In terms of client experience, touch points are more than just your average transactional moment. They’re critical interactions within the treatment journey that help define key moments in the sequence which can build and exceed client expectations.
Client touch points are a way to enhance your client experience, provide a signature service to a client, embed your brand during service and even take a treatment from average to exceptional; let’s just say they’re similar to the icing on a cake. Sure, the cake is yum by itself, but what makes it a cake you want to buy is the buttercream frosting with shards of tempered white and dark chocolate – can you tell we’ve been watching Masterchef?!
Often, due to lack of understanding, brand awareness or therapist enthusiasm, touchpoints are often misunderstood for what they really are, or go unappreciated from the clients perspective because of the way they’re performed or spoken about, and therein lies the problem. When a therapist knows the value and importance of a touch point they not only connect with why the touch point is part of the sequence, but they feel bigger than their four treatment room walls, knowing that anyone else performing that same treatment sequence at the given moment, is also connected to the touch point. That is the power of a brand.
Our favourite and most enjoyed treatment touch points include:
One: Scalp Massage
Let’s start with the humble scalp massage. The underdog of the treatment, if you will. Ask your husband or male friend what the best part of having a haircut is, and they will tell you it’s the scalp massage. Ask your female friend this question in relation to a facial, and they will give you the same answer, scalp massage. So why is it that therapists are performing basic hair rustling moves in the same repetitive circular movements?
A signature scalp massage however, is something god-like. A good scalp massage has the ability to drop shoulders, reduce cortisol levels and induce snory-sleep clients who jolt themselves awake. We love moves like circular movements around the hairline from crown to temples, sectioning off the hair into inch parts and gently gliding the way from root to end and of course, we cannot forget the entire head turn to side to massage the base of the hairline where the occipital meets the scalp. How divine!
Two: Sensory Touch Point
Any beauty business that uses essential oils professionally or stocks as part of retail, should be performing a sensory touch point – heck it can even be done with herbal tea flavours, mud used in wraps, salts used in scrubs, or even scents used on hot towels. A sensory touch point is where a client decides on a unique element of the treatment, based on their senses before starting the treatment.
A classic example of this is famously performed by endota spa, by which they ask the client to take three deep breaths before starting the treatment today. With each deep breath, a cotton round with a drop of essential oil is placed under the clients nose, inhaling and selecting their chosen oil based on whichever oil resonated with them most today. This oil is then used in their opening footbath, added to their hot towels and even applied into the corner of the shower to enhance the sensory experience during a spa treatment.
The beauty of the sensory touch point is that it allows the client to ground themselves before the treatment and to anchor themselves in the treatment connected with the therapist. As scent holds a huge part of memory retention, everytime that scent is revisited by the client, their memory will be jogged of the wonderful treatment they had with you, hopefully prompting them to rebook in the near future.
Three: Affirmation words and Cards
Finishing a treatment with a sentiment for the client to take home with them today is a meaningful way to say ‘thank you for being my client’. Affirmation cards or words which can be placed face down and chosen at random by the client, are a way in which the treatment can connect with a higher purpose that may be operating in their daily life and current routine.
Advising the client to place their affirmation card or word somewhere special for them to look at and remember (such as a bathroom mirror, on their work desk or in their purse) will instantly bring them clarity and calm amidst a busy and stressful day, again further prompting them to return to your space for that longing feeling.
Four: Chakra and/or Colour therapy
Similar to the sensory touch point, the client here chooses a colour or stone that is themed throughout their treatment today. Colours can be represented on cards, stones, crystals or even just coloured rocks, each representing a different primary chakra colour. Each colour reflects a type of vibration or frequency radiating through the chakras. The classic colour chart is based on yogic traditions, as well as contemporary healing schools of thought.
- Red – First chakra, Root
- Orange – Second chakra, Sacral
- Yellow – Third chakra, Navel
- Green – Fourth chakra, Heart
- Blue (sapphire blue or turquoise) – Fifth chakra, Throat
- Purple (or deep indigo) – Sixth chakra, Third Eye
- White (sometimes purplish white) – Seventh chakra, Crown
Along with advising the client what their chosen colour represents, you can also advise them their related chakra which may need some thought and attention to throughout the treatment today.
Five: Deep Breathing
While it might sound like a simple exercise, the humble act of breathing in today’s busy schedules has certainly been overlooked. Today, our breath is more shallow and fast tempoed than ever before, as we run around fuelled by adrenaline and coffee to survive our busy lifestyles. By asking a client to focus on deep breathing in through their noses for four seconds, holding the breath for four, breathing out their mouth for four and holding again for four seconds, it starts to immediately impact the way our bodies function from decreasing stress, relieving pain, stimulating the lymphatic system, increasing digestion and has even been said to improve immunity.
While it might seem silly or somewhat redundant to ask a client to breathe, you can actually physically aid and improve your next performed service due to the myriad of health benefits a simple conscious breath can provide your client.
With no better time to introduce conscious and thoughtful client connecting signature touch points to your treatments, we would love to hear if you have been performing any signature touch points of your own that your clients rave about.
