Ethnic Skin Aficionado

Right now all over the world the hospitality and travel industry is in the throes of either conducting polls or handing out major awards for excellence and service.   From the Asia Spa to the World Travel Awards, dubbed “The Oscars”  to Conde’ Nast Reader’s Choice to local awards closer to home i.e. Best of Philly, Boston etc.  More than likely if your hotel, salon, or spa is performing at top level you have received a nomination for some type of recognition. But what if you haven’t? Read the rest of this entry »

 So Beyonce has been named the World’s Most Beautiful Woman by People Magazine.

You may or may not agree, it really doesn’t matter. However if you are a decision maker for a spa or salon what does matter is this; beauty standards are changing based upon a shifting demographic. Everyone goes to the spa now, it’s no longer relegated to the rich and famous. If your staff is not trained to address a diverse clientele you are losing money. Read the rest of this entry »

So by now many of us have viewed the wonderfully groundbreaking commercial “Best Job” an ode to Mother’s Day with an Olympic theme. http://youtu.be/FMunV1Y4X2o 

But what makes the ad so poignant is its’ global perspective, the representation of so many ethnicities with so much in common. We see ourselves and perhaps our  neighbors reflected in the various scenes and it feels good indeed. If a huge conglomerate like Proctor and Gamble can see the value in marketing to a diverse audience  how can we as smaller business owners not see the writing on the wall? Surely, even Stevie Wonder could see it. Read the rest of this entry »

You have developed the spa of your dreams with every amenity in place from designer sinks to plush spacious treatment rooms. The ambient lighting and music is absolute perfection. Your product lines are a veritable treasure chest of global brands, highly effective and well chosen for both skin and body care.  Your therapists are lovely, soft spoken, sleekly uniformed and highly talented; the best of the best. But here’s the big question-can they sell? Read the rest of this entry »

I loved my grandmother with a passion and I used to love to go to her home. Often, she would sense my arrival and be waiting for me at the front door. She would view my approach from the distance watching me carefully to see how I walked and if my posture might indicate that something was awry. I could sense her welcoming smile, before I even saw her face clearly. Read the rest of this entry »

As I travel around India conducting workshops for the spa therapists at the Oberoi Hotel Group, a Hall of Fame inductee for luxury and service, I am even more struck by the relationship of retail sales to ethnic skin care knowledge. Aside from the need to first establish a rapport with the client before attempting to sell them a product or service you must also know what you are looking at with regard to their skin type. This is so basic and fundamental it is easy to miss. Read the rest of this entry »

The wonderful thing about working at an award winning spa like Rescue Rittenhouse in Philadelphia is that you have access to some of the best products and services in the world. The bad thing is that your level of expectation at other spas is very high and you have no tolerance for mediocre service.

That however will not be my concern next month. Moontide Consulting has been invited to provide a month-long series of training workshops for the world famous Oberoi Hotel Group in India. The Oberoi Hotel Group has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for luxury and excellence and is ranked by Travel & Leisure magazine as #1 in the world!  Read the rest of this entry »

I was inspired to write this blog by a situation which I encountered just a few days ago in my treatment room.  A client came in for a facial with angry red marks on both sides of her face. She told me that just two weeks prior she’d had a facial and the esthetician was over zealous with her extractions. The client was distressed and said that based on her past experience, the marks would turn darker and be there until summer and is there anything which I could recommend to alleviate some of the damage.  What made this situation different is that she was White with a natural golden hue like Jessica Alba but White nonetheless. Read the rest of this entry »

Skincare is mostly taught from a European perspective. The problem is that often what works well for folks with blond hair and blue eyes is anathema for skin that is of African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, Hispanic or Native American descent. A lot of Bi-racial folks are running into issues as well because many estheticians don’t understand the complexity of their various skin types.

I believe that professionals who are involved in esthetics of any type whether its makeup application or skincare need to understand brown skin, its varying tones, levels of resilience and which treatments work most effectively. Read the rest of this entry »

My heart is broken. Whitney is gone. I remember the first time I heard her voice, I couldn’t believe she was a teenager. How could so much emotion and power come out of someone so very young? I wasn’t much older but even then I recognized her as a force to be reckoned with. When I saw her I remember thinking how unfair it was that this skinny gorgeous girl had everything; a Diana Ross like smile, model worthy body and a voice for the ages. She was fabulous! Read the rest of this entry »