and blemish-free. The latter is, of course, giving advice about how to go to spas - in a very "gal pal-like fashion." So we shall see, I thought these were cute ideas. Now I just have to implement them.

I have 12 pages of the first book written, and I am excited to finish it!

How often is YOUR chassis maintained?

2008-02-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that there is an ever-present tug of war between our bodies and our cars. By cars, I mean our vehicles, our automobiles...you know, that all-important conveyance from point A to point B? I think if we were to ask ourselves honestly, how much we spent on maintaining our automobiles in any given year, the answer would be somewhere between $600 and $1,000.

As for me, well, last year alone, I had a scheduled service (think it was either the 90K or 100K mile service) for $350, the alternator went out (another $300), and 3 oil changes ($35 each). So that is a total of...$755.

Now ask yourself the question: How much did you spend on maintaining your body? NO, doctor's visits and insurance co-pays don't count. After all, if you let yourself get to the point of having to visit a doctor, then you weren't *really* maintaining yourself, were you?

My point is, most people would not bat an eyelash at spending $600 to $1000 per year on their cars, but if asked to turn that same spending on themselves, well, sputtering, spluttering, and gasping occurs. "But I need my car to go to work!" They say. But don't they need healthy bodies too? I presume that in any kind of job, whether you perform physical labor, sit at a desk, or get on a plane, you need to have a decent level of health, mobility, tranquility, and clarity to get it done.

So the next time you feel like a massage or a facial or a pedicure or a body wrap, but feel guilty about it...DON'T! Your own chassis could use some maintenance in between those hard-earned vacations, and you shouldn't consider it "spoiling" or "pampering" yourself. It's maintenance, pure and simple. (Why do you think I never use the "S-word" or the "P-word" in any of my marketing literature or web site?)

To make it easy for you, here's the link to our massage therapy page. Now go take your own body (not just your auto's) in for some servicing!

Practicing Meditation

2008-02-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to meditate successfully. When I say "successfully," I mean drop into that zone of perfect bliss, that zone where I am one with divinity or God, where all the mundane worries of the world just fall away, and I float in perfect wisdom.

However, to date, whenever I have meditated, I have quieted my mind only long enough to receive....a to-do list. Just when it seems I have put away all thoughts of the husband that I miss (he is away on business), the spa business that I LOVE but fret over, the children that I do not have yet (but want very much), I start hearing, "Did you remember to call so-and-so? You have to take delivery of her product soon," or "Remember to sit down one-on-one with such-and-such employee to talk about her behavior," or even, "Are we out of toilet seat covers at the spa? Shoot!" And then I choose to become absorbed in the to-do list, and fall out of attempting to meditate altogether. And lie awake at night, tracing the whorls on the ceiling with open eyes.

So I would not choose to label my "meditations" as successful. Then this past Superbowl Sunday, I went to my lovely friend Teri's house (yes, Teri is the psychic/intuitive on my staff, who has her own very lovely blog) to watch the game, and her roommate, Bobbi, lent me a book, called "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I should make a disclaimer here that the book is actually Teri's, but Bobbi said that Teri would never read it, so it should be okay for me to just snatch it and read it and she probably wouldn't even notice. Bobbi said the book was amazing, transcendental.

And it was. I can't believe I'd never heard of this book before. It was absolutely amazing. More importantly, I think I learned how to meditate from it. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, also had problems meditating, but she was taught to use a mantra, "Om Namah Shivaya." Her Guru taught her that if she repeats the mantra over and over in her mind, it gives the mind something to do, a task, so that it does not interfere with the true voice of the heart that comes up during meditation. I believe that "Om Namah Shivaya" means "I bow to the divinity within me," or something that contains the recognition that I have something wonderful and lasting and surpassing inside of me.

I've tried the mantra for two nights now, and while I have not gotten THERE, to that peaceful and serene center of the universe, I have been able to at least recognize the to-do list thoughts as they came. My mind, apparently, cannot keep up a mantra AND make a to-do list simultaneously. I feel like I'm standing over home plate (my meditation) like a batter, and as each unwanted, to-do list thought comes pitching in to my serene space, I swing that bat and send it flying way, way, way...above? Out? Away. Just way, way, way, way away then.

So I have made a little progress, after all. And after several swings, I fell asleep. Which I will not judge, since I must have needed to sleep, obviously. I guess this is why it is called practicing meditation...which is what I intend to do every night.

War Stories

2008-02-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

Whenever I take my staff out to tea, or to dinner, I always make them go around the table and tell me "war stories." In other words, tell me their most difficult, awkward, gross, or tough situations with clients in the room. I've always been avidly curious about what goes on behind those closed doors, given that I'm not a technician myself.

Well, as you can imagine, these stories were quite entertaining.

Of course, there is the usual gross fare: like a client who forgot to completely clean themselves and was coming in for a Brazilian, or a client who had toilet paper still sticking partway out of her rear-end.

Then, there are the high-stress stories: one of my poor estheticians had a client whose skin seemed to react to everything she put on it, and she had to keep taking off products and putting on new ones.

Then, there are the stories that are just BIZARRE: one massage therapist related that a certain client just could not be pleased with ANY kind of massage stroke, whether effleurage or petrissage or percussion or open fist or open hand or elbows or thumbs. Instead, she wanted to be wrung. Like, you know, giving someone an Indian rope burn? But it turned out that even being wrung was not what she wanted. Exasperated, the massage therapist simply asked her to leave - the heartache and headache was apparently just not worth it to her.

Listening to the stories from the safety of a lunch or dinner table, of course, these seem absolutely hilarious to me and I laugh loudly and heartily when I hear them related. But I can imagine how having to deal with it live and in an enclosed room could change my perspective really fast. So here's to the wonderful technicians out there, not only on my staff, but on those of all spas around the world. They really do put up with a lot!

Guinea Pig...But There's A Limit!

2008-02-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

As a spa owner, I know I'm supposed to experience every service my spa has to offer. And I can honestly say that I have experienced MOST of them. But there is one that I will not go near: Brazilian bikini wax. Here is a random thought: How does the nation of Brazil feel about having a bikini wax named after them, one that means "everything off?"

The very idea of someone not my husband and not my OB/GYN being in that area is just so absolutely, crushingly foreign to me that I just cannot fathom it. I have never had a bikini wax, or any waxing above my kneecap, let alone the whole enchilada! I can only wince with pain when I think of how much it must hurt. I cannot think of any reason that we would want to remove the hair from that region (although, admittedly, I cannot think of any purpose for HAVING hair in that region either).

I know many women who do it to please their significant others, but I find this a bit ... strange. When all the hair is removed, doesn't one end up looking like a pre-pubescent girl? And what does that say about the significant other who gets a sexual thrill out of that look? Isn't that a bit...pedophilic? I don't know, I am not judging, I am just wondering.

So, unlike other services, I simply trust that my estheticians can perform this service skillfully and professionally. For other services, I actually climb on the table and try to control the client experience end-to-end, but for this one, well, you couldn't pay me enough to get up there and be a guinea pig. Not even in the name of bettering my business.

Thankfully, I have hired estheticians who ARE highly trained, and who have gained the loyalty and trust of their clients. But none of that credit goes to me!

A Wonderful New Blog by Theresa Hatcher

2008-01-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it's about time you started your own blog, Mama Buddha! Teri Hatcher, our resident soul therapist and intuitive extraordinaire at Pavia, has finally put her toe in the water of the blogging world. You can read her insights here: http://soul-itudes.blogspot.com. She is going to talk about all kinds of issues of the heart, and her words are truly a balm to many troubled souls. I am so lucky to know this woman, let alone have her on my staff. Some day she will be on Oprah, mark my words.

Spa Finder + Spa Wish sitting in a tree...

2008-01-29T13:47:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you have heard that SpaFinder has bought out SpaWish. They are now Spa & Salon Wish and while they are keeping the SpaFinder brand for higher end resort and destination spas, their new Spa & Salon Wish brand will focus more on mass-market desires for local day spa services.

I remember when Peggy, the owner of Preston Wynne, asked me to join her in not accepting SpaFinder gift certificates anymore. She said that Pete Ellis, the CEO of SpaFinder, had finally figured out a way to take money out of spa owners' pockets. At first, I was kind of at a loss as to what she meant. But, I think am now starting to see the light.

You see, SpaFinder has been dumping their gift certificates at Costco for some time now. You can buy a $100 SpaFinder gift certificate for $79. And you can then take that gift certificate to spas like mine and pay for $100 services. So why pay $100 per service when you can pay $79 per service? How does this hurt spas like me? Well, firstly, I don't get that $100, I get $83 when SpaFinder pays me back. So how can SpaFinder be making money if they're getting $79 but paying out $83, you ask? Well, if Costco comes up to you and says, "Here's $20 million for a bunch of Spa Finder gift certificates at $79 each," are you going to say no? Heck no. You're going to gamble and hope that you can turn the $20 million into $21,012,658 before the underlying gift certificates get redeemed...hope they can play the market.

Anyway, the dilemma is now whether to continue accepting these or not. Clearly, accepting them poses the problem I just stated above. But not accepting them is kind of like being one of the OPEC cartel and trying to fix prices...because other spas will. Clients who are stuck with SpaFinders are not going to just choose to come to our spa and pay full-price...they're going to go to other spas and use them. And then we run the risk of losing them. So either all day spa owners agree to not accept them (and we have to trust each other), or the ones who stay in the game accept them and try to take the lion's share of this market.

What to do, what to do...

Full Closet, Nothing to Wear

2008-01-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am sure every woman out there knows this feeling: you look in your closet, which is overflowing with all manner of clothing, but you announce to your husband/boyfriend/whomever is within earshot: "I have nothing to wear." It even sounds ridiculous to your own ears, since you are obviously presented full in the face with evidence to the contrary.

Well, I am a huge perpetrator of this offense. The other thing I do is that all day long I think of cool topics to write about in my monthly Pavia Desiderata newsletter, but when it comes time to write them, I can never think of what they were. Just today I thought, "For February, I'll write about aphrodisiac herbs and essential oils, for March, I'll write about safe herbs/oils for pregnancy and children, for April, I'll write about using hydrosols as toners..." and so on and so forth. But I will bet you any money that on January 30th, when I sit down to actually write the Pavia-Pothecary section of the newsletter, I will draw a blank.

So I decided to blog about this problem that can be fixed so easily simply by blogging about it. Because now, when I do draw that blank in about half a month, I will simply sign on to my blog and say, 'Aha! I have something to talk about after all.' Problem solved.

Now, if I could just remember to remind myself to sign on and read my blog...

Slandered!

2008-01-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

Every time I log onto Yelp to read reviews about Pavia, I inwardly wince at the slight POTENTIAL of seeing a negative one. I tense up, my heart beats fast, I get nervous and fluttery, and then I go to our page of reviews and usually heave a sigh of relief. Well, then I came across this one, posted by "S.S.:"

"I saw that Pavia was voted best spa in the San Jose Mercury News and decided to try it out. The aesthetician, an Asian woman named Christina, completely burned my skin. I had to go to a doctor and it took nearly 3 weeks for it to heal.

If you value your body, don't go to this place. I wouldn't want anyone to go through the pain and discomfort I suffered."

And then the blood roared in my head and I saw only red and felt pure rage coursing through my veins. I thought, "Wow - she really tried to do harm to my esthetician's career without delivering ALL of the facts." She named Christina by name (Christina is no longer with me, by the way - she went to open a day care) and also by race, as if to ensure that she would never be able to work again. Meanwhile, we refunded her all the money she paid for the services, and we also paid for the cream she purchased from the dermatologist, even though she had not given us the chance to resolve it first. AND, all of this was demanded at the top of her longs, accompanied by her mother and father for orchestral support. These, however, she did not mention.

Perhaps it makes no difference to her, though. I felt that we did right by her, going beyond the normal call of duty (certainly simply refunding the money she paid should have been enough) in trying to secure her happiness and goodwill. And I perceive that she took our fervent efforts and then tossed them back in our faces by writing this kind of a review.

Well, c'est la vie. My initial rage at her review has cooled, melting first into a gentle indignance, then subsiding into an indifferent pity (as in: poor, misguided, fractured soul, she has to resort to these kinds of racist remarks to make herself feel better), and finally dissipating away entirely. I wish her well and I hope God heaps blessings upon her. After all, she is the one who has to live with the karma engendered by her words, not me.

Hear, hear!

2008-01-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Dr. Maya Angelou is one of my favorite poets and scholars EVER. Anyone who has ever read "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" or the poem, "Phenomenal Woman," can hardly fail to be infused with her beautiful spirit or touched by her open-hearted, lyrical words. She is truly a RENAISSANCE woman.

That said, at first I didn't really see how she would be a guest speaker at the Orlanda ISPA show - ISPA stands for International Spa Association (except, somehow the acronym doesn't quite match the individual words). What would Dr. Angelou say to a bunch of spa owners and operators? Well, apparently it was highly inspirational. And here is what she said in closing:

"I know when some people think of spas they think of spa as a frivolity, a place for frivolity.

I know that the intention is to offer people a chance to better themselves. . . and if they better themselves physically they will feel better about themselves psychologically."

OMG, when I read that, my heart about stopped. How could this woman know me so well? How could she see into the depths of my soul and know that that is what I am trying to provide? A place to better oneself...she has done it again! Touched my heart with the exactly perfect description of my mission in life.

Well, she rocks rocks rocks. Here is her web site, for anyone who wants to know more about this thrilling woman: http://www.mayaangelou.com/.

Not to point fingers, but...

2008-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this anecdote. I used to share an esthetician with another spa. It's another Saratoga spa, yes, but it will go unnamed in this blog. However, there aren't THAT many of us, so I am sure the astute will figure it out.

This particular esthetician told me that when she reported to work at the other spa, her colleagues would ask her how it was to work at Pavia. And this esthetician, let's name her something anonymous - how about Jane - would respond, "It's great! We actually get to use real products in the backbar/facial rooms." And her fellow estheticians would ask her, "You mean to say that the owner there lets you use Jan Marini on clients? During facials?" You see, the embarrassing truth is, that at this other spa, they don't actually use Jan Marini or branded products in their backbar.

They SAY they do, they tell the clients that they use it, so that when you come out of the facial, they can say, "Oh, this C-Esta Serum is what I used on you." When, in fact, it wasn't. I only feel I can make this public now because this spa no longer uses Jan Marini, and has gone all private-label, but it is another example of "take something that is worth $5 and pretend it is worth $50." I guess that is smart business, right? I just can't do it. I can't lie, or ask others to lie, about the products being used on a client's skin.

Imagine: a client is handing you money to perform a service. There is a trust involved there, and to me, that's almost sacred. You can't just slather on stuff that's cheap and tell them it's expensive. If that's how you're supposed to make money in this business, well, then....I guess I'm not supposed to be in this business.

It's one thing to say, "Well, we DIDN'T use Jan Marini, but Jan Marini is what I am recommending for you." It's another to just lie about it. Apparently that happened all the time at this particular venue. Caveat: I am going on hearsay, although my sources were plentiful and all internally consistent. Yes, I used to hire ex-employees of this spa, and they were only too thrilled to come work for me, contrasting it between Heaven and ...that other place.

Heck in a Handbasket

2008-01-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

I promised the hubby I would not swear. So I will say this...I picked up a Wall Street Journal for the first time in 10 years (since Business School, really), and I saw that the world is going to heck in a handbasket. Oil at $100 a barrel? Gold over $800 again? The dollar lower than the Canadian dollar? Give me a break.

I've had my nose so close to the grindstone trying to make the day spa work that I guess I have not been paying attention to the overall economy. Yuck! Now that I have glimpsed the world, however, I am inclined to stick my nose back to the grindstone.

And what the heck was I doing picking up a Wall Street Journal? I swore off that stuff when I got my MBA. I only wanted to be like all the other MBA students and carried one around under my arm, pretending to actually read it during my spare time. Yeah, right. Well, I happened to be waiting around in a lobby for an interview.

Yes, I am interviewing! For consulting positions in technology marketing on a temporary basis. I want to do so many things with the spa - put in new paint, new carpets, perhaps a steam shower - but can't do them without more capital, so hence, I need to get an interim job just for the purpose of infusing more cash. Fun fun!

Well, thank God for my loyal spa clients. I've really been so blessed to meet so many wonderful people doing this work. On days that are "from heck," I remember them and it becomes unthinkable for me to do any other kind of work.

Yay! Success! Hired a nail technician!

2007-12-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

Whee, finally, after much pomp and circumstance, failure, embarrassment, and inconvenience, I have myself a great nail technician. Her name is Annie, she totally rocks, is a fast learner, and very hard worker. She is going to be my next nail goddess, mark my words.

You know what else was bizarre about this hire? My psychic predicted it. Nope, I'm not kidding. I was lamenting my woes of looking for a nail technician to her, and she says to me, "You know, Mare, you will find one within 4 days." Mind you, this is Theresa Hatcher we are talking about, the woman on my staff who runs my Soul Therapy program (Tarot readings, past life regression, Reiki, astrology charts, hypnotherapy, etc.). So I said, "Is that 4 days or 4 business days?" Because she was saying this to me on a Wednesday. Teri peers at me with a quizzical glance and says, "4 business days."

And what do you know, Annie came to interview with me on the following Monday and I hired her. I always knew she was accurate, but this was ridiculous.

Acts of Random Kindness

2007-12-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

They really do make you feel good. I had a couple come in for gift certificates today and I just spontaneously decided to treat them to warm foot paraffin treatments. I made the husband a cup of spicy hot chocolate (with cayenne pepper added) and the wife a customized herbal tea. They had a great time enjoying each other and enjoying the treatments in our dressing room. I felt great to have been able to offer this lovely couple a nice respite from the world (and their Christmas shopping!).

Speaking of Christmas shopping, I haven't done ANY. And the parents are coming in tomorrow, and they will be hungry for dinner, and no restaurants will be open, AND I don't cook (I won't have time to, 'cause hubby and I are volunteering at a soup kitchen tomorrow) AND our usual Christmas standby, Chef Chu's, is closed tomorrow. Dang, just typing that has stressed me out and gotten my blood pressure up. I'd better get my butt in gear.

Nightmare clients

2007-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Most days I love owning a spa. I am in the business of taking care of people's health, giving them a little dose of sanity, and offering them a respite, however brief, from the travails of the outside world. And most of our clients are truly appreciative and wonderful people. I love getting emails like this one:

"Mare,
I have been meaning to thank you and your staff for the spa treatments I scheduled the first week of October. We had a wonderful time and the staff was amazing. Truly the best spa, in fact I have mentioned to the staff at the spa I go to here in Santa Rosa to come into your spa if they are ever in town.? I will be reserving the first Thursday in October 2008 (10/2/08) for the 6 of us again so be sure to save a spot for us a 3:30 pm.? Thanks again for a perfect afternoon!? Happy Holidays.

P.S. Monica is the person I had and she was beyond words!"

However, every once in a while, the flip side rears its ugly head. I never thought I'd actually want to fire a client, but I guess I was wrong. In the 4 years I've owned Pavia, I have had to fire two of them. Now let me say first of all that I am a people pleaser. I hate not being liked; I don't care who you are, if you don't like me, it bothers me. That is why I usually go so far out of my way to make things right for clients, even if I don't truly believe we did anything wrong. If clients come on the wrong day, I always say it is our fault - we must have gotten the date wrong. If clients are booked a different service than they expected, I always own up to it and take responsibility - we must have misunderstood them. If clients are unhappy, I always assume it was our problem, not theirs. I guess that is why people try to take advantage of me, and there are some clients who just cannot be pleased, who cross the line and behave OUTRAGEOUSLY.

Case #1: Obviously I'm not going to name names. But this client had a pretty bad waxing experience with us, and I definitely wanted to regain her goodwill. I refunded her all of the money she paid for the services that went wrong, plus I gave her a complimentary makeup lesson and also a complimentary bottle of makeup so that she could cover it up. We then decided that perhaps she wouldn't be the best candidate for waxing, given her sensitivity to wax. However, she kept wanting to come to the spa for waxing, but didn't want to pay for any of the services. I understood that she needed to pinch pennies a bit given that she was a student, so I just agreed to allow her to do "training" services. Meaning that any new estheticians I hired who needed "training" in waxing could use her as a "model." The third time she comes for these free waxing services (a Brazilian bikini wax), she talks the esthetician into also doing her underarm and other free waxing services. She flails around on the table and somehow gets wax on the sleeve of her sweatshirt. We explain to her that she just needs to get it dry cleaned, and wrote down all the ingredients in the wax so the cleaner could take it out.

Well, believe it or not, the next day, she comes to the spa and says, "I feel that you should pay for my dry cleaning - $16 - even though it was a free service that I received. It was technically your fault that I got wax on my sleeve." I was so livid, I can't even tell you. People like this are just ungrateful, unappreciative, and completely draining. Who wants to be around someone like that? Well, I instructed my spa coordinator to give her the $16 (I know, I know, call me a softie), but I asked her not to come back to our spa anymore. She said she wanted to come back and talk to me about it in person, but she never did show her face (I wouldn't either, I would be too ashamed of my egregious behavior). One funny update on this situation: she since got married and tried to book an appointment at the spa under her married name, thinking we would not notice. TOO HILARIOUS.

Case #2: This one just happened tonight. A client came to us a few months ago for a facial (during our Off-Peak) time, and she had wanted a consultation and one of our Ingestible facials. She was expecting a 10-minute consultation plus an 80-minute facial. We did NOT properly communicate this to our esthetician, who incorporated the 10-minute consultation INTO the 80-minute facial, leaving just 70 minutes of "touch" time. So, she complained. She wanted to pay the off-peak price for a one-hour facial - and I, completely forgetting it was an off-peak day, somehow botched it and asked her to pay the peak price for a one-hour facial. In any case, totally OUR FAULT. I owned up to it and allowed her to pay the off-peak price on a one-hour facial, and then I also gave her a spa credit for another 80-minute facial (at no charge). I really wanted to regain her confidence and goodwill.

Well, she comes tonight for her FREE 80-minute facial, and I leave instructions for the staff to MAKE SURE she gets her entire 80 minutes and to make sure she has a good experience. Did it go well? Apparently not. I got an email from her afterwards complaining that she was shortchanged on the time AGAIN. She said that instead of 80 minutes, she got only 65 minutes - she feels that there is something wrong since we advertise 80 minutes. And, she says she is not sure she wants to come back for another facial ever again (which cracks me up, because this one was on us).

Naturally, I get frustrated, so I call up the staff and ask them WHAT THE HECK. The staff tell me that the client arrived 12 minutes late and didn't get on the table until 15 minutes after her service was supposed to have started! My esthetician said she even gave her 75 minutes, even though she was more than 5 minutes late, and this lady was STILL COMPLAINING. After I heard that, I just couldn't believe it. Some people have a LOT of nerve. I mean, it was a COMPLIMENTARY facial - instead of being grateful and appreciative, she has to complain about being shortchanged when she didn't even give us the courtesy of arriving on time? Give me a BREAK.

How can you reasonably expect to receive the full service if you don't even come when you're supposed to? You book the appointment, and you decide to spend part of it on the highway, or in a meeting, or just plain somewhere ELSE other than at the spa, and instead of owning up to it and taking responsibility for your actions, you complain to us that we shortchanged you again? And it was FREE in the first place? OMG OMG OMG. Some people are just....unbelievable! I sent her a nice, polite email and just explained that we were all ready to give her the full 80-minutes, but were unable to because she came late. I also said that I would understand if she never came back to us...that while I would hate to lose her business, I just wanted her to be happy. TRANSLATION: YOU'RE FIRED AS A CUSTOMER. By all means, take yourself elsewhere so some other spa can have the headache of a chronically unhappy and complaining customer.

What I really wanted to say to her was what my high school gym teacher, Mr. Guadagnino, used to say to us all the time: "OWN YOUR OWN ACTIONS AND SET YOURSELF FREE." Take responsibility and stop blaming everyone else for bad situations that you create, was what he basically meant.

Okay, I am done ranting and raving. Stepping off the soapbox now...

Embarrassing!

2007-12-13T13:21:00.001-08:00

The purse strings have been a bit tight lately, so I went to get some supplemental income. I signed up for a focus group the other night that interviewed a bunch of small business owners. (Hey, don't laugh - they paid me $150 for 2 hours of my time!) I was in there with a really diverse group, including a woman who owned a paintball supply store, a woman who owned a social adventure club, a man who owned a photography studio, and a man who owned an investigative service that specialized in locating missing children. There were 3 other people in there with us, but their occupations have left my mind. Anyway, I was the only spa owner.

And I won't say much about the subject of the focus group, because I think I am not supposed to, and I don't want to be killed. But the thing that was embarrassing was that AFTER I got home that night, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth (yes, they fed us LOTS of M&Ms) and I looked in the mirror and I could see HUGE, MASSIVE flakes of dandruff in my hair...we are talking, the size of TEXAS.

OMG. I howled at myself. How could I have let myself walk out the door? I had only washed my hair that morning. I've noticed I have this problem in the wintertime only...so so so embarrassing. The others were probably like, 'Um, SHE'S a day spa owner? Ms. FLAKY HEAD?' OMG. OMG. Mortification City.

I wish I knew what this problem even was. Always in the wintertime, large pieces of my scalp fall off. Not small, but gargantuan pieces. Like I said, the size of Texas. How gross. I jumped in the shower and scrubbed my head really hard, and then after I dried my hair, the flakes were right back. I don't know what it is...I looked up dandruff and it indicated that my scalp should feel itchy, but it doesn't.

I think, since I AM an aromatherapist, I might make myself a hair oil and rub it into my scalp and give my head a little wintertime conditioning treatment. I will post here to tell you if it works. But ARGH, I could have died right then and there. There are worse things, I know, I know. And I can almost laugh about it...but not yet.

My Nail Technician Recruiting Report Card

2007-12-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Candidate #1: First person I interviewed, and I was thanking my lucky stars. I thought: how can it be this easy to find a good nail technician? I LOVED her in person. Sure, she had strange purple hair, but that could change, I told myself. More importantly, she was an accredited holistic nutritionist from the same school where I got my Aromatherapy certification and am working on my Master Herbalist diploma! She told me she and I were on the same wavelength. I invited her in for a "practical" interview - this is where she does a service on my lead nail technician (nail GODDESS Summer Brown). Result: She called the same day to cancel because her daughter was sick. Instead of rescheduling, she emailed me and said that since she had already accepted a job at another spa when she interviewed, it probably wouldn't be good to also take a job with Pavia. WAAAH! GRADE: F (I don't know why I was so wrong about her energy - I really liked her, and thought she liked me).

Candidate #2: Very cool in person. Currently working full-time for a non-profit, but wanted to get back into nails. I liked her as well, invited her in for a practical, and whaddaya know: "My car just broke down! I can't make it! I will call back to reschedule." Did she call back to reschedule? NOPE. GRADE: F (Once again, Mare falls for the other person, without the other person falling for Mare)

Candidate #3: Ex-sales rep and nail technician in the East Bay, looking to relocate to the South Bay. Resume looked STELLAR. I called her up, we set up an interview in person, and whaddaya know: Day of the interview, she calls to reschedule. We reschedule to one week later, and whaddaya know: Day of the interview, she calls to reschedule again. I don't even bother calling back - first impressions count for a lot! GRADE: F- (Is that even possible? I gave myself an F- because I shouldn't have allowed her to reschedule in the first place. Both times I came into the spa early just to meet with her, and both times she dissed me).

Candidate #4: Very nice woman, and her English was actually pretty darn good, especially in writing. Of course, we can't communicate with our clients on paper during a service, but I thought she would do. She actually SHOWED UP to her practical!! Hallelujah!! Oh, but wait: my lead nail technician said that she didn't sanitize the bowl that her clients soaked their hands in....oh, well. If the mindset of being maniacally sanitary isn't there, she can't work at my spa. GRADE: C (This was no one's fault, she was just not clean enough for us)

Candidate #5: 25 years of nail experience, gentle lady, very nice on the phone. I thought: WOW! Could this be it? I invited her in for an interview, we had a nice conversation. I thought she dwelt a bit too much on "not being liked" at her current job. She told me she felt excluded and talked about, and that was hurtful. I thought she was very nice, and thought she would connect well with our clients because she had a mature energy about her. I invited her in for a practical, and she agreed. The last thing she says to me in the interview is something that she didn't need to say - she shared something about her husband being in prison and hoped that didn't impact anything. Well, of course not! How would I have even known that if she hadn't told me? I kept it under my hat, and just let her perform the pedicure on Summer. I asked Summer what she thought afterwards, and Summer said, "Well, she did a pretty good job, although she got nail polish on my cuticles. But my main concern is she may not know what NOT to say." Uh oh. I asked, "Did she tell you about the husband?" And Summer nodded. That's two for two! I mean, I can't trust that she won't tell a client about it - clients come to the spa for sanctuary and healing, not to give US therapy. So, she's out too. GRADE: D (I should have known not to even waste her time inviting her in for the practical. But I had already invited her when she told me, so I guess I couldn't take it back.)

Candidate #6: Nice girl, I have high hopes. We shall see how she does in her practical. GRADE: TBD!

Candidate #7: No-showed for her first interview. Didn't even call to cancel. GRADE: C. Why a C? Because she weeded herself out, and even though I showed up specifically to meet her, I got some work done in the meantime. So no harm done, actually.

Candidate #8: HALLELUJAH, I think I've found THE ONE. We shall see how she does in her practical, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Candidate #9: We scheduled an interview for yesterday, 12/10/07, at 2pm. At 2:10pm, she calls and says, "Can we cancel? Your place is too far from my house." GRADE: B (if only for the humor and shock value of it. Once again, I got some more work done in the office).

Candidate #10: Sister of Candidate #6, and they are thinking of job sharing. Okay, this can work for me. Let's see how she does in her practical as well. Very presentable and nice girls both.

NET RESULTS:
# OF INTERVIEWS SET UP: 10
# OF CANDIDATES ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED: 7
# OF CANDIDATES OFFERED A PRACTICAL: 7
# OF CANDIDATES WHO SHOWED UP FOR THEIR PRACTICAL: 2 (SO FAR)
# OF NAIL TECHNICIANS HIRED: 0 (SO FAR)

As you can see, it ain't easy!!!!!

Tough times

2007-12-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

This is how you say to your landlord that you won't be able to pay him on time: "Landlord, we just had the worst cash-flow month we've seen in the last 4 years. We can't send you the rent until after the 10th. Thanks." Click. That's right, hang up. Don't give him the opportunity to say "no."

This is how you relieve stress without your employees knowing about it: Quick, you cry in the parking lot before you walk into work. Then you use the back entrance and run into the bathroom and dry your eyes before they see you. Then you blog about it and hope they don't read it.

This is how you fall asleep at night quickly, without worrying about how you're going to make payroll, rent, and the myriad other bills piling up in the next 3 days: you mix St. John's wort, valerian root, skullcap, and lobelia, and you make a tea. Then you pass out naturally, with no side effects.

This is how you get through each nerve-wracking and worry-filled day: you give thanks for everything you have. For your wonderful spouse, who cooked for you last night and did your laundry. For living here in America, when you could have been born without hope and food and freedom in a developing country. For your health, which you need to truly enjoy life. For God or your higher self, or whatever name you want to call that entity that is in charge of you, for giving you opportunities for growth. For your fellow human beings, without whom the world would be a lonely place.

4-year Anniversary

2007-12-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

4 years ago today, my partner and I purchased and took over Pavia Day Spa. I still remember vividly that I could not be there that day when we took the reins over from Cristina Howes, Pavia's founder and previous owner. I was in Anaheim, CA managing a trade show for my then-employer, Syndeo Corporation. I even remember that our revenues that first day, which was a Tuesday, were around $1,300.

4 years later, I've learned so many lessons, fallen so many times, and dusted myself off so many times that I am amazed at my own journey. These are the biggest things I've learned about myself (and the spa industry) these last several years:

1. Owning a spa is more stressful, not less stressful, than working in high-tech. Yes, it's true - from the outside looking in, I also thought that owning a spa would be fun and relaxing and soothing. Well, it is only that way for the customers. For those of us who have to make it that way behind the scenes, it is NOT at all.

2. I am actually pretty good at customer service. I didn't realize that this would be a strength of mine. After all, I had zero experience in this arena, except perhaps if you count hobnobbing with cable industry executives and taking them out to expensive dinners. I am talking about the kind of attention to detail and service required of the best servants...i.e., butlers, housekeepers, concierges, wait staff, etc. Good service means anticipating your clients' needs, and I feel that I've gotten quite good at it. Our clients probably don't even think twice about the fact that we chose dark colors for our disposable spa wear (like thong bikinis and bras), but they can certainly feel more comfortable wearing them than wearing white, see-through disposables. It's the little things that count.

3. I am not nearly as tough as I should be. Each and every time I go to a different spa for a service, I try to learn as much as I can about how their operations are run. And all I've got to say is, my employees have NO CLUE how lucky they are. Other spas do NOT care what your physical limits are in terms of massage; if you're tired, sad, hurting, it doesn't matter. You will do as many massages as they want you to do, or else. Other spas give 5-15 minutes in between services; I give the employees 20 minutes. Other spas give employees their schedules for the next six months - meaning that the employees have their schedules dictated to them and their vacation times pre-set. I pretty much have never said no to a vacation request. I need to run a tighter ship, but I don't know if I can!

4. I would not trade the experience of the last 4 years for the world. Yes, I've been through the wringer in terms of stress and financial hardship. Yes, my husband and I are now living paycheck to paycheck. Yes, I have done things I've never thought I would do because I have an MBA from Stanford; everything from doing laundry at midnight to cleaning up the bathroom after incontinent clients who "miss" the toilet to picking up dead frogs that got stranded in the spa. BUT, I've learned so much about life, about business, and about people. I've met so many wonderful people, from my clients to my employees, that they have become precious to me. The emotional connections that I've forged are far stronger and deeper than any I had in high-tech. I always felt, in corporate America, like I didn't quite belong. I always felt that I was different, sought a deeper level of meaning and understanding with my colleagues and customers, than they wanted to give me.

This job transcends that, however. I will always treasure this most of all, which is perhaps why I now consider myself a "lifer" in the spa industry.

Woo hoo! Instant Gift Certificates!

2007-11-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

I'm impressed. I kept getting contacted by a company called SpaBoom to help me sell gift certificates online, and for a while, I ignored them because I already HAD an on-line gift certificate function on my web site. But then I recalled how difficult the process was both for my customers AND my staff, and I decided to look into it.

Well, I really like it. Clients can now order gift certificates and PRINT THEM OUT INSTANTLY. They can pick a design template based on the occasion (whether it's a birthday, holiday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, or other). They can have it emailed to the recipient IMMEDIATELY, or if they want to time the email to arrive on a specific day, they can specify that specific day! (Um, was that too repetitive?) Anyway, here's a link to this awesome new function.

I resisted at first because of the cost...SpaBoom takes 5% of the first $1,000 of gift certificate sales per month, then 4% of the next $1,000, then 3% of the next $1,000, and so on and so forth, until you sell over $4,000 and then everything else is 1%. With spa margins so low, 5% is a LOT...especially since we have Off-Peak hours now and these gift certificates might be used towards Off-Peak services.

But then I remembered the inordinate amount of processing that my spa coordinators had to do on this end to get a gift certificate done: manually process the card, manually create the gift certificate in Word, turn it into an Adobe PDF, crop it appropriately, then attach and email it out to the client. It wasn't INSTANT, it wasn't CONVENIENT, for the CLIENT or for US. So, I figured, okay. Let's see how it goes.

The other thing that I like much better about this new system is that we don't have to charge clients postage! YAY. They print it out, they mail it themselves. Win-win!

Miscellaneous

2007-11-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

So much has happened lately that I don't even know where to begin. The holidays always sort of take me by surprise and then completely overwhelm me. I don't even know how I will get done the things I need to do before leaving for Thanksgiving.

Spoke to Drew Ladner of Clasis Capital yesterday. He wants a CEO for his medical spa (called Hela Spa) in Washington, DC. I don't think I'm the right person for that position, given my quite opposite bent on how spas should be all-natural, organic, herbal, therapeutic, non-invasive, etc. etc. But apparently he is doing really well over there in DC...he and I joked about him being a Harvard Business School graduate and my being a Stanford Business School graduate and how we both have had the experience of doing laundry at ungodly hours of night...and how we both do not mention it to our circle of friends...since none of them would understand it!!

I also linked up with another wonderful holistic practitioner, Dr. Kate Fox of Fox & Young (she's Dr. Renee Young's partner). We are going to link up for some cross-referring opportunities - she believes that my spa is like an extension of a naturopathic physician's office, one in which clients receive treatments with actual therapeutic benefits. She believes it is a wonderful tool for healing patients because the doctor him- or herself cannot spend the time it takes to give patients that healing experience, so a spa is a great way to get that.

Well, we shall see how the relationship goes, but I am so impressed with both her and Dr. Young. That's all for today...will write more during the break.

OMG. Another no-show.

2007-11-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, what kind of a loser ARE you if you:

1. Send in a resume applying for a position.
2. Get called for an interview, set up a time.
3. Call the day before the interview to cancel due to illness.
4. Get a callback to reschedule, reschedule it to a different day.
5. NO-SHOW on the interview, no call, no explanation, no nothing.

Hello???? Has the world just gone completely insane? Who DOES that kind of thing? What rock have these people been living under?

More screwing up. Why oh why oh why...

2007-11-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

can we not be perfect? Normally I love working at my spa: really nice customers leaving really happy. Well, not today.

Today, we apparently told two different couples that they could have the Duet Suite at 1pm. Apparently, it was both couples' wedding anniversary. And apparently, we could accommodate NEITHER couple in the Duet Suite. YIKES.

I was really sweating it the whole time they were in there, trying to think of what I was going to do. The therapists warned me ahead of time that they were really pissed, so I knew I had to do something good to get back into both couples' good graces. So, to the first couple, who were REALLY MAD, I took $95 off their services (about 50%). To the second couple, who were not quite as mad, but still annoyed, I took $100 off their total bill (about 25%). Both couples seemed pacified, but then I was just so upset and disappointed about the whole thing. Firstly, because had it happened to me, I would have been just as upset. Secondly, because the front desk staff are veterans now...they should know to indicate the services as Duet or not. And thirdly, because I am out almost $200 in revenue! OUCH.

Goodwill is so important to keep, especially in the day and age of the Internet. When people get pissed off with you, they go on YELP.COM and tell the world and then you have a bad reputation and then the world goes to you-know-where in you-know-what. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but you get the gist. Hope we don't make these mistakes again (please, please, PLEASE).

Good. People. Are. Hard. To. Find.

2007-11-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

My experience thus far looking for a spa coordinator: 50 resumes in, 10 candidates interviewed, 2 offered the position, 0 actual spa coordinators working here as a result. Hmmm. The most recent person I offered it to seemed like a really great individual, but then when push came to shove and she had to actually show up to work her first day here (TODAY), she called at 10pm the night before to say she had "actually decided against taking the job." I love how they are all eager and bright-eyed on the day of the interview, but when it comes to showing up for work...

And what kinds of people are actually out there anyway? I mean, I've had 95% of the candidates show up WITHOUT a resume. Who DOES that, I mean honestly? Do you think you're going to get a customer service job if you can't even anticipate the need to bring your potential future employer your resume?

And then there were the late/no-shows. A person actually came 20 minutes late to her interview. I had decided already that I would not hire her, since first impressions matter and if you can't call and tell someone you're going to be late, then you're not being considerate. And if you're not considerate, GONG! (does anyone remember the Gong Show? Or am I aging myself?) YOU'RE OUTTA HERE! Another person was late, she DID call, but she had gotten the time wrong and yelled at ME about it. Okay, GONG! SHE'S OUTTA HERE. And then, of course, there are the no-shows. People make an appointment with you to come interview for a job in which YOU will pay THEM. And then they don't show up, and don't even have the courtesy to cancel beforehand or tell you that they're no longer interested. You drive your butt all the way down to the spa just to meet with them...my GOODNESS! How can anyone like that be successful? In ANYTHING? EVER?

Okay, rant's done. Tomorrow I will rant about my experience finding a nail technician. But that's different - I KNEW that would be tough. I thought finding a spa coordinator was going to be cake, but it has turned into turds.

In panic mode: I need another nail technician!!!!!!

2007-11-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, how shall I say this without Great Spirit getting pissed at me? I need to remind myself that everything happens on purpose, and that what I perceive as disappointing or DISASTROUS is truly a learning or growth opportunity and is a chance for me to get over my fear. But I will admit to feeling a lot of panic right now, that is for sure.

One of my beloved nail technicians, and keep in mind I only have two of them, has lost her childcare at home and needs to return there to raise her family properly. Her mother went away to another country for 6 months, and will not return until the summer. This particular nail technician is a wonderful employee, everything I could have wanted. She was hard-working, ethical, gentle, sweet, helpful, flexible, a great communicator, anxious to learn, and anxious to please. She was also a good esthetician, astoundingly good at waxing and was getting very good at facials. But while good estheticians are easy to find and hire, good nail technicians are NOT! That is the strange secret of the spa industry...it seems like you can find nail technicians anywhere, right? Because there are nail salons everywhere!

Yeah, well, those nail salons charge $18 per pedicure and $9 per manicure and don't speak English to you and probably use Windex as disinfectant, just because it is also blue. And to tell you the truth, I can't hire a nail salon employee. We charge $55 to $85 a pedicure, I think our clients should expect someone who can communicate with them and someone who is maniacal about cleanliness. I certainly do expect that when paying that much!

But where to find them, where to find them? Here's an illustration of how hard it is: I put an ad out for spa coordinator on Craigslist, and was immediately flooded with 50 resumes. I put a similar ad out for nail technician on Craigslist, and not a single resume has come in yet. What am I going to do? I have no idea. I like this employee too much to just willy-nilly terminate her. Good people are hard to find, in any industry. But in nails, when you find a diamond nail technician, you don't let her go off and take care of her kids!!! Okay, Mare, get a grip. Did you see what you just said?

So I told her that she could come back whenever she felt she had the situation in hand at home, even if it wasn't until the summer of 2008. We also might work out a limited schedule during the weekdays, but only before she has to pick up her kids from school. But in the meantime, dilemmas dilemmas.

I understand that Spirit or God or my Higher Self (or whatever the term I use for the entity that is in charge of me) may have a reason or plan, but it took me forever to find this great employee, and I am resisting going through that process again with a vengeance. I did place an ad in Thang Mo, the Vietnamese weekly, which is how I found her last time, so hopefully I will be successful again. Oh please oh please, let that happen. In the meantime, if you are reading this blog, and you know of someone who is a great nail technician and is looking for a position, let me know!

Ewww, creepy!

2007-10-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, everybody! Speaking of creepy...I had a call last week from a male client asking about massage and prices for massages. He sounded normal at first, like any new client wanting to know about our massage therapy services.

So I explained all about the different kinds of massages that we offer as well as the Peak/Off-Peak pricing structure. At some point, he asks me what most people receive in terms of massage, so I tell him, "The most popular massages are our Relaxation and our Deep Tissue massages."

He asks, "And what is the difference between the two?"
I reply, "The Deep Tissue massage is $10 more in price because the massage therapist is exerting more effort and pressure in the massage."
He says, "So there's extra..."
I say, "Extra pressure, yes."
He says, "So is there extra..." At this point, I'm thinking, WHAT?
So I ask him, rather pointedly, "What do you mean by 'extra'?"
He says, "You know, extra..." Okay, now I'm PISSED. He's just wasted my time and all he wants is sensual massage. And even worse, I pride myself on being able to screen out these slimeballs and I didn't catch it until this point!!
So I say, rather rudely, "Sir, I don't think we are kind of place you are looking for."
He apologizes profusely, "I'm so sorry," but I don't hear any more because I've CLICKED - yes, I hung up on him.

Argh! So mad! Who ARE these sorry slobs anyway, and why would they call my spa, of all places? What about my place makes people think it would be THAT kind of establishment? Ewww!

Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge...

2007-10-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

Now that I think about it, they could have been cleaning....I'm referring to the questionable day spa up the street. After all, my cleaning crew come in late at night from 9pm to midnight Tuesdays and Fridays...so it is entirely possible that that is what they were doing Sunday night, too.

So, for now, I reserve judgment.

Questionable "day spa" up the street...

2007-10-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Speaking of "ladies of the night," there is a certain establishment up the street (which shall remain nameless, but anyone who knows the address of my spa can easily imagine the one slightly north of here and on the opposite side of the street) that I would really question as to their legitimacy. Years ago, when my business partner and I were looking around for spas to buy and scouting out neighborhood places, we walked in and asked for a menu and a tour, and the front desk gave us the really icy shoulder. They didn't have menus, and no, they didn't give tours.

And later, after purchasing Pavia, we learned from several of our female clients that they experienced the same thing. They would walk in and be told that the spa only did "facials," but then their husbands would walk in and get the red carpet treatment. And most recently, a client of ours, Ms. D.S., was driving by their location on a Sunday night at midnight (she was coming back from a quilting group) and saw that they were still open.

D.S. asked me if I knew what could possibly be happening at midnight on a Sunday night at a legitimate day spa, and I shrugged and said I had no idea. So anyway, she called the police on them. Hee hee! I wonder if the police did anything about it...we shall see!

It's Massage Therapist, Not Masseuse, Okay???

2007-10-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Let's review: in order to perform massage, a person has to undertake some serious educational hours (varying between 300 and 1,100 hours, with most California schools clocking in around 730 hours of classroom training) to get their certification in body therapy. They have to register with the local police departments - in my town, they have to be fingerprinted, background-checked, and registered within a licensed massage establishment - and they have to know anatomy, some physiology, and when massage is contraindicated. So they deserve the title, "Massage Therapist," not "masseuse."

The term "masseuse" connotes images of untrained ladies working in unlicensed parlors that perform wamby-pamby body rubs and THEN SOME. Can you say, "happy endings?" Serious, professional spas do not employ masseuses, and it is an insult to call someone who has made it their life career to help others maintain their physical health through massage, a "masseuse." In my book, a "masseuse" is equivalent to a "lady of the night."

It's "Massage Therapist," not "masseuse!" Okay, time to get off my soapbox now. I'm done defending the rights of my employees and other highly trained spa therapists out there. Enough said.

Jet lag strikes again.

2007-10-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Rats, I lay awake again last night tossing and turning until 5:30am. I never really did fall *quite* asleep, I don't think. This morning, must have been around sunrise, I woke up in a sweat, the aftermath of a vivid, terrible dream about being caught breaking into Harmonie Day Spa with a "friend" and then having said "friend" call the CBS evening news to come film me doing it. I was extremely thankful afterwards that it wasn't true.

I tried everything last night: warmed milk, studying my Holistic Structure & Function of the Body textbook, a sleep mask, but nothing seemed to help. Nope, nothing but frustration and teeth-grinding, especially since the hubby always seems to sleep so peacefully. I must confess, however, to leaving behind my Sleep roll-on aromatherapy in Taiwan like a dumbass; I bet that would have helped.

So, I was in a trying-to-be-pleasant mood when I came to work the front desk at the spa today. That was dashed fast, however, when one of my employees complained to me about having only one service on her calendar today, which meant that it wasn't "worth" it for her to drive all the way here to perform it. She means financially, of course. I thought to myself, "And how is your moving away to the farthest corner of East San Jose somehow the spa's fault?" But on the other hand, the part of me that is a softie does understand her situation.

We are just so slow this October...but that will change, I am confident. Fingers crossed.

Jet lag, employees, and frogs...

2007-10-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Phew, made it back from Taiwan safely. Had a smooth flight and was planning to take all Thursday off to recuperate, but got called into the spa because two employees miscommunicated - each thought the other was going to work the front desk, and it ended up that neither of them did - and I had to fill in! Woo hoo. I hardly knew my name yesterday.

Then, this morning, I was supposed to be at the spa by 9:30am to cover for another employee of mine, but jet lag struck forcefully. I didn't sleep until 7:04am (at least, that was the last time I remember seeing on the clock), and needed to be up by 8:30am. Well, thankfully I have a strong inner TimeSense or SOMETHING, because I could almost feel someone pulling up on my hair and dragging me awake this morning. I swiveled around to look at the alarm clock, and it was 9:14am already! Holy cow dung! I slipped on pants and a shirt and high-tailed it to work, no make-up, no hair combing, no nothing. I barely remembered to brush my teeth...yikes, that would be bad...drive clients away with morning breath...

And I got the lovely news that we have a little renegade frog loose in our spa. Our spa fronts a creek, and when the little ones hatch (as they are doing now), sometimes they invade us and show up during inopportune times. Like yesterday, for example...one of my therapists saw a froggie visitor in the wet room while she was doing a salt glow on a client. Thankfully, the client was blissfully unaware!

OMG, I sincerely hope I do not see this frog myself, and that one of my staff can just pick it up and shepherd it back out to its own habitat without my knowing anything about it. I don't know if I have the self-control to not panic and scream bloody murder if I do happen to see its hind end in here...

Waaah, last day in Taipei!

2007-10-09T01:53:00.000-07:00

My time here is drawing to a close, and I got to do everything that I wanted to do. I got to hang out with my grandmother and listen to her adorable little voice telling me stories about her youth and her walk across China during the 2nd World War. I got to see a Doctor of Chinese Medicine who took my pulse and was able to tell me that one of my ovaries wasn't functioning and send me home with some herbs that will hopefully help me get pregnant. (Fingers crossed). I got to experience the best spa ever - EVER - and found a lot of ideas to steal (hee hee). Finally, I got to visit my grandfather's memorial site today in northern Taiwan.

He is at rest in a very peaceful building filled with memorial urns, and it was a great comfort to see that his remains were so well cared for. It was a very peaceful place, with rows upon rows upon rows of shelves, each with a little urn "lockbox" and a loving message from the family. I thought I would tear up and cry, since I never really got to say a formal goodbye to my grandfather, but I didn't. I felt very happy, actually, and I whispered to him a little message in my heart: "Goodbye, Yeh Yeh (Grandpa in Chinese). I love you and miss you and will see you again soon."

We also ate at a wonderful vegetarian restaurant in town that was translated as "King Join," but it really isn't that great of a translation. Not that I have any better ideas. The food was first-rate, though.

We leave tomorrow evening on the 7:50pm flight. I really do feel I should be out in the living room holding onto my grandmother's soft little hands right now, but am working on payroll. The employees have to get paid, after all, and nothing in the world can stop that from happening! LOL. See you Stateside!

Absolute best spa experience of my entire life!

2007-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I didn't think that the most wonderful spa experience of my entire life would happen here in Taipei...but the place I went today, Orient Retreat, was absolutely, by FAR, the most awesomely relaxing, stimulating, invigorating, and rejuvenating place I've ever patronized. I was sooooo blown away.

EVERYTHING about them was note-perfect, from the herbal tea they serve you to their facilities to the products they use to the service itself. EVERYTHING. WAS. PERFECT. I am definitely going to be stealing some ideas, big-time. I chose to have the Healing Flower Remedy treatment, which combines Bach Flower Essences with essential oils, color therapy, and massage. A client care coordinator greeted me to help me determine my Flower Essences, first by choosing from a deck of Flower Essence cards, then by looking at a chart that corresponded to my aches and pains, then by choosing a color of the rainbow. When all was settled, we determined that I would need the Vine Flower Essence (they would have had no way of knowing this, but I knew that Vine essence is meant to help us accept others as they are, without trying to change them - i.e., dominance and inflexibility).

I was given a tour of the facilities, which included a spotlessly clean and visually appealing locker room, showers, sauna, steam room, and a relaxation area which included an "herb bar" that had the yummiest herbal tea I've ever tasted (had an aftertaste redolent of red dates, yum yum), crackers, fresh apples, and water. My therapist, "Melinda" (I put her name in quotes because I am sure she has a Chinese name), came to get me and then took me into a room that was softly lit with a purple light. Ding Ding Ding - I had picked purple, hadn't I?

The presentation was also thoughtful and detailed. On the bed was my very own tray with my own flower essence, herbal tea, and aromatherapy diffuser putting out a fabulous, heavenly Jasmine-and-Lemon scent into the air. She gave me a "shot" of Vine flower essence under my tongue, then had me sip the tea, then had me climb onto the table and remove my robe (she held up the blanket on the bed so I could do this in privacy). She then began the service, which called for applying the Bach flower essence to different "chakras" or acupressure meridians on the body, and then on top of that, a relaxing Swedish-style massage with essential oils. I got SO relaxed that I actually fell quite asleep, and that NEVER happens.

After I was turned over, she used a different set of essential oils for my face and decollete, and gave me an awesome scalp massage with a hairbrush - SO relaxing and good for you - and then a hot stone/cold stone massage on my face (I think this was an add-on service, though...). At the end, she sat me up and did some more cold stone work on my back to finish the service. She helped me slip on the robe, walked me back into the locker room facilities, and placed some delicious cookies and another carafe of herbal tea on the table for me. So basically, I was never once left alone in the room, and I was cared from beginning to end. Like I said, AMAZING.

I don't know how much of this would fly in the States, but I definitely know quality when I experience it (having gone to tens of spas and had hundreds of experiences at spas), and I am going to copy copy copy!! Stay tuned...

TRIUMPH OF THE CARDINAL...

2007-10-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

I know this has absolutely NOTHING to do with being a day spa owner, but I just have to gloat for a bit....STANFORD BEAT USC AT HOME TODAY!!!! I was following the scores from here in Taipei and screaming my oversized head off at the ESPN screen. 24-23, very close, but woo hoo - we'll take it!

The most arrogant, vainglorious, and puffed up team this century has finally been brought low, and by none other than my alma mater...I love it! It doesn't get any better than this. My husband told me that the look on Pete Carroll's face was absolutely priceless. He recorded the game for me so that when I get back Stateside, I can savor every single nerve-jangling minute of that richly deserved Trojan humiliation. USC is a great school, but the football hype is just completely overdone. And now it's being hailed as potentially the greatest upset EVER in college football - we were 41 point underdogs! Check out this article...I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo happy. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HA.

Much better...less ouchy massage.

2007-10-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to try out one of Taiwan's day spas last night...it was called "Jour de Ness," and is one of a large chain all across Taiwan, and even has 600 locations in China.

I had signed up for an 80 minute full-body massage, but I was on my period, so they decided to forgo doing that and only wanted to do my back for 60 minutes. As soon as I checked in, they handed me slippers to wear and a drink that tasted like sweet and sour plums, which was actually quite good. I had to fill in an intake form (which was a bit tough for me, since my Mandarin is not perfect and yet I have to pretend all the time that it is!).

Then, my service began by having me lock up my items and lie face down on a massage table. My only thought was that the table was extremely short...even at 5'4ish, my feet were touching the wall...that is very strange. There are plenty of people walking around here taller than me...what happens to them?

My massage therapist was extremely pleasant, she rubbed an oil containing menthol on my back, and also swung over an infrared lamp to "knit my bones back together" in my back. The massage was a lot more like acupressure, concentrating on certain meridians and "pressure points" - was actually quite painful in the sense that those parts are very sensitive. She told me, in one particularly sensitive spot, that that spot corresponded to the general health of my ovaries and my uterus, and that mine were "not optimally healthy." I told her, despite the pain, to press it some more - hee hee!

I was pretty pleased with the massage, except that at one point, my massage therapist got up in the middle of the massage to go into the hallway and talk to her younger sister. I thought that was a little strange, and not something we would countenance doing in the States. I asked if she had an emergency, and she said it was just to say goodbye.

After my massage, the management corraled me and tried to get me to buy a 15-service series. Apparently, yesterday being my inaugural visit to their company, I was charged the ridiculously cheap rate of 450NT, which is something like $15 USD. However, each and every time in the future that I wanted to go would cost 1500 NT (or about $50 USD). So they wanted to sell me a package of 15 for 11,300 NT...and they were quite assiduous about it and would not let up, despite the fact that I don't even live in the country and only return once every 2 years or so. They spent a lot of time trying to convince me that it would still be worth it!?!

Well, I have to give them kudos for trying. It is certainly one way to "wrap" the customer around your finger and lock them into your services, but I got the sense that they just wouldn't take no for an answer, and that the only reason they did was that I did not live locally. They even said, "Well, you can gift the services to your family who live here!" Haha, good marketing, I have to admit - pull them in too!

I don't know if the hard pushy sell is something that would work so well in the States, but this makes me think perhaps I should be marketing series more. Hmmm, food for thought.

Massaged = Pummeled????

2007-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Having been jetlagged to the utmost max last night, one of my brothers and I decided to get a massage to help us go to sleep. Our cousin suggested a place called "Teacher Deng" (well, that is the best I can do in terms of translation), and we cabbed there with our hopes up for a relaxing experience.

First off, you get your feet soaked in a basin in a row alongside several others. The water was red, and when I asked why, they told me it was essential oils. Pfah! Essential oils aren't RED. I asked them which ones, and they said "Bergamot" (which was complete B/S, because Bergamot is orangy-yellow, and doesn't leave a red color in water), and then they said "Rose," which is even worse, because that is actually clear. So pretty much, they put rose perfume oil in the water, which has no therapeutic effect whatsoever (don't mess with me! I'm the Queen of Aromatherapy!)

Next, we were led upstairs into a common room (which was fine, there were 4 in our party), and asked to change into pajama-like clothing. Then, a massage therapist came in and spread a thin sheet over us, and this was what they massaged us through, with GREAT force. We are talking: pummeling, bruising, etc. etc. They basically ran roughshod over us. I had too much pride to say, "That hurts," but my cousin in the corner was screeching, 'Please, not so hard, not so hard.'

After a while, as I was gritting my teeth from the pain, I heard my brother's massage therapist let out a long, low belch. NICE. Then, the phone in the room rang, and one of the massage therapists picked it up, and after that, a conversation ensued about which massage therapist was actually in the room. Then, all of them who were massaging us talked about where to go for a beer after work, accompanied with much laughter and jesting. We, the clients, were afterthoughts.

After the extracurricular activities were settled, my massage therapist proceeded to get the sniffles, and I could tell she was blowing her nose into her hands. It felt like she was wiping them off on my back, but I couldn't tell. I was thinking to myself, "OMG OMG OMG, thank goodness there is a sheet between us and I am wearing clothes that are not my own." And then she started massaging a sensitive part on my neck and I involuntarily brought my fingers in close to my chest and I could feel her snot rag under my shoulder. I nearly jumped off the table!

Thankfully I didn't have to do that, because after manipulating me around a few times and cracking a few spots in my spine, the massage was over and I was out of those clothes, back into my own, and flying down the hall to a bathroom so I could wash wash wash.

Wow, that was kind of terrible. Granted, it cost about $31 US, but that is still not SO cheap that you would be willing to undergo gaseous intestinal disturbances and explosions of mucus from your caregivers!

I will try another place when my body stops feeling so sore.

Made it to Taiwan safely!

2007-10-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Got in late-night 10/2 at 10pm after a rather uncomfortable plane ride, but at least I am here safely. I had every intention of going to the nearby park and participating in the morning T'ai Chi with the denizens here, but that did not happen...didn't sleep until 1am here but sat bolt upright in bed at 5:20am, with no energy whatsoever. Woo hoo! Jet lag! I have been rubbing my temples with the Travel Aid blend (Rosemary, Lemon, and Peppermint essential oils in jojoba oil), and it has seemed to help.

Okay, I am going to get a massage tonight to help me sleep. It's 800 NT here per massage (that translates to roughly $24 US)...seems rather inexpensive, except that in Shanghai we could get them at $5 per hour?!?!

I also need to check into a few spas here. My former esthetician, Christina, recommended a couple so I will need to go and check them out (after all, have to justify this trip as a write-off!).

Oh yes, that's a good perk of owning a spa...all your spa treatments can be "competitive research" (if performed at other spas) or "education/training" for your staff (if performed at your own spa). Pretty cool!

Ugh, it's 10:15am and I am feeling sleepy. Have to power through!!

Leaving for Taiwan today...

2007-10-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

but before I can go I have a mad rush of things to do. Send out the Pavia newsletter, back up and ship the Ebay items (to Australia, yuck! Means I have to stand in line at the post office), try to see a doctor (an "advice nurse" will call to talk to me over the phone - she hasn't done that yet), pick up a prescription (if there is one), get my tax information together for my accountant (YES - we filed an extension) and then haul my butt up to the airport by 2:40pm.

I better put on my cape. And call on my superpower ability to be in 3 places at once. And pack.

@#$%$-ing Bladder Infection!!!!!

2007-09-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for Taiwan tomorrow to visit my grandmother and whaddaya know, my bladder infection is back. I had to work the full day at the spa yesterday at the front desk while sporting a 100-degree temp and severe body rash as well as that awful discomfort and general malaise that you get when you contract one of these UTIs. I don't know what I'm going to do, I have to see a doctor before I get on that plane, because there is no way in HELL I am going to be laid out in a foreign country feeling this horrid.

And I had no idea that these were contagious - through the phone - because my mother got one last week too! (LOL, just kidding. They're not contagious. That would be....ewwwww).

Note to future spa owners: You can't get sick. Even if you do get sick, you must work. So you can't get sick. Period.

The "Rolls-Royce" of Body Lines

2007-09-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

I met Tasha Noriega of Tasha & Co at the recent Face & Body show in San Francisco. Mostly, I walk jadedly by all the booths selling body products (truly, they are a dime a dozen), but hers had such a cool presentation that I was drawn in immediately. The body scrubs, bath salts, and bath bombs were so well packaged - they had pieces of the actual botanical used to scent the product contained inside it. For example, there was a sprig of red currants floating in the Red Currant body scrub, while a eucalyptus leaf graced the sac of Eucalyptus & Lime bath salts. I don't know why, it just made it look extra beautiful and special. I so wish there was a picture available of this fabuloso stuff - I'd post it here in a heartbeat.

But my goodness, the SCENTS! Ooh la la, the scents...truly, truly spectacular. Body products are particularly difficult to retail in my spa for some reason. Skin care flies off the shelf, but body products have always had a hard time moving. So I'm not usually interested in picking up new lines of body products just to pick them up. However, these were so well-packaged and so wonderfully scented that I bought several just to give them a try.

Well, I am IN LOVE with the Vanilla Milk & Grapefruit Salt Scrub, but my favorite is the White Tea & Grapefruit Scrub...I even bought this in every incarnation possible: the scrub, the salts, and the body oil. Love love love love it. I wear the body oil as a perfume, and also the White Gardenia body oil in my hair. Talk about feeling sexy!

I asked Tasha how she got started doing a body care line. She said she had sensitive skin, so she was committed to making a skin care line that would cater to that - she uses only paraben-free products and an organic, unrefined jojoba oil base. I asked her whether she used any synthetics - for example, there is no "Red Currant" essential oil, but there are plenty of synthetic "Red Currant" fragrances. She said that she used only skin safe perfume/fragrance oils. Finally, I asked her how she got the products to smell so DARN GOOD, and she said she used a LOT of pure essential oils and fragrance oils in the products, so much so that her items are actually quite a bit more expensive than competitors.

That's the one thing keeping me from taking the plunge and bringing her line in: $48 for a body scrub!! Are you kidding me?!?! I asked her how to explain to a customer that they should pay nearly $50 for a scrub...she said to tell them that it was the "Rolls-Royce" of body scrubs. I've tried it now, and can tell the world that it most definitely is the best body scrub, hands down, that I have ever used (the scent stays with you a LOOOOONG time and is so pure and fresh and inviting), but I still don't see how I can justify selling a body product for almost as much as a skin care product!

May God strike me with inspiration so that I can bring this wonderful woman's wonderful line into my spa. Until then, I guess I will wait it out...