As the skin care industry rushes forward with new scientific advancements and state of the art products, my curiosity is frequently piqued by new research, in this case, Stem Cell research. In my search for new stem cell facial technologies I made an appointment with Jonathan Douglas, who is giving stem cell facials. Jonathan is co-owner of the Jonathan Douglas Salon.
Surprise! I didn’t just get a great facial. I got an awesome massage along with it in a beautiful large treatment room pleasing to all senses. The Jonathan Douglas saloon houses hair services on the first floor and a large room on the second floor. The room has a fireplace, couch and two massage tables. Lying on the perfectly warmed up table with my eyes closed I could sense the light and sparks of the fire as well as the very warm lighting from two lamps. The sound system was excellent and it was enhanced by small bell sounds and running water. Although the saloon is on Route 1, the size of the room and the sound blocked out all road sounds.
The Treatment: Jonathan started with an excellent back massage, obviously done by a well trained therapist with a decade of experience.
The facial was perfect. Besides the stem cell therapies, Jonathan was very knowledgeable about peels and had several at his disposal. The peel was followed by a beautiful mask. While the mask was on, Jonathan continued his excellent massage on shoulders and feet.
Although I was planning only one session, the results were so good and the treatments so enjoyable that I decided to see what the next treatment was like and have since had several treatments, each building on the other.
Jonathan has done an excellent job with integrating Aesthetics and Massage. His business acumen is top notch: The salon traffic supports his aesthetics and massage work and vice versa.
Jonathan graduated from Spa Tech Institute. In 2003 Jonathan completed Spa Tech‘s Therapeutic Massage Career Program as well as Level 1 Polarity Therapy. In 2004, Jonathan graduated from the Spa Tech 600 Hour Aesthetics Career Program.
I asked Jonathan a few questions. In his own words:
Jonathan, how did you ultimately choose the Collin ® G.M product line?
I went with the GM Collin line after years of looking at and trying products. I found the line that gave the result that people were looking for (instant). People don’t just want a facial anymore, they want results for the money they are paying and this line gives them that without having to go under the knife.
Why did you choose to study both massage and aesthetics?
I studied both because they both go hand in hand. I feel you give a better facial as a massage therapist. And you now have a customer for 2 services instead of 1 and your customer loves that you can help them for 2 services and not change to another person!
3. How do you put together your Massage/ Aesthetics treatments? How do you vary them?
I spread them out over the day. I work on 8 people a day. I start with massage and toss in a facial and maybe end the day with a facial so it’s not constant pressure on my body!
4. What advice would you give students choosing a program or program of study (Aesthetics / Massage?)
Do them both and give your customer your all! When I do a massage, a facial or both, I give my customer everything I have in a service and when they exhale you know you have done it! With all the competitors out there people want a great service to keep coming back, so give it to them. I have had several customers say they have tried massage and facials everywhere and they come back to me because of the service that I give, they get it no where else!
5. In designing your therapy space, what were your considerations?
I designed my therapy space with one thing in mind, what would I want if I was getting a massage! So I added a warm atmosphere with a fireplace, mood lighting, warm feeling paint. When my customer walks in the room they get that sense of deep breathe and they know they can leave it all behind even if it’s just for a little while.
6. Other comments?
It’s all about the customer and if they pay for a 60 minute massage then give them 60 minute of rub time not 50 minutes and 5 minutes to get undressed and 5 minutes to get dressed. Remember your customers are your livelihood, Give them everything you can give and make your treatment worth paying for!
It is clear that Jonathan practices what he said above giving each customer an exquisite experience.
You can reach Jonathan at:
Jonathan Douglas Salon
207-871-8942
www.JonathanDouglasSpa.com
Author: Nancy Risley, RPP, RPE, BCPP is the VP of Education at Spa Tech Institute and Founder of Polarity Realization Institute. Nancy loves to follow up with graduates in her quest to keep all curricula up to date and relevant to the changing industry. If you would like to have a review of your business, please contact Nancy at Spa Tech Institute to schedule a time.
