Looking Fit 06/2004: Body Wraps

Body Wraps

by Judie Bizzozero

Tanning salons have a loyal customer base, many of which are baby boomers searching for the elusive fountain of youth. These customers come to your facility to achieve a healthy-looking tan while relaxing and getting a little “me time.” However, industry statistics reveal that the day spa industry is capturing these baby boomer dollars by offering a variety of treatments to give spa-goers what they want—a way to look younger and feel more refreshed.

As the total salon concept becomes more widespread, tanning salons would be wise to take a page from the spa industry and incorporate some spa services into the salon and provide your customers with a one-stop shop for all of their body-care needs. With this in mind, we proudly introduce this new column that examines a particular spa service that easily can be incorporated into the tanning salon environment. This month we focus on adding body wraps to your menu of services to boost profits and widen your customer base.

Weight loss is one of the most talked-about, researched and fretted-over issues in the world. It’s important to tanning salons because appearance, weight loss and tans all are feathers from the same bird, and it’s a main reason why body wraps quickly are becoming a popular service option. The unique service produces therapeutic and cosmetic benefits by cleansing the body of toxins and reducing inches. Body wraps can be added to a salon’s menu of services and provide a great way for a customer to improve, tone and tighten the look and texture of his or her skin.

“Expanding services at your business creates excitement that your clients will share with their friends,” says Jan Heinrich, managing director of Set-N-Me-Free in Portland, Ore. “News spreads fast for services that actually work, and quick weight loss or size loss is prime conversation material for any gathering.”

Body wraps date back to ancient Egypt; however, the concept of using body wraps for inch loss and body contouring has been around for about 25 years. They first came into the public’s eye in the 1970s when Phil Donahue featured a series of demonstrations on his daytime talk show. Today, body wraps are one of the hottest beauty trends and an ideal complement to the “look good, feel great” tanning industry.

There are basically three types of body wraps, each with slightly different functions. Aloe wraps and mineral wraps are geared mainly toward moisturizing and conditioning the skin, while clay wraps are intended more for the quick withdrawal of impurities from the skin.

“With each treatment, the customer can expect to lose a total of four to 15 inches from measurements taken at different places on the body,” Heinrich says. “With these body wraps, the loss only will be from where the fat is. This is an internal toxin cleanse that will be flushed through the lymphatic system by drinking water.”

In general, body wraps work on the lymphatic system to rid the body of toxins and impurities that have been introduced into the body through forms of pollutants. The circulatory and lymphatic systems then carry blood and lymph through the body. The lymph fluid is moved by the same mechanisms in the body that return blood to the heart.

Within this fluid there are microscopic vessels called lymphatic capillaries that drain excess fluid that does not return to the blood capillaries. In addition, these capillaries also absorb protein from the tissue fluid. When fluids enter the lymphatic capillaries, they take on the name lymph. The lymphatic system provides the body with immune defenses and removes foreign waste and cell debris from the blood. This lymphatic fluid or lymph moves through a network of vessels where pressure from blood in neighboring capillaries forces lymph into tissue spaces where it gives the appearance of enlarged fatty tissue on the abdomen, buttocks and thighs.

The actual wrapping material can be an elastic wrap, which is about 8 percent cotton for absorbency, a cotton-gauze material or a cellophane wrap. If elastic or gauze wraps are used, in most cases they are soaked and heated in one of the solutions and then are applied to the body, starting at the feet and working up toward the heart. With the cellophane wrap, the solutions are put on the skin first, and then the wrap is applied. A person can be covered from ankle to neck with wraps.

The solution stays in the body for three to four days, so more loss occurs as the client drinks the recommended three to four liters of water per day. A series of 12 treatments usually results in a loss of two clothes sizes, Heinrich says.

In addition to helping clients look better, one of the service’s biggest draws for salons is that it will bring new customers in who may tan with a competitor or individuals who may not tan at all.

“Clients from other salons will come to your business for body wraps,” she says. “That is a golden opportunity to make them become your clients for additional services.”

Val McNamara, marketing director for Australian Gold, agrees that body wraps are enjoying a renewed popularity. “People are looking for this service and it is an awesome way to increase business all year long,” she says. “Like with sunless tanning, body wraps are excellent for clients who are preparing to attend proms, weddings, a big date, spring break, etc.”

Body wrapping is a service that can be learned quickly and easily, so several salon staff members can be trained to become body wrap technicians. According to Heinrich, a technician typically only needs six or seven practice wraps to achieve professional wrap techniques for clients.

Most of the techniques used for body wraps do not require a state license such as those necessary for massage, hair or nail services. However, this should not imply that a salon owner should enter this business without serious preparation and understanding of issues such as pre-existing medical conditions, first aid, infection control and prescription medications that could cause complications.

The average selling cost of a body wrap ranges from $55 to more than $100 depending on location and the types of services provided. More elaborate services can include exfoliation and body scrubs and will produce a higher price. Salons often apply the same principles to body-wrapping sessions as they do with tanning: they offer their clients packages.

“Body-wrap packages can sell for $400 to $900 with continued success after each treatment,” Heinrich says. “Our research shows that 73 percent of clients having one body wrap will buy a series of seven to 12 treatments; so one new client responding to a newspaper or radio ad can pay for that ad.”

“A salon also needs to have a private room that is big enough for the person to comfortably lie down and for his or her technician to maneuver in,” McNamara says. “Plus, a client needs a place to sit and relax while the wrap is working.”

A recliner lounge chair, a facial table or massage table is suitable for the client to lounge comfortably for about 45 minutes. The most profit is seen when one technician can wrap two or three clients to lounge at the same time.

By researching the ingredients, wrap methods and the wrap manufacturer, the salon owner can determine what is wanted by the clients who come to the salon. Once the salon operator knows what his or her clients want, it’s important to find a product line or lines and believe in the performance claims. The other key is to make sure salon employees can accurately explain the various wraps and answer customers’ questions intelligently.

“Is it believable?” Heinrich says. “Salon personnel will be explaining the treatment over and over to prospective clients, so the facts are essential.” Customers will ask questions because it’s a largely unknown procedure. Let them know the specifics.

Body wraps are a perfect complement to tanning, as the existing customer base already is committed to improving their appearance and how they feel about themselves. The addition of other spa and body services, it serves as a balance to the needs of the customers and provides a nice addition to the bottom line.