an interview with David Wagner

GOING TO THE CONSUMER

Expanding day spas beyond the traditional downtown and suburban locations is just one way that Juut is making the spa experience more accessible. When spa treatment rooms are in such high demand and consumers are in high stress work environments, Juut has begun taking its spa services to where its clients work.

"We've had success with 'Juut Day' at accounting firms during tax time. We set up in a conference room. Everyone lines up for the stress relief chair. They can't wait." It's both an extension of the Juut brand and an introduction to potential clients who wouldn't have considered going to a spa until they've had a spa treatment. "A law firm or an ad agency is going to be naturally reluctant to let an unknown independent contractor come in, but when we put the Juut reputation behind it, we've had very good reception."

There's literally no working environment where an occasional dose of stress relief isn't both a welcome treat and an enhancement to productivity. Juut has set up these "spas" in places like the Northwest Airlines pilots and flight attendant lounges. Maybe this is the answer to all the calls for better service during aggravating flight delays--stress relief stations for weary, cranky travelers.

Even at the spas, Juut is working to extend the "feel good" aspect of a spa treatment. "We have been promoting what we call a '45 Minute Vacation.' It's a hair cut, manicure, stress reliever and a bag lunch. It's only a short period of time, but we get people to shift their mindset from stressed out to relaxed."

I asked David to talk about his reaction to the concept of wellness, which is becoming a buzzword in the spa industry. There has always been the beauty aspect of it in the salon business, about outer appearance, and to some extent, vanity and a little bit of pampering. At the other end of the spectrum is the medical health side, which can be clinical. But wellness is a harder concept to define.

"I've been around Aveda for 20 years so it's always been a wellness orientation and it's what I do in my free time. There were always a large number of people that participated in it for the last ten years, but now it's become more publicized. People like Andrew Weil and different authors have made wellness more popular and more achievable."

"People are becoming more and more interested, I think, for a number of different reasons. There are the baby boomers, getting to an age where they're looking for longevity and they understand that aging isn't a cosmetic issue. It's an internal issue. Going even further in the wellness area, mental wellness, is the new focus. And that is where we are going with our new locations. In the healing arts, we are connecting with energy workers and practitioners in spiritual wellness. And so I think the whole thing is going to be evolving toward the whole person being involved - mind, body and spirit."

I asked David to comment on the ways that mainstay services of spas, like massage, are going beyond the relaxation of just tired muscles. Many of these treatments now incorporate aromas and sounds in addition to touch, which of course so many people lack. "Gary Zukav wrote a book about ten years ago called "Dancing with the Wuli Master." And he just came out with one about a year ago, called "Seat of the Soul." It's a brilliant book and it is a best seller right now. He talks about the world changing from a five sensory orientation to becoming multi-faceted in the senses.

People are moving into intuitive sense, spiritual sense, and Karmic sense. So when we are designing our signature services, we pay attention to the five senses, obviously, but we try to go even further, in that the person truly feels uplifted."

"Now people are not only accepting of the spiritual aspects of wellness, but they're really hungry for it. They're utilizing a variety of different resources, whether it's turning to yoga or Chi Qong (an Asian practice incorporating visualization and meditative movement) or Tai Chi or things like that. My mom and dad live in a farming community about an hour from here, and they belong to a senior wellness center.

My mom told me, "Oh, I did Chi Qong the other night!" I wanted to be sure I heard her correctly so I asked, "Chi Qong?" She said, "Yes, an 85 year old guy from China teaches it." So if it's hit rural Hastings, Minnesota, you can imagine how widespread this trend is!"

"I think that spas, and especially day spas, are going to become more resource-oriented, aligning people with practitioners in the healing arts. Most of us in a retail area can't devote too much square footage to a workout area or a yoga studio. But people who come to us for spa treatments will rely on us for referrals to other wellness resources. We'd like to introduce people to Tai Chi and to meditation."

DESIGNING THE SPA EXPERIENCE

THE PERSONAL JOURNEY