Today’s topic is spa business owner health and wellness: healing a depleted heart.

“Kirsten,” you may be thinking, “healing a depleted heart isn’t business-related! How does this tie into spa business ownership?”

While separating your personal wellness and your business mindset into two separate categories is common, it’s actually a misconception that can, in the long run, damage both our business lives and our personal lives! 

As entrepreneurs, we tend to spend a lot of time thinking about what’s next for our business: which product line we want to bring in next; what piece of equipment we want to launch soon; when and how we should prep for our next hire. While we are constantly aware of other spa businesses launching and growing, the reality is that life also throws us curve balls that make coping with your life and your business extremely difficult… and, when one suffers, both do!

Take a deep-dive with me today into why health and wellness is so crucial for spa owners, how to know if you have a depleted heart, and how to “refill your cup” ASAP.

Why Spa Business Owner Health And Wellness Is So Crucial In The Spa Industry

As service providers, we, as a whole, often minimize our energy availability; that oftentimes looks like ignoring the red flags that crop up telling us, “Slow down! Rest up!”

Why? Because empathetic givers who are innately driven to support the needs of others are who the spa industry attracts the most of. And, while that makes you outstanding at providing spa services, it also means that you are likely to spring a leak in your “energy boat.”

(The issue with this, of course, is that, if left unchecked, that leak could sink your whole boat!)

This tendency was exacerbated at the start of 2020 due to COVID-19 and has persisted into 2021 and beyond due to the ramifications of the pandemic. Whether you are a waxing expert, an entrepreneur looking to launch their first spa, a spa owner struggling with the off-on lockdowns, or anything in between, common sources of stress for those in the spa industry include:

• General COVID-19 Malaise: COVID-19 fatigue is real; the business-related uncertainty, funding applications, and tight profit margins have been a significant source of stress for many in the industry

• Family Concerns: Having your partner lose their job; trying to juggle teaching your kids at home in lieu of in-person schooling; supporting children with special needs amid these unprecedented times; the stress that comes with not being able to see relatives (or, alternatively, having to adjust your life to assist aging parents during this time)... to say it’s a lot would be an understatement

• Entrepreneurial Burnout: Working from home (or managing a team that now works from home), juggling divorce or a separation, dealing with physical exhaustion, feeling like you can only rely on yourself to run your business… Many spa owners would say that they have had to deal with one or more of these things multiple times during the past two years, and that it is taking a hefty toll on their mental and emotional well-being

Heck, even as someone who has shifted from being a service provider, to a spa owner, to, now, a spa business coach, I have often caught myself falling into my old service provider habits of not slowing down enough to acknowledge just how depleted I am. 

In fact, for many spa owners there may be a fear that, if you really take a good, hard look at how you’re feeling, that you may have to do something about it…. And that you either don’t have the time or emotional bandwidth to deal with that. Does that sound familiar?

Regardless of what your spa business owner health and wellness hurdles have been, the bottom line is this: you are likely mis-managing a depleted heart, leaving you to wonder how you will have enough energy to keep your spa business running.

If this sounds familiar (or if you feel that you at your wit’s end and just need to figure out a way to breathe), bookmark this blog ASAP so that you can have the following tips on-hand for the next time you need them:

That’s Right: You’ve Just Made the Realization That You’re Running on Empty. Now What?

To prioritize your spa owner health and wellness, follow these steps:

Pause Your Growth Initiatives (Yes, All Of Them!)

Yes, they are all pressing; yes, they all have consequences to pausing them.

The issue, however, is that when everything is a priority nothing is. And you need to prioritize yourself right now. Everything else can come later. Trust me on this.

This year, I had a real-life reminder that everything else can truly come later when my husband, Ian, suffered a sudden heart attack despite being perfectly healthy. He had no pre-existing conditions, no high blood pressure or cholesterol. The doctor determined that it was almost entirely stress-related.

As “Run Like Clockwork” reminds us, we are each the Queen Bee of our own businesses: that means that if we are not at our physical and mental bests, every single aspect of our life will suffer in turn. 

Takeaway: Especially throughout pressure cooker years like 2020 and 2021, more spa owners need to realize that coasting in their business is completely acceptable. Actually, it’s more than acceptable: it’s great! If your choices boil down to A) pushing yourself to the breaking point in an attempt to smash your sales records or B) taking time out for yourself and instead letting your business coast, I recommend that you choose the second option every time.

 After all, it’s not that you won’t get back to your growth initiatives; in fact, if you are worried about taking a break from them, book a coaching call with me today to learn how we can get you back on the horse ASAP after your much-needed break.

Seek Professional Help

Sometimes all we need is a bubble bath, massage, or movie night with loved ones to feel detoxed and refreshed.

If you are feeling depleted to the point of burnout, however, these self-care quick-fixes are not going to refill your emotional cup.

Once you have hit the point of depletion as a spa owner, you require radical self-care and whole-body healing in order to have your energy levels restored long-term. This includes counsellors or psychiatrists to support your mental health and healing process; a naturopath to support your physical health; and time with your spiritual leader or healer to re-balance your spiritual levels.

Takeaway: You have done your best! And you have done a phenomenal job with the situation you’ve been presented with. Now it’s time to thank your mind and body by seeking professional help and gift yourself the full recovery that you deserve.

To Restore Your Spa Business Owner Health and Wellness, Don’t Try to Fast-Forward Your Recovery

Once you have acknowledged your situation and have kick-started your healing process, it is crucial that you commit to that healing; otherwise, you are likely to find yourself back in the same state of burnout you were before.

My favourite quote on the subject? “If you don’t make time for wellness, you’ll be forced to take time for illness.”

Takeaway: I recommend to keep your projects paused for approximately six months; if your business is overflowing with clients, I’d advise to cut your schedule down to a schedule that you would find manageable while healing. Your mantra during this time should be, “Everything but my health can wait!”

“Grow Through What You Go Through” by Educating Yourself On How to Prevent Entrepreneurial and Spa Owner Burnout

During your recovery time, “grow through what you go through” by educating yourself on how to prevent entrepreneurial and spa owner burnout: for myself, this came in the form of reading!

When I take time out to rest and recover, I educate myself on stress’s impact on the body, on what experts recommend for balancing entrepreneurship with mental health, and, last but certainly not least, on how to reconfigure my leadership style to better prioritize my health and wellness. 

With that being said, don’t feel like you have to dig into the nitty-gritty details of your struggles with clients if it runs the risk of retraumatizing you; this is especially true if you know that, when you come back to your spa business, you will be letting go of clients who no longer fall in line with your personal values and ideal client demographic.

Takeaway: “Growing through what we go through” often permits us to better empathize with those around us. Going through a period of depletion can make you a better service provider and business owner in the long-run by arming you with the tools for heightened compassion, bettered self-awareness, and more streamlined leadership.

Fill Your Cup Back Up Today, Spa Owners

Contact me today for help with spa business owner health and wellness (as well as how to get your growth initiatives back on track after your much-needed break!)