WARD’S WORLD

Magic hands

With the rise in AI and automation, the role of skilled beauty therapists is only going to become more valued, writes Hellen Ward

Perhaps surprisingly, I don’t get to experience that many spa treatments. Although I’m the guinea pig when we are considering new ranges for treatment and retail so that I can see and feel their efficacy in order to decide whether they are a good fit for us, you normally won’t catch me on the therapist’s couch in a swanky hotel – I’m more likely to be having a snoop about, but with my industry head on, not my customer one.

But after 40 years in the industry, I know a pair of magic hands when I feel them. Aside from those of my own talented team, having a treatment with a therapist who has years of experience is incomparable. I was lucky enough to experience just that recently. Krista Kiley has been working with botanical brand Aveda for decades. She now runs her own exclusive clinic in Switzerland, but she still trains and educates all over the world. A treatment with her just served to remind me just how wonderful and rejuvenating it is to be in the hands of somebody who has spent years perfecting their skills and honing their unique talents.

Being an expert facialist is not just about unsurpassed product knowledge and the ability to assess a client’s needs in granular detail, it’s just as much about the almost unteachable skill of innate and intuitive knowledge. Knowing what a client is trying to articulate about their concerns, knowing the tell-tale signs that are all too common (stress, dehydration, ageing, etc) and, most importantly, knowing that communicating with a couch-side manner that makes the client feel safe, valued and comfortable will ultimately win their trust and loyalty.

Krista does all that and more, all coupled with an almost instinctive encyclopaedic knowledge of the face and body – both anatomically and scientifically.

Naturally, Krista and I talked a lot about the future of our industry when we met. Kindred spirits, I think. We talked about how AI will affect us and what we should prepare ourselves for in that respect as an industry. She’d just come through an airport where her coffee was not only ordered through a robot, but astonishingly made and delivered by one, too.

True connection

We chatted about the value of human interaction, and most importantly, of human touch. In a world where contact with other human beings is becoming increasingly remote, what does the future hold for our sector?

We both agreed that the rise of artificial intelligence, far from being something to worry about, is – for nail techs and hairdressers but most importantly beauty therapists – something to celebrate. Because the more that human touch disappears from our everyday lives, the more valued we will become. The skills and talents of those expert, intuitive hands will not only be more of an asset than ever physically, the emotional impact will be of perhaps even higher value.

I’ve long said that if we could bottle our soft skills in client interaction, we’d be capitalising on something that other industries would die to market.

Recently, SEA (Salon Employers Association – of which I am co-founder) participated in highlighting the issues facing the sector in parliament to a Government committee as part of the Small Business Strategy enquiry, tasked with focusing on the vision for support and growth. It was highlighted to us that our sector specifically has a “civic value”.

The more that HUMAN TOUCH disappears from our everyday lives, the more valued BEAUTY THERAPISTS will become

We’ve long known the pastoral element our work entails, both for our customers and our teams, but preserving us as a stalwart on the British high street seems to have been recognised by the powers that be. Once AI takes more hold on consumerism, those values will only serve to increase at a rate I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate.

So how do we go about marketing the experience of a pair of magic hands like Krista’s? Because once you’ve experienced them, you’ll certainly want to experience them again. Like an expert masseuse, human touch will not only prove to be restorative and problem solving in terms of treatment, but emotionally essential.

Expert touch

Touch is a basic human need, stimulating production of oxytocin, which is known to enhance feelings of wellbeing. But human touch in safe, expert hands on the treatment couch in an amazing aroma-filled, sensory treatment room takes things to another level.

It’s proven that touch depravation can lead to negative health outcomes like anxiety and depression, whilst physical contact, even simple touches, can reduce stress, improve mood and foster a sense of connection.

So, it offers not just skin benefits, but mental, emotional, physiological, emotional, social and relational benefits, too. Couple this with some magic hands and you really are creating something special for your customers.

Hellen Ward is managing director of Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa in London, vice president of The Hair & Beauty Charity and co-founder of Salon Employers Association (SEA).