What makes a great therapist?

As an advocate and mentor for the beauty and wellness industry, I am often asking myself “What makes a great therapist?” What do we do well? What needs to improve? How can we continue to confidently bring in the next generation of beauty and wellness therapists into a sector we are proud of.

I wanted to touch on what makes an exceptional therapist, not just from my point of view but from some of the leading spas in the UK. I took the time to talk to Sarah at Stanley House, Lyndsay at Galgorm Resort and Danielle at The Gainsborough., I am so thankful for the support of the industry and them taking time out of very busy spas to help and share their insight. I was also so pleased to see a theme running across all the answers, these ladies shape the current and future landscape of progressive spas.

What makes a good Spa therapist?

“Spa therapists should have a passion for making people feel better about themselves. Our best therapists are selfless and will go above and beyond to ensure every guest has a five-star treatment which is tailored to them. Knowledge is also hugely important, with the industry changing and developing so rapidly, continuous personal development is a must.”

“Positivity and kindness is also a must, a therapist must have a need or want to help the client. They really have a passion for their chosen profession and they radiate this.”

“The ability to build a rapport, to be intuitive and connected to his or her own sensory acuity and that of others. A well-rounded and holistic approach to the wellness of each client that promotes time for themselves and self-care at home. The job of a therapist is very practical as well as thoughtful, therefore a good therapist does not see a client as just another massage and has a sense that this is not just a job but a way of being, helping and connecting with others.”

“Going above and beyond. Making sure each client and each treatment is exactly how you would want a treatment to be. The little touches all help and you want to make the guest feel special.”

What do you do to keep good therapists in your Spas?

“We recognise good therapists by providing training and development opportunities in-house. These include senior therapist responsibilities, finding opportunities to train junior staff members and providing external courses supported by the company. We also offer our therapists a competitive pay scale as well as achievable incentives and commission on all retail sales.”

“A work- life balance is key. We create a positive working environment with a non-blame, non-judgement culture. Feeling that they are part of the business and not just a member of staff and getting them involved.”

“This is a difficult question because a good therapist is always in demand and will move where the opportunities are. It is more about understanding the person. What do they want from their current position? Is it fulfilling enough? Every therapist’s treatment is as unique as the person, therefore firstly, nourish the appetite for the role, create room to grow, listen to them, respect them as well as ensuring where possible that the work they do is respected also.”

“Always provide chance of progression. Working with interesting, world-class brands and having the chance to undertake training that you would normally have to pay for."

How as an industry can we promote wellness in the workplace?

“I believe that many companies are already actively working to improve wellbeing in the workplace. At Galgorm we have access to complimentary gym membership including classes and yoga. We also run staff events throughout the year for example The Winter Ball and wellbeing seminars with Aromatherapy Associates. We encourage team members to take part in the Belfast Marathon, we recently had four individual runners and seven relay teams this year raising money for a local homeless charity. We feel that events like this encourage team-building which translates into day-to-day work. We also encourage our teams to take their holidays throughout the year to ensure that they have rest and time with their friends and family.”

“As an industry I think that recognising full-time (40+ hours) as a spa therapist is hard work and not for everyone. We ensure that massage limits are in place to prevent the burnout of therapists and that part-time therapists may be more productive and happier at their work.”

“By listening to our team members and taking on board their ideas, embracing the younger generation of therapists as they will be the future of our Spa and Beauty industry. I have also been looking in to the need for mental health first aiders and I really feel that this is an area that we need to work on. There is so much pressure now and we all need continual guiding on this subject.”

“Do more in order for our workplace to be taken seriously. Have a more rigorous criteria to ensure the standard of therapist I feel is critical. If we could improve the quality in this respect then we could pay the trained candidates more and retain highly-skilled people and it could be seen as a rewarding long-lasting career with excellent prospects.”

“Team-building away from work, massage and facial training days from massage experts and a chance to try different types of treatments. A limit of massage treatments to be more strict. Well-being days/sessions such as yoga or mindfulness sessions.”

My Thoughts…

Across all these answers there is a key message; look after, develop and nourish your teams and they will work hard and stay. We also want to ensure the right therapist is in the right role.

Thank you again ladies!