Shelly Kovac noticed that her skin felt very dry and she even saw some wrinkles beginning to form. She decided to go for a facial.

“The technician gave me an amazing facial—it felt great,” Kovac recalls. “But when it was over, I left with nothing to help me with my goals of keeping my skin from feeling dry and softening the appearance of wrinkles.”

As a Michigan salon owner and salon industry consultant with Crystal Focus, Inc., Kovac had other sources to tap for skin care advice. But she harkens back to that facial experience partly as an example for her staff on what not to do.

“Had the technician asked me the proper questions and really listened to my responses, I would have left with retail products and a facial service regimen of every six weeks,” Kovac says. “Clients expect help in solving their problems. They should always leave with a plan that meets those expectations.”

just ask

Experts agree that the best way to ensure you’ll respond to the client’s needs is to gather as much information as possible. Keep the questions coming until you’re sure you have the full story—and pay attention to the answers! That level of open communication will take place only when clients feel safe.

“You need a great consult,” says spa industry consultant Melinda Minton. “A lot of what people are looking for in a spa experience is not just the service but a real connection. It’s well worth spending time to really hear what the client needs. Then reiterate the statement: ‘I realize that you’re here today because your T-zone is bothering you.’”

Just as you do in performing a thorough facial, you may have to dig deeper to get at the real issues. “If you make her feel comfortable, you can get to the core of why she’s there,” Minton continues. “If she came to relax, help her to relax. If she wants to get rid of blemishes or wrinkles, focus on that.”

There’s a difference, which Jo Ann Taylor found out the hard way. “I lost some clients because I listened to what they said but did not ask the right follow-up questions,” says Taylor, an independent massage therapist and facialist who works in historic Roswell, Georgia. “They told me they wanted their aches and pains fixed but didn’t mention what they didn’t want—deep pressure. I gave them a therapeutic massage, but what they needed was a lighter touch that would let their muscles relax. They needed to close their eyes and go to their special place.”

Lesson learned. Now when Taylor sees the many stressed women executives among her clientele, she asks open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” and she takes note of their harried lifestyle. “They’ve been traveling like crazy, and they’re exhausted,” she comments. “The last thing they want is to be poked and prodded. What they need more than anything is to just stop and relax.”

to talk…or not

Before you begin a service, explain everything you’re going to do, recommends Kovac. If you’ve listened to the client and you’ve shown respect, the client will hear what you’re saying and agree on or correct any misunderstandings.

Depending on the service and the client’s preferences for interaction, some of this discussion can continue after the procedure begins. Although Taylor feels that it’s not appropriate for the therapist to initiate a conversation in the middle of a relaxing massage, she encourages clients to alert her if anything comes up during the procedure.

“I assure clients that they cannot hurt my feelings,” Taylor says. “If I’m massaging an area and it feels incredible to them, and then I move on to another area before they’re ready, I want them to ask me to go back. I’ll be glad to. My job is to give them more than what they knew to ask for.”

Technicians also must be accommodating to the client who’s content only if she’s chatting. “People really like to hear the sound of their own voice,” says Minton. “They might talk about their dog or how their day went; they just like to know someone’s listening. Repeat enough of what they say to let them know you’re listening. ‘I understand you’re having a hard week.’ That’s all you need to say, just let them unload.”

Kovac expresses eternal gratitude to a massage therapist who solved the mysterious hand pain Kovac was having. By asking the right questions, the technician determined that the source of the pain had to do with Kovac’s faulty movements in picking up her small child.

“She taught me how to lift my toddler,” Kovac recalls. “I wouldn’t have known that was causing my problem.”

Solutions like that are what clients are looking for in today’s sophisticated spa industry. “Both consumers and technicians are becoming more savvy,” Minton says. “They don’t necessarily want just a Swedish massage. They have an ache here or a specific need there. It takes a lot of communication. The industry is changing, and listening is a big part of it.”