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February 18 - March 21, 2010
Online Course
Linda Bankoski and Julie Register will teach
Building and Sustaining
High Quality Systems for Spas


as an online elective couse in the online Spa and Hospitality Management Certificate Program at the University of California - Irvine Extension

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  • Copyright © 2003-2010
    Spa Quality
    All rights reserved.

    Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

    The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2006
    A Quality Management and Certification Framework for Spas

    Acknowlegements

    SpaQuality LLC thanks the following people for taking time to review and provide feedback for The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM 2006. We value their input. Their efforts have improved The Standards and the SpaExcellenceSM certification process. It is our belief that Spa businesses and Spa Guests will profit from their wisdom.

     John Brennan
    General Manager
    Park Hotel Kenmare
    SÁMAS Spa
    Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland
    www.samaskenmare.com

    John W. Breslin
    Spa Director
    The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
    McLean, Virginia   USA
    www.ritzcarlton.com

    Kay Cannon
    Master Certified Coach
    Lexington, Kentucky   USA
    www.diamondingenuity.com

    Steve Capellini
    Royal Treatment Enterprises, inc.
    Miami, Florida   USA
    www.royaltreatment.com

    Cary Collier
    Principal
    Blu Spas Inc; Collier & Collier Spas (Spa Design, Planning, Management)
    Designer of The Cary Collier Collection - Whirlpool Pipeless Hydrotherapy Tubs for the Sanijet Corporation
    Whitefish, Montana   USA
    www.bluspasinc.com

    Zahira J. Coll
    Founder & CEO of Resources & Development®
    Spa Operations, Training and Human Resources Consultant
    Henderson, Nevada   USA
    www.resourcesanddevelopment.com

    Elaine Fenard
    Vice President
    Spa Development & Operations
    Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
    White Plains, New York   USA
    www.starwood.com

    Elizabeth Horton
    Director of Activities
    The Oaks at Ojai
    Employed at the Oaks at Ojai since 1981!
    Ojai, California   USA
    www.oaksspa.com

    Lenny LaCour
    Spa Author
    Glenview, Illinois   USA
    www.lennyslist.com

    Hannelore R. Leavy
    Executive Director
    The Day Spa Association
    The International Medical Spa Association
    Union City, New Jersey   USA
    www.dayspaassociation.com
    www.medicalspaassociation.org

    Jack Morrison
    Managing Director
    Elmcrest College of Applied Health Sciences & Spa Management
    President, Leading Spas of Canada
    Founding Director, Premiere Spas of Ontario
    Recipient, 2005 ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award
    Member, USFR Committee - ISPA Foundation
    Member, Canadian Tourism Commission – Special Spa/Wellness Taskforce
    Toronto, Ontario   Canada
    www.elmcrestcollege.com

    Vivienne O’Keefe & Associates Inc
    International Spa Development, Consulting and Training
    Lions Bay, British Columbia   Canada
    www.spaprofits.com

    Bridget Phillips 
    Spa Director 
    Westin Maui Resort & Spa 
    Lahaina, Hawaii   USA
    www.westinmaui.com

    H. Laurence Reinhard 111
    Partner/Director
    Heaven Spa(s)
    Jenkintown, Pennsylvania   USA
    www.heaven-spa.com

    Jim Root
    Spa Manager
    The Spa at Sea Island Resorts
    Sea Island, Georgia   USA
    www.seaisland.com

    Marion Schneider
    CEO
    Toskana Thermen
    Bad Sulza and Bad Schandau   Germany
    www.toskana-therme.de

    Deborah A. Smith
    President
    Smith Club & Spa Specialists
    Full Service Spa Consulting Firm
    Basalt, Colorado   USA

    Elizabeth Snowdon
    Founder & President
    Nusta Spa
    Washington, DC   USA
    www.nustaspa.com

    Dana Stallings 
    Owner 
    Spa Velia 
    Chair of the ISPA Education Committee 2006
    San Diego, California   USA
    www.spavelia.com

    Lisa Starr
    Business Consultant
    Preston Wynne Success Systems
    Swarthmore, Pennsylvania   USA
    www.prestonwynne.com/pwss

    Ella Stimpson
    Director
    The Spa at the Broadmoor Hotel
    Colorado Springs, Colorado   USA
    www.broadmoor.com

    Michael Stusser
    Founder
    Osmosis – The Enzyme Bath Spa
    Freestone, California   USA
    www.osmosis.com

    Estelle Tan
    Spa Manager
    Simply Spa   Singapore
    www.simplyspa.com.sg

    Mindy Terry
    President
    Creative Spa Concepts Inc.
    Bountiful, Utah   USA
    www.creativespaconcepts.com

    Kelli Trumble
    CEO
    Sundara Inn & Spa
    Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin   USA
    www.sundaraspa.com

    Marja Walker
    MarjaDesign
    Tucson,  AZ   USA

    Here are a few comments by the reviewers:
    • "This is a very useful document and one I wish I had in my hands 20 years ago when we started our spa. It would have spared us a lot of painful lessons and allowed us to reach the level of quality we aspire to much more quickly."
    • "You have thought of everything, including a graduated program for spas to achieve an ever higher level of quality. Overall, I wish you the best of success with this certification program -- you're filling a much-needed niche in the market!"
    • "I am incredibly impressed by The Standards. They are very well thought out and incredibly detailed."
    • "Improving our standards and quality of service is paramount! I'm pleased to see this plan!"
    • "I found the sections engaging, detailed and precise in its information on performance standards."
    • "It is great to watch this significant project unfold – I wish you great success with everything."
    • "I've reviewed the info several times and find it to be very thorough. I must say - these documents are impressive."

    Introduction

    Each Spa Guest is unique and arrives at the Spa with unique expectations and requirements. Successful Spas are those that accurately and thoroughly understand those expectations and requirements and have a reliable system in place to delight every Guest every time. This is no small task.

    Each Spa is unique in its purpose, design, style, services, and goals. Yet successful Spas share common characteristics and practices. These include such things as effective hiring techniques, financial management, cleaning and safety practices, and these Spas take advantage of opportunities to improve.

    SpaQuality LLC created The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2006 based on best practices in high performance organizations and recommendations from Spa consultants, owners, directors and Guests.

    The intent of The Standards is to describe the common elements of successful Spas in an organized framework. While The Standards describe what successful Spas do, they are not prescriptive. They do not describe exactly how the Spa must operate nor do they seek to make all Spas alike. A quality Guest experience is the result of a well managed, disciplined Spa.

    Successful Spas demonstrate effective management in four key areas described in The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM:

    • Spa Management - These processes communicate what is important to the Spa’s success, define roles and responsibilities and evaluate the Spa’s efficiency and effectiveness. Examples include setting the Spa’s mission and vision and goals, strategic planning, resourcing, leadership deployment and business review.
    • Spa Guest Experiences – These processes are used to plan the Spa’s treatment menu and required facilities, equipment and supplies, control the delivery of Guest Service, and identify ways to improve the Guest experience. Examples include booking appointments, treatment delivery (SOPs / protocols), adding services to the Spa menu, expanding a Spa’s facility, and providing and displaying retail products.
    • Spa Operations Support – These processes are the back-of-the-house processes used to ensure that the Spa can deliver consistent treatments and meet regulatory requirements in order to optimize the Spa business operations. Examples include training staff, cleaning the Spa facility and equipment, purchasing and receiving, product storage, and equipment and facility maintenance.
    • Spa Improvement – These processes identify opportunities for the Spa to continually improve in all aspects of the Spa business and in Guest satisfaction. Examples include evaluating Guest feedback, root cause analysis (finding and correcting problems at their source), Spa self-examination, identifying and correcting sources of waste.

    Spas that share these principles of effective management promote confidence and enhance the public image of the spa industry. 

    For Spas that subscribe to the management principles outlined in The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM and value objective evaluation and feedback, SpaQuality LLC provides a comprehensive SpaExcellenceSM education, assessment and certification process. This process ultimately enables Guests to identify reliable, trustworthy Spas that meet high standards.

    This booklet contains The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM 2006, information on the SpaExcellenceSM Certification process and other services offered by SpaQuality LLC.

    Because of continual growth and changes in the Spa industry and ever-increasing Guest expectations, The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM are updated annually. As you read and apply these quality management principles, SpaQuality LLC recognizes that you may identify ways to improve The Standards and welcomes your feedback.

     

     

    Julie Register
    Managing Director
    Operations
    Register@SpaQuality.com
    Linda Bankoski
    Managing Director
    Education and Assessment
    Bankoski@SpaQuality.com

      

    Table of Contents

    The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2006

    1. Spa Management

    1.A. Planning the Spa Quality System

    -------1.A.1. Establishing the Spa Quality System.............................................................................................8 
    ------ 1.A.2. Establishing the Culture...............................................................................................................8
    -----                   
    1.B. Managing the Spa Quality System
    -------1.B.1. Defining Processes....................................................................................................................10
    ------ 1.B.2. Defining Responsibility, Authority and Communication...................................................................10 
    ------ 1.B.3. Providing Resources .................................................................................................................10
                       
    1.C. Evaluating the Spa Quality System
    -------1.C.1. Reviewing and Analyzing the Spa Quality System.........................................................................10
     
    1.D. Documenting the Spa Quality System
    -------1.D.1. Required Documents.................................................................................................................11
    ------ 1.D.2. Required Records......................................................................................................................11

    2. Spa Guest Experiences

    2.A. Planning Guest Experiences 
    -------2.A.1. Identifying Guests ....................................................................................................................12
    ------ 2.A.2. Planning Processes....................................................................................................................12
    ------ 2.A.3. Reviewing and Approving Processes............................................................................................13
    ------ 2.A.4. Performing Trials and Verifying Results........................................................................................13
    ------ 2.A.5. Marketing and Communicating....................................................................................................13

    2.B. Providing Guest Experiences
    -------2.B.1. Collecting Guest Information......................................................................................................14
    ------ 2.B.2. Scheduling................................................................................................................................14
    ------ 2.B.3. Controlling Treatments and Services ..........................................................................................14
    ------ 2.B.4. Controlling the Use of Facilities and Equipment ............................................................................14
    ------ 2.B.5. Controlling Products and Services ..............................................................................................15
    ------ 2.B.6. Controlling Refreshments and Meals ...........................................................................................15
    ------ 2.B.7. Controlling Linens .....................................................................................................................15
    ------ 2.B.8. Controlling Retail Products..........................................................................................................16
    ------ 2.B.9. Controlling Guest Property..........................................................................................................16

    2.C. Evaluating the Guest Experiences....................................................................................................16
     
    2.D. Documenting Spa Guest Experience Processes
    -------2.D.1. Required Procedures.................................................................................................................17
    ------ 2.D.2. Required Records......................................................................................................................17

    3. Spa Operations Support

    3.A. Planning Support Processes
    -------3.A.1. Controlling Spa Documents........................................................................................................18 
    ------ 3.A.2. Controlling Spa Records.............................................................................................................18
    -
    3.B. Establishing Support Processes
    -------3.B.1. Staffing the Spa........................................................................................................................19
    ------ 3.B.2. Subcontracting..........................................................................................................................19
    ------ 3.B.3. Purchasing and Inspection..........................................................................................................20
    ------ 3.B.4  Providing Spa Facilities and Equipment .......................................................................................20
    ------ 3.B.5. Managing the Spa Environment .................................................................................................20
    ------ 3.B.6. Managing Safety.......................................................................................................................20
    ------ 3.B.7. Protecting Natural Resources......................................................................................................21
    ------ 3.B.8. Controlling Problem Products, Equipment, Supplies and Services...................................................21
    ------ 3.B.9. Controlling Monitoring and Measuring Devices..............................................................................21
    ------ 3.B.10. Managing Finances...................................................................................................................22

    3.C. Improving Support Processes
    -------3.C.1. Assessing Processes..................................................................................................................22

    3.D. Documenting Support Processes
    -------3.D.1. Required Procedures.................................................................................................................22
    ------ 3.D.2. Required Records......................................................................................................................23

    4. Spa Improvement

    4.A. Planning Improvement
    -------4.A.1. Assessing Spa Processes ..........................................................................................................24
    ------ 4.A.2. Analyzing Data..........................................................................................................................24

    4.B. Predicting and Preventing Problems................................................................................................25
     
    4.C. Correcting Problems
    .........................................................................................................................25
     
    4.D. Documenting Improvement Processes
    -------4.D.1. Required Procedures.................................................................................................................25
    ------ 4.D.2. Required Records......................................................................................................................26

    Appendix A
    Cross Reference of Spa Categories and Elements to Sections of
    The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM 2006.....................................................................................27

    The SpaExcellenceSM Certification Process

    Recognizing Excellent Spas.....................................................................................................................31

    Benefits of Certification ..........................................................................................................................31

    Benefits of Assessment ..........................................................................................................................31

    Levels of Excellence................................................................................................................................32
    -------Level of Excellence 1 - Intention to Improve..........................................................................................33
    ------ Level of Excellence 2 - A Basic Quality Management System is in Place and an Action Plan Exists to Improve..34
    -------Level of Excellence 3 - The Complete Quality Management System is in Place and The System is
    -------------- Documented and Stable.............................................................................................................35
    -------Level of Excellence 4 - Continual Improvement is Emphasized................................................................36
    -------Level of Excellence 5 - Best-In-Class Performance.................................................................................37

    About the SpaExcellenceSM Crystal Award..............................................................................................38

    Other SpaQuality LLC Services

    Quality Management Courses, Seminars, and Workshops for Spas.......................................................39

    Public Speaking.......................................................................................................................................39

    SpaExcellenceSM Anonymous Guest Assessments.................................................................................39

    SpaComplaints.com.................................................................................................................................40

    SpaCompliments.com..............................................................................................................................40

    The complete International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM 2006 is now available.

    To purchase a copy, send a check for $95* USD to:

    SpaQuality LLC
    1024 Oriente Avenue
    Greenville, DE 19807

    Be sure to include the shipping address.

    *Includes shipping in the contiguous United States. Additional shipping charges apply for other locations.

    If you prefer to pay by credit card, email your request to Julie.Register@dol.net, and you will be billed via PayPal. An additional $5 to cover PayPal's charges will be included, bringing the total to $100.

    Copyright @ 2005 by SpaQuality LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.


    SpaQuality LLC
    1024 Oriente Avenue
    Greenville, DE 19807
    Phone: 302-426-0274
    Fax: 302-368-8169
    www.SpaQuality.com

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