Ms. Olsen

Spas, Health & Fitness

Ever Wonder What Really Goes On Inside a Spa?

By Casey Olsen, Owner, Spa Sources

Prior to starting my health spa consulting firm, I was the spa director for glamorous celebrity filled world renowned spas. Being a director of a spa encompasses a myriad of responsibilities, most important of which may be the personal meeting and greeting of guests utilizing the facility. Of course, guest service and care is vital to the success of a spa, and if your spa caters to a sophisticated market, then meeting these guests' expectations can be a bit more challenging. But, has anyone ever revealed what really goes on inside a spa? Here's a peek at some of my experiences behind those tightly closed doors, no names, of course!

Normally, guests arrive at the spa with an idea of what to expect from their day. They may have made appointments for some treatments that they have been looking forward to for a long time, so the anticipation level is already heightened even before they step foot through your doors. Knowing this, those of us that work within this magical realm are well prepared for their arrival. But what we most always can not predict is what happens to a guest when they disrobe and surrender their bodies to our staff.

A frequent occurrence in the reception area after a man would sign in to the spa, they often would say, "Can I go into THAT spa, instead," signaling towards the ladies spa entrance. We all know what they were kidding about, so my response was always, "Believe me, you really do not want to go in there. I know what you are thinking, but keep that image in your mind, dozens of beautiful naked ladies relaxing and perspiring in the steam room. Trust me, that picture is far more attractive than the reality!"

The brutal reality of the naked scene inside of a spa is that the far majority of the guests, both men and woman, are often out of shape and many have scars running in all directions. Sorry, to bust that bubble for you all, but, just take a look around you in real life and imagine Joe or Jane public naked. See what I mean? Not always a pretty picture.

Also, as far as the lady guests in the spa, most of the time once the make- up comes off and the steam room works its magic on drooping hair, the real human emerges. In the same sense, lose a man's outer layer of clothing and what is hiding below, more often than not, reveals a non-Godly appearance.

At one of the most famous spas for which I worked, we encountered many celebrities and so called "VIP's." Entourages would arrive to include body guards and assistants. As I would shepard these famous people into the spa and show them that their body guards were not necessary, the "famous" would begin to relax a bit. But here again, famous does not always mean class.

One of my staff came to me stating that lots of items had been stolen from our spa boutique inside of the facility. She then mentioned that the only person that was in the boutique at that time was this celebrity. I, of course, doubted this but felt compelled to explore further. I waited for the celebrity to re-enter the locker room and begin changing into her street clothes and noticed that she was hovering closely to her locker as to block the view. As I approached her to ask if her day was enjoyable, she got startled and slammed the locker door shut. I apologized for startling her and gave her a bit of space, watching from a greater distance. I viewed her loading articles into her duffle bag, and unfortunately for her, she dropped two large bottles of product on the floor. Long story short, she looked at me and said, "Oh, remind me to stop in at the boutique before I leave today, I need to pay for a few of these items that I grabbed earlier."

And, by the way, that's exactly what she did, in fact, I escorted her back to the boutique once she was dressed and assisted her with her bill of over $490.

Then there was the VIP that wanted to keep her robe and the locker attendant told her that she could purchase a new one at our boutique. At that very moment, she shoved the used robe into her bag, started running out of the front door, into the parking lot and jumped into her Rolls Royce Corniche. Hmmm, makes a person wonder.

We had numerous group daily exercise classes and there happened to be an extremely famous actress in the spa that wanted to take one of the classes. I escorted her into the back of the class after it had started so she would be a little less conspicuous, although, I think the large brimmed hat on her head and sun glasses might have defeated this purpose. The music was playing and the class was rocking out when one of the other guests toward the front of the class, closest to the instructor, starting heckling the instructor. Over and over again this person loudly criticized each move the instructor was making, so I began to approach this guest, since she was clearly interrupting the class, within seconds this very famous personality yelled out with her coarse voice "Why don't you shut the @&#* up, you %&$*#! The entire class froze, turned around, gasped seeing this movie star and applauded, as the disruptive lady shrunk out of the door. Having her identity discovered, I was pleased to see that the other guests laughed with her after the class had finished and for the most part, left her alone to enjoy the spa the rest of the day.

Then there was the day that a sheik arrived with his 14 wives. All of them were clothed in heavy floor length dark robes, heads and faces covered with veils. Fortunately for me, they had a translator so I could direct them properly. They ranged in age from 20 to 43. What an interesting mix of cultures, that day. The reaction from the rest of the female guests in the spa was of surprising acceptance. After all, multiple wives is not a commonly accepted concept in our culture. But what was of most concern to me was that it seemed that they had not showered in a long time and had massage treatments scheduled. Several of my massage therapists approached me with grave concern so I, oh so diplomatically, mentioned to the translator that it is required in American spas that guests having massages must shower prior to their treatments. So, there they were, confident that there were no men in this space, literally 'disrobed' and hit the showers.

What was interesting to me was how wonderfully they interacted with each other. They were giggling and taking care of each other like sisters would do. It then occurred to me that they only have to deal with their husband every 14 days, if that, so maybe they were less stressed than those of us that have that challenge every day!?! Just kidding, of course!

3 or 4 hours had passed and they had assimilated into the facility without incident and were having a wonderful time. And then I made a grave cultural error, I must admit. The translator found me in my office and mentioned that 3 of the wives wanted to take an aerobic class and I said great. So I went to the class to see them dancing and smiling, but what I had not anticipated was that some men would come over from the men's spa to join in the class as well. So, I am standing at the door and all of a sudden three men entered the class and the harem wives hit the deck and started crawling on their stomachs towards the door. At first I did not realize what was happening. The translator quickly told me that men other than their husband are not allowed to see their faces. Oops! Shucks! I completely spaced on that whole possibility. Our classes were all co-ed and not being exposed to such strict ritual on a regular basis I completely failed at that moment. It all worked out fine and the translator said that this often happens in America and this will not be an issue.

Isn't it interesting how we travel through our lives so differently, but yet, can all come together in a neutral space to enjoy each other, regardless of our cultural differences?

Being a spa director offers many interesting arenas unique to the rest of society. I'll bet when most managers interview an applicant for a job they do so fully clothed, right? Well, when I used to interview massage therapists the interview would not only include a review of their schooling and resume, but also require that I disrobe completely, get on a table and have this perfect stranger give me a massage. And there in lies the greatest difference. Not only was I nude in front of this stranger, although, mostly covered by a sheet, but it seemed that every therapist wanted to impress me with their strength so would begin by digging into the tightest areas of my shoulders and neck to prove their abilities. This is really the only way to truly judge the abilities of a therapist. So, if the next time you receive a great massage, know that the spa manager has probably suffered hours enduring this screening process, receiving sometimes gruelingly painful experiences just to find the perfect therapist for the guest.

There are stories that go on for days and days. The aforementioned occurrences just scratch the surface of a life time of experiences that range from funny, sad, traumatic, uncanny, unbelievable, unexpected, challenging to altogether never ever dull. I can promise you that right now there are truly unbelievable events that are occurring right behind those strictly private spa doors. Your wildest imaginations can not do these events justice, I promise you. So, the next time you enter the inner sanctum of a health spa, look around, and maybe you will see something that you might have never noticed or expected before. But, I can tell you that with all that craziness, I wouldn't have traded one day in the "outside world" for the joy I encountered in seeing all those people so relaxed and happy upon their departure.

Casey Olsen is the principal owner of Spa Sources, a comprehensive health spa consulting firm. With 23 years of Spa Design and Review, Management, Staffing, Marketing, Budgets and Forecasts, Complete Spa Operation Set-up, Liability Guidance, Accounting, Equipment and Product Identification, Spa Sources provides comprehensive assistance in the creation of new, and the renewal of existing spa facilities. As one of the industry's foremost health spa consultants, Ms. Olsen provides invaluable guidance to developers planning their luxury resorts that include a health spa facility. Ms. Olsen can be contacted at 760 341-3311 or spasources@earthlink.net Extended Bio...

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