Mud-slinging, ass-pounding, claw-sharpening . . . No, we're not talking about the corporate rat race. Rather, these are the kinds of treatments corporate types are enjoying more and more with clients and co-workers in spas an increasingly popular venue for doing business. (Box seats are so '00.)
"It's a great time to connect, gain information, and get to know my clients," says a magazine ad exec, who brings business contacts to the Greenhouse and other New York spas every few weeks. "People open up over a pedicure."
Carla Ciuffo, co-owner of New York's StoneSpa, sees the locale as the perfect Zen setting for talking shop. "When we opened six years ago, at least 25 percent of our revenue came from executives bringing in clients," she says. Now that figure's up to 35 percent.
On request, New York's Oasis Day Spa arranges lunch meetings combined with treatments. Oasis also rents its facilities to companies like Procter and Gamble and Morgan Stanley. "The spa can be your business partner," says Lisa West, Oasis' marketing director. "We can give clients the run of the spa, the staff, all the treatments, and meeting space for $2,500 an hour. Where else can you do that for 30 people?"
The trend has even influenced some (forgive us) spa-chitecture. Alexis Ufland, owner of Lexi Design, a consulting firm for spa owners, recommends that her clients build corporate meeting rooms. To serve businesses looking for spa-themed parties, she created Sparty, which constructs temporary spas complete with treatment rooms, bubbles, and candles. Lounging in robes, guests sip champagne and mingle between massages. "It may be strange at first to see your CEO in a robe," says Ufland, "but when you see him relaxed and having a good time, everyone can have fun."
How to benefit from your client's spa time? Below, some etiquette tips.
OH, BEHAVE! A POCKET GUIDE TO SPA ETIQUETTE
1 "If you don't like undressing in front of your business associate," saya Lisa West of New York's Oasis Day Spa, "change in the bathroom."
2 Cover your client's gratuity, "and tell him in advance he's being taken care of," says Danielle De Vaux, general manager of Chicago's Peninsula Spa.
3 "The relaxation room is exactly what it means," says Patsy Tischio of New York's Avon Salon & Spa. No shoptalk!
4 Forget what you've seen on The Bachelor. Don't get massaged alongside your client. "You're in a vulnerable position and minimally draped," points out Dawn Ferraro, spa director at Spa Las Palmas at the Rancho Las Palmas Marriott Resort. "It would be somewhat awkward." Better to connect with your client during a manicure or pedicure.
5 "The dress code is robe and slippers," says Ferraro. If you're lounging with a business associate, wear skivvies underneath (just in case
6 When booking a massage, ask the client if she prefers a masseur or a masseuse, advises Milana Knowles of the Greenhouse, a New York spa.
