Green is a Good Look for Spas.
In our personal lives we make choices every day that impact the environment. Whether we drive to work or take a bicycle; whether we use paper cups or reusable glasses; whether we turn off the lights in empty rooms or leave them running, we have the ability to effect change with our actions. The same is true in our professional ventures. In the spa industry we can thank organizations such as the Green Spa Network for providing us the framework we need to run an eco-conscious spa.
Sustainability, as a trend, is alluring to consumers. A 2016 Global Corporate Sustainability Report from Nielsen, the largest global marketing research firm, found that 66 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable brands—up from 55 percent in 2014 and 50 percent in 2013.
Sustainable and green spas ask themselves, “How can we do this better?” For every aspect of the business, from facility management to guest service, there are ways to reduce the impact on the environment and bring positive contributions to the community.
The Green Spa Network compiled a list of simple things you can do to make your spa greener. We compiled some more tips on how you can use spa software to help your spa to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Instead of printing wellness forms or terms and conditions for each client, utilize digital intake forms. These can be completed by the guest online in advance of their visit or you can provide a tablet for guests to use upon spa arrival. Not only will you reduce the amount of paper used each week, you won’t have to file or retain the completed forms reducing the footprint needed for physical document storage.
Mobile devices can reduce paper consumption in other ways. Let staff view their schedules on a tablet or mobile phone instead of printing them out daily. This conserves paper, as well as providing the most up to date appointment information.
Utilize your software to share product recommendations instead of writing on a paper card. When guests are checking out, front desk staff can refer to the notes and assist the guest in selecting their purchases.
Emailing receipts can also save a lot of paper for any spa. Instead of using one or two sheets of paper for each client, they’ll receive a complete copy to their email address. In addition, using email for marketing and promotions can replace traditional snail mail efforts.
There are over 20,000 spas in the US alone. If each spa can reduce their paper use by one ream a week, the larger impact would reduce paper consumption by over 7 million reams each year. That is the equivalent of saving 438,000 trees.
These suggestions support incremental environmental improvements and spas can use them to drive their sustainability efforts. Additionally, spas have a lot of options to go green by adopting recycling and composting programs, installing solar power or following LEED standards for sustainable spa design and construction. These initiatives enable spa providers to use their energies for healing and renewal instead of environmental harm and waste.
In honor of Earth Day on April, 22, we hope that spas around the world embrace these ideas for reducing our environmental impact. Contact us for more information about adding sustainable technology to your spa.