Solving Staffing Dilemmas With Zeel Spa

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Finding your niche in the spa industry is an important aspect of developing your brand and business. Finding your specialty, however, often means that there are some services that you won’t be able to provide, resulting in lost business. On-demand staffing might be a solution to this dilemma.

Similar to on-demand spa services, on-demand staffing offers an alternative to traditional hiring and staffing. Leading the way in this staffing solution is Zeel with its Zeel Spa platform, which partners with spas to fill gaps in schedules and provide additional services to a spa menu.  

" On average, we saw that spas turned away about 18-19% of business."

Recently, Skin Inc. sat down with David Edwards, vice president of spa partnerships for Zeel, to talk about Zeel Spa and larger trends impacting the spa industry.

Skin Inc.: Zeel was recently awarded at ISPA. Can you talk a little bit about the award and what it means for the brand?

Dave Edwards (DE): It was completely unexpected. We officially launched our on-demand staffing solution a year ago. What it means for Zeel is wider and better brand recognition. It’s an honor to be recognized by ISPA and is confirmation that Zeel’s technology is bringing something groundbreaking to the industry. We’re already working with hundreds of properties.

SI: How do you see products like yours and others leading the spa industry forward?

DE: The spa industry has been traditionally a little slow to adopt technology. That is all changing now. Technology is doing everything from devices used in therapy and skin care services to scheduling and booking appointments.

Every year at ISPA, they present some industry stats. One consistent statistic is that there is a shortfall in staffing, especially in massage therapists. Zeel's technology doesn't necessarily increase net number of massage therapists, but we do deploy what is already there more effectively. In the past, [spas] couldn't staff to meet demand, which is often variable. Now, they can match supply with demand, thereby increasing their revenue.

SI: Most people know Zeel for its on-demand services. However, this staffing software is also helping spas. How did this come about and who is involved?

DE: It wasn't in our initial business plan. We were a consumer business. We realized though with the same technology and a few tweaks that we had a great opportunity to expand our business.

The Zeel Spa platform empowers spas to meet spikes in demand for massage and cover last-minute staff therapist callouts. We leverage our active, pre-vetted, licensed network of therapists to allow traditional brick and mortar spas to book massage therapists for their appointments. Spas no longer need to turn away business because of last-minute staff absences or spikes in demand. A spa can even expand its hours of operation and increase revenue by adding more appointment slots. 

SI: Talking about the larger on-demand spa trend, do you see more spas opting to include on-demand staffing services?

DE: With very few exceptions, we see every spa as a potential partner for us because every spa turns away business. On average, we saw that spas turned away about 18-19% of business. Zeel focuses on relationship management, understanding the spa’s needs, and curates an agreement that works for both parties.

SI: Lastly, can you speak about Zeel’s future. What are the plans moving forward?

DE: Zeel plans to continue its rapid expansion, delivering massages in more cities across the U.S. We also plan on growing the number of spas we partner with in those cities, as well as in areas where our in-home service is not yet available.

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