The Complete Guide to Becoming A Spa Manager

Chapter 1: What Does a Spa Manager Actually Do?

Let's start by clearing up the most common misunderstanding about the job. When most people imagine a spa manager, they picture someone standing at the front desk in a clean white uniform, greeting guests, and walking through a quiet, candlelit space overlooking a garden. That picture is not wrong, exactly - but it's like describing a restaurant manager's job as "tasting the soup." You will occasionally greet guests and walk through the space. But the job is much bigger, much more administrative, and much more about managing people and problems than about enjoying the ambiance.

A spa manager is the person responsible for the business running smoothly and profitably, every single day, from the moment the doors open until the last guest leaves and the lights go out. Depending on the size of the spa, that business can do anywhere from $500,000 to over $5 million in annual revenue. You are accountable for all of it. Your primary job is to make sure every service that can be sold, is sold, and that every service that is sold, happens without a disaster.

The Core Responsibilities

The first thing you need to know is that the job splits cleanly into three domains: the guests, the staff, and the business operations. In a small spa with five or six treatment rooms, you will handle all three domains yourself. In a large resort spa with thirty treatment rooms and forty employees, you might have