Salon and spa memberships: how to get paid before the month starts

By Maffy · 20+ years running spas, salons and clinics · 7 min read

On the 1st of every month, your revenue goes back to zero. You don't know how many clients will book, the quiet weeks hit your cash flow, and you start the month hoping.

Memberships and packages change that. Part of your month is already paid before the first client walks in, and the clients who pay in advance come back more often, because they've already committed.

Two ways to get paid in advance

Packages suit treatments that need a course to show results. Memberships suit treatments clients repeat for life: massage, facials, nails, lashes, blow-dries, classes.

How to sell packages

Clients buy a course when they've already felt the first result. When I was Director of Operations, our clinics used tasters of aesthetic treatments, like radiofrequency, cavitation and laser, to close packages: a short session, a visible change, and then the plan.

• Reward commitment. Roughly one session free for every six is enough. Bigger discounts train clients to wait for a deal.
• Book all the dates on day one. A package with dates gets used. A package without dates gets forgotten.
• Offer to split the payment into two or three instalments for larger courses.

How to design a membership

1. One core treatment a month. A 60-minute massage, a signature facial, a gel manicure. Keep it simple.
2. A monthly price a little below the single visit. A £65 facial could become a £55 monthly membership. Members save, and you get a predictable month.
3. Extras that cost you little: 10% off retail, priority booking, a free add-on in their birthday month.
4. A minimum term of three months, paid by direct debit or card on file.
5. A clear rule for unused treatments, like rolling over for one month only.

The mistakes that make memberships lose money

• Too many tiers. One membership is easier to sell, explain and run. Add a second only when the first is working.
• Discounting too much. Check the real cost of the treatment first.
• Nobody presents it. A poster at reception sells very little. Your team has to offer it, at the right moment.

When to offer it

The best moment is at the end of the treatment, right after the client says yes to rebooking. She's just decided to come back, so the membership simply makes that decision cheaper:

What it's worth

40 members at £55 a month is £2,200 in your account before the month starts, every month, plus the retail and add-ons they buy when they come in.

Your numbers will be different, so start with one membership for your most-repeated treatment and build from there.