When day spas became all the rage, many salons added skin-care and spa services onto their spaces and menus. Some thrived, becoming destinations for head-to-toe beauty, and some didn’t, returning back to strictly hair.

But now, the next chapter in skin care in the salon is being written by one of the largest skin-care companies and it promises new success for salons.

Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand is leading a charge to bring services out into the light, putting them front and centre. “We want skin therapists to be outrageously successful,” says Wurwand. And she wants salons to see skin services differently. “Women don’t want hour-and-a-half skin-care services anymore,” she says.

Is it Right for Your Salon?

The concept is an evolution of and addition to the Skin Bar, which was launched in 2004. What’s new is that, in addition to putting skin-care services out in the open in salons through the Skin Bar, the spotlight is on so-called microzone treatments. Express, focused, 20-minute problem-solving sessions that address one issue, like extractions or tired eyes, they can even be done while a salon service processes. They’re perfect for clients who are short on time, but have a pressing skin-care concern requiring professional advice.

Although, Wurwand acknowledges, this approach isn’t for every salon/spa: “If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, stick with it. If you want your salon [skin-care services] to be about steaming and cleaning, scented candles and playing Enya, then Dermalogica will not be the right fit.” But for many it’s a retail and service success that fits in perfectly with the salon.

Revenue Rewards

For the skin therapists in the salon, though, the retail business is different than it is for hair. Hair services make more money as stylists can see more clients in a day or in an hour, explains Wurwand. Skin therapists must generate 50 per cent retail for a profitable salon, whereas most hair salons “are lucky if they do 15 per cent,” she says.

Melissa Daniels, general manager of Dermalogica Canada, says salons are the biggest growth segment right now for the company, as salon owners look to add whatever revenue paths they can. This is especially easy to do, as the Skin Bars and accompanying microzone treatments can be set up in the salon without special accommodations—no extra laundry, soundproofing, plumbing, etc.—and take place in a barber’s chair.

Bringing the Salon Together

“People like to see what’s going on around them and don’t want to be back in a treatment room,” says Daniels. Salons that are already full service can offer both—microzone treatments for the busy client and full-service appointments for those clients who want to address issues with a more traditonal service.

For Daniels, one of the best parts is seeing the hairstylists and skin therapists working so well together. “We work really hard getting all the stylists on board. We have all the stylists come in and try it themselves first.” By putting everything out in the open, she says, “there’s so much more respect for therapist, and it’s a big revenue source for the salon.”