Have you worked in a spa that has a short turn around time for your room?  You know, where they offer the 25 minute facial and you only have 5 minutes to flip the room.  Most spas give you 10 to 15 minutes to flip a room but depending on the spa menu and how its ran time can be tight.  Setting up and flipping a spa room can get a little exhausting.

If its not the tight spa menu timing to flip your room it could be my co-worker ran behind and gave me the room late. Or I was stuck in traffic, had problems finding a parking spot and then you get into your spa room and you only have ten minutes to set up before you have to greet your guest. You know the feeling?

I have so many years and scenarios of this happening that instead of going into full panic mode I just tell myself you got this and I created a system for myself to get the room set up and be ready flawlessly and without having me run behind time.  With this post I am going to walk you through a 50 minute facial and explain little tricks I do at certain points in the facial to “pre-clean” your room getting it ready for the next client.

The most important things first are anything with heat.  Here is a quick list of the most important things to get the room semi ready and I will list in order.

• Table Warmer/Heater
• Steamer
• Hot Towel Cabinet
• Towels and Sheets
• Bowels & Brushes
• Products Lined Up In Order of Usage
• Music

Table Warmer/Heater

The facial bed.  If you have a table warmer or heated blanket remember to turn it on quickly. This step is right up there with hot towel cabinet and steamer.  Anything with heat needs to be addressed first. If you are only in a 10 minute set up time you want to get the table warmer going. I will first turn on the bed and then, adjust the table as the last step before I go to look for the guest.  Some places you actually will adjust the table when the guest is in the room with you.  I always like to know where I want the bed set for height and comfort for the client.  For example you can have them at an angle in the upper body and remember the lower legs need to be elevated.

If you do not have a heated blanket or table warmer just try to make sure to make the bed comfortable and consider the temperature of the room you are working in.  You can always double up sheets or ad blankets for comfort. One of the jobs I had I was working at a high end retail store and doing facials in their cosmetic facial room. The rooms were very cold and it had a basic facial bed. I used what I had and tried to make the bed as comfortable as possible.  I actually put a towel on the bed and then the bottom sheet folded in half over the towel. This way the client would feel more cushion and not just a cold hard bed and then a sheet. I then used two sheets one folded in half to add more warmth and weight for coverage. (This place had no blankets, imagine)

Honestly, you want to make the bed as comfortable as possible and work with what you have.  Try to be creative and think of the temperature in the room.  Remember when you work on someone and their body starts to relax the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and the body will normally get cold.  Best to be prepared for your client to feel cold and try to have an extra blanket, heavy towel or even an extra robe you can use to try and keep the client warm.

Steamer

You always want to turn your heated blanket on first and then get the steamer together. You need to get that water heated up. Depending what steamer model you are working with most need to have the glass/plastic jar attached.  Anyone working with steamers knows the trick is to have the rubber seal properly on the glass jar.  You can be rushing but you want to make sure not to mess up this step or the steam/vapor will start coming out of the steamer all weird.  Take a second to make sure everything is attached properly and then add your distilled water.  Tip:  If you are short on time you will normally leave the water warming and go and greet your client and do the consultation.  If the vapor starts to come out during the consultation you can then turn off the steamer.  Exit the room and let your client get themselves comfortable on the facial bed.  When you return to the room be ready to turn the steamer back on.  Tip:  If you are in a rush and your steamer takes awhile to heat up fill it with less water, like half full and it will heat faster.

Towels and The Hot Towel Cabinet

One of the most important steps is to make sure your room is fully stocked with a lot of sheets and towels.  First thing first you always want to make your hot towels.  Tip:  make your hot towels with hot water.  If there is a little bit of essential oil drop in the hot water as your running the hot sink water to make your towels.  First of all the hot water makes the towel feel hotter faster.  As your making those hot towels your first client can be coming in and you need the towel in the next 15 to twenty minutes.  Use hot water to make the towels and leave one towel open and not rolled up so the whole towel absorbs the heat faster in the hot towel cabinet.  This will be the first one you grab to use on your first client.  While time is passing during your facial the rest of the towels will warm up and you’ll be set for the rest of the shift. Tip:  I also love to use 4×4’s to cleanse the face.  I will use warm 4×4’s to cleanse the skin and then apply the exfoliant and steam the client.  I then will use a warm towel to remove the exfoliant.  This buys a little more time to let the towel heat up in the hot towel cabinet.  Some people use sponges, I prefer 4×4’s but either one works. This is also good if you are short on towels as it eliminates the use of 1 towel.

Mask Brushes and Bowels

Depending on the type of service or facial you have available on your menu, there can sometimes be an add on or a powder mask you may need to mix.  You want to have your bowels and brushes readily available.  The key is to have everything ready and easily available so that you can grab what you need during a facial smoothly without making excess noise and movement.

I’ve worked in places that had a sink right next to my work space and other places where I needed to use a water bowel to do the cleansing and exfoliating steps.  If your getting your bowels together during set up make sure you use warm water in your water bowel.  The water should already be warm as you should have warmed it up for making the towels.  Tip: This is going to sound crazy but if you work in a building that does not get the water heated up fast enough and the spa offers hot tea you can grab the hot water from the kettle.  This is in dire situations of course but anything helps.

Cleansers & Exfoliants

The next important thing to have ready is the cleansers and exfoliants.  You need to make sure you always have all your cleansers and exfoliants ready so that you can start the facial.  Once you know the clients skin then you can decide on which mask you will use and also have your massage oil/cream readily available.  You will more than likely need some brushes or spatulas to apply the mask.  You want to make sure to have those ready too. Literally if your in a time crunch and you do not have time to get all the products lined up make sure you start with cleansers and exfoliants.  When the exfoliant is doing its thing or you may be using a steamer you can try and get the rest of the products you need.  Normally cover your clients eyes with eye covers or wet cotton rounds and leave them with the steamer on.  You should then be able to quietly get the massage cream and masks you think you will need to complete the service.

Music

Volume or silence.  Some work places have music already set up.  I have worked in places where the speakers are built in and they prefer to play their own music.  Personally, I prefer this and it is much easier and faster to set your room up.  The last place I worked used Alexa and let me tell you sometimes an ad would blast out of nowhere, or the music would play and then it would just stop.

Some places use old school CD player.  Honestly, I prefer this too over my phone.  You can put the CD on repeat and normally everything works no issue. Some places therapists use their cell phone for music.  I can tell you I have never used my cell phone for music, for so many reasons.  The obvious, if you get a text message or any kind of message and you forget to put your phone in do not disturb or airplane mode it feels unprofessional.  Me personally I never want to use my own device for work music. Main reason being, it drains my battery and if I do not have my charger with me that can cause problems.  I just prefer to keep work separate from my own personal device. I have given facials with no music, (think department store facial room no stereo).  I have also had loud inappropriate music such as 80’s radio blasting in the store, or a DJ.  There is not much you can do.  Tip:  If you have an issue with weird music that can be to loud, you can try and use a towel as a headband and keep the ears covered in the towel so its more quiet for the guest to relax.

Final Tips

So lets say you are doing a facial and you only had 10 minutes to set up the room and you are only going to have 10 minutes to flip the room for your next guest.  You want all your bowels and brushes already washed and sanitizing before you finish this facial.  Best thing to do is every time you have to cleanse your hands during a facial sneak wash a bowel or brush really quick.  This way you are not making a lot of noise but your are getting things cleaned.  This is something to figure out in your timing and what parts of the facial you can step away from the client.  I usually had a minute when the client was steaming or with the exfoliant.  I already had my water bowel rinsed with fresh water and had my first batch of anything that could be cleansed in the sink.  Wash and rinse really quick as guest is exfoliating or steaming.

The next free moment is usually when the guest has the mask on.  In most of my facials as the guest has the mask on I would give them a hand and forearm massage.  Well, once you finish that massage you need to wash your hands before you go back to touching their face.  This is the perfect moment to cleanse anything that you can possibly clean so that you do not have to wash and clean in your 10 minute room flip. Check to make sure you have enough warm towels in the hot towel cabinet and the sheets are going to be ready to change.  If you think the steamer will need more water you will try to fill up in this moment or just check it and remember you’ll need to add water in the 10 minute break time. Tip:  I have been in such a rush setting up a room that I may have only made enough towels for the current facial.  If that happens, this is the time to make two to three more hot towels for your next facial. Try to be really quiet as you wring out the towels so the guest doesn’t know what you are doing.  As your wringing you can leave the faucet running so it doesn’t sound so obvious. 

Conclusion

These are all little tips that have helped me to have a more smooth and flowing work day.  It is hard to get to work with moments to spare or if the room wasn’t available because your co-worker ran over their time.  You can make it work though and just try to always remember to move soft and as quietly as possible so that your client or guest is not aware of anything or feeling like the attention is not on them.

Remember if your rushing around to set up or flip your room take a moment to pause and breath before you greet your guest.  It is always good to look relaxed and not hurried when you meet someone for the first time and you are about to give them a relaxing service. That twenty seconds you take to breath deep will set the tone for the service.  I hope you gain a little insight from this and if you have anything to add you can share in the comments.