"Did you sleep well?" Can seem like an innocent enough question, but in today's modern society it is most likely anxiety inducing invitation to open a dangerously loaded Pandora's box. In a few moments "Where shall I start..." runs through our mind as we try to think back to the last time we had a deep, satisfying, uninterrupted night's sleep, and realize we can't remember when that was.
The antagonists
Processed food and overindulgence, toxic overload from pollution, radiation, and stress causing indigestion that's in turn stressing our other systems keeping us unable to relax.
Waking up at 6am may not be the most optimal wake up time for everyone, but most of us are constricted to a certain schedule we can't control. Over stimulation from our technology devices, and the always "on" societal expectations coupled with not enough time spent exercising, or being in nature, is a recipe for sleep problems.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about one third of American population is sleep deprived, declaring it a public health hazard. And Europe is not trailing far behind in this problem.*
What can Spas do to help alleviate sleep disorder epidemic?
What are we in the spa industry doing to help alleviate this modern epidemic? How are we communicating to the sleep deprived that we have something for them? Or are we just hoping that miraculously our clients will connect that massage will help them to sleep better?
Put dedicated treatments for sleep improvement on your menu
What about this: "Sleep Restore Massage Sequence" 12 weekly massage treatments focused on prepping the body and mind for the deepest most relaxing sleep. Do we dare sell a sequence of 12 sessions? Yes! A good START anyway. It's also a great way to communicate to your customers that wellness is not achieved with a one off massage here and there, but a commitment to building a healthy lifestyle.
Offer multi-day sleep program
Just a "hotel spa", or spa with a hotel? That is the question. Perhaps the two will always agree to disagree, but as spas we can make it clear that we have complete wellness offering for all those staying at the hotel regardless if wellness was their initial goal. And sleep improvement is a great place to start with multi-day programs. For example offer a 3 or 7 day spa program that focuses on sleep. Curate your existing treatment menu in such a way that a guest staying at the hotel will recognize it as a big value add to work on improving their sleep while they are on their holiday.
Sample Program:
Day one - Sleep promoting bath and Relaxing Massage
Day two - Body exfoliation an Deep Tissue Massage
Day three - Body wrap and Scalp Massage
Day four - Bath treatment and Massage
If you can work together with the restaurant to create a special sleep promoting dinner it can be a complete package.
Selecting products for your sleep treatments and the spa boutique
Of course massage in itself is already a great way to release stress, induce muscles to relax, and helping the body release serotonin to help normalize sleep, choosing the right products can help to further boost the work of your therapists' hands.
While there are a number of wonderful sleep promoting ingredients such as lavender and vetiver oils. One product is a must if you would like to offer potent sleep treatments, and that is magnesium. Magnesium works on cellular level to boost circulation which in-turn brings oxygen to the organs and the muscles creating an immediate relaxing effect.
Trans-dermal magnesium - a must for sleep treatments
Psychology Today writes:
"Insomnia is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency. People with low magnesium often experience restless sleep, waking frequently during the night. Maintaining healthy magnesium levels often leads to deeper, more sound sleep. Magnesium plays a role in supporting deep, restorative sleep by maintaining healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. Research indicates supplemental magnesium can improve sleep quality, especially in people with poor sleep. Magnesium can also help insomnia that’s linked to the disorder restless-leg syndrome."
Similarly magnesium supports body's natural production of melatonin, a hormone that is helping us fall and stay asleep as well as aiding in tissue repair and inflammation regulation.
Most people are familiar with magnesium tablets, but applying pure magnesium to the skin has an additional benefit of immediate local effect that your clients will feel working already on the table.
When choosing magnesium for your spa treatments, be sure to look for brands using "Zechstein Inside" magnesium. It is not only the purest and ultra concentrated magnesium, it also comes from a 100% natural source in the Netherlands. You are also getting 100% active ingredient. This magnesium can be found as a brine or commonly called "magnesium oil", in a gel format, magnesium cream base, and a scrub. These bases can then be customized with your essential oils per client.
"In the moment" marketing of your sleep treatments
Now that you have your sleep treatments and programs ready, and the shop is stocked with magnesium products for your customers to take home with them, let's be sure to market these treatments. It's not necessary to be a marketing guru, or know how to "data mine" to take advantage of "in the moment marketing". All it means is that our sleep treatments come up when someone happens to feel frustrated because they are tired, or can't fall asleep, or otherwise feel the negative effects of poor sleep. Chances are they have a phone in their hand, and here we can reach them via an Instagram ad. Social media marketing is great for reaching a specific niche, and while spa services have a large audience, if we take a slice of this audience that is also looking to improve sleep, we can execute a very relevant campaign to reach those that are ready to book that treatment right away. Similarly you can put out a PR piece, blog content, and targeted ads online.
It's time for Spas to definitively step forward as the go to place for improving wellbeing!
About AlviCos:
AlviCos provides pure 100% natural Zechstein Inside magnesium bases, Brine, Gel, Cream and Scrub in bulk for spa use and product formulations. We can also match make you with approved brands using Zechstein Inside for your retail space. Contact us for possibilities: sales@alvicos.com
*References:
How well does Europe sleep? A cross-national study of sleep problems in European older adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25975374
CDC Sleep and Sleep Disorders, 1 in 3 adults don't get enough sleep https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html
Does work stress predict insomnia? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15125800
Hyperarousal and sleep reactivity in insomnia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6054324/