Elmcrest College is the first school in Canada to offer Spa Management programs for all levels – from frost desk customer service skills to management. Through our association with the Elmwood Spa, and active local and international involvement in the spa and wellness industry, we understand what it takes to be successful in spa leadership, operational management, and customer service. The spa management curriculum is the result of our first-hand experience and understanding of the industry.
Each weekday program is available full-time from 8:00am to 4:30pm.
All three programs require students to spend one-half day experiencing spa services at a premier spa in downtown Toronto, as well as participate in tours of area Day, Resort and Destination spas. We believe that this exposure provides students with insight into the client experience, an understanding of the intricate operations that make spa experiences seamless, and provides a real-world foundation for classroom discussion and analysis.
Just as no massage therapy or esthetics curriculum would be complete without lots of hands-on practical experience, Elmcrest College believes this same hands-on practice is critical to the future success of students in the Spa Manager/Director diploma program.
When the students are first introduced to SpaCific - a fictitious day spa in Toronto - it is a moderately successful day spa that has many opportunities for improvement through enhancements to its daily operating practices as well as long-term strategic direction. Multiple courses in the curriculum use the SpaCific case as a basis for applying the knowledge gained in the program. Students are required to propose and project the results of operational changes and revise the long-term strategic direction of the spa to improve the financial and operational performance of the spa.
The creation of a business plan for SpaCific represents the cap-stone course in the Spa Manager/Director Diploma program. Students are required to apply the entire scope of learning acquired throughout the program to create their final business plan. Additionally, students present and defend their business plan to college faculty and staff with specialized knowledge and experience in finance, marketing, and business operations.
Spa Manager/Director Diploma Program
The Spa Manager/Director Diploma Program covers the entire scope of the spa management curriculum (Terms 1 – 7). It provides the skills and knowledge necessary to meet both the daily challenges and long-term strategies necessary for leading success in today's spa environment. In the early part of the program, students focus on learning how to effectively supervise day to day spa operations. Once the skills for daily operations have been mastered, the focus of the program shifts to the development of strategic leadership skills necessary to envision, implement and facilitate the long-term success of the spa organization.
Subject Area 1: General Spa Industry and Operations (220 hours)
The seven courses in this subject area provide the foundational knowledge necessary to understand and lead in the spa industry.
- History of the spa industry
- Current industry trends, challenges and statistics
- International Spa Association standards and practices
- Regulatory requirements for Registered Massage Therapy in Ontario
- Benefits and contraindications of various massage and esthetics treatments
- Health and safety requirements for spa treatments
- Practical customer service skills to meet and exceed the expectations of spa clients
- Techniques for visual merchandising and consultative sales in the spa
- Hands-on spa reservation software training
- Group and special events in the spa
Subject Area 2: Financial Management (140 hours)
The three courses offered in this subject area blend theories of accounting and financial management with intensive practical application. Coursework will enable spa managers and directors to effectively analyze the financial position of the spa, make recommendations for improving financial performance, create a budget to achieve financial objectives, and evaluate business decisions using the principles of finance.
Subject Area 3: Marketing and Brand Management (160 hours)
Effective marketing is critical to the success of any spa in a rapidly growing industry. The rigorous marketing curriculum ensures that future spa leaders have the tools necessary to create, implement and monitor their marketing strategy, brand identity and advertising campaigns. The SpaCific case study is a key feature in the marketing curriculum and requires students to create a complete marketing plan for the spa business.
Subject Area 4: Human Resources Management (120 hours)
The human resources courses focus on developing sound staff management practices that ensure compliance with legislation while encouraging the long-term commitment of employees to the spa. The entire lifecycle of an employee and best employer practices are explored in detail. As with the other subject areas in the curriculum, assignments and practical in-class activities are designed to be spa specific and draw from actual industry scenarios.
Subject Area 5: Business Law (80 hours)
The business law coursework exposes future spa leaders to operational and strategic legal considerations from a practical perspective. The objective of the business law stream is to provide actionable knowledge that ensures spa leaders can minimize or eliminate legal risk associated with the operation of a business.
Subject Area 6: Strategic Leadership and Ethics (100 hours)
Courses in this stream expose students to a variety of leadership skills that create a dedicated spa team committed to contributing to the achievement of the spa's mission, vision, values and business objectives. Discussion of spa specific scenarios, practice exercises and simulation activities enable students to develop effective and ethical leadership skills required to lead the spa team.
Subject Area 7: Business Communications (50 hours)
Effective communication is at the heart of exceptional management and leadership. Students focus on honing skills related to both written and oral communication. Practical in-class activities and assignments are related to spa-specific communications that would be typical in the daily management of the spa facility.
Subject Area 8: Daily Staff and Service Management (140 hours)
Managing the daily operation of the spa business requires that systems and processes are in place to support the Vision, Mission and Values of the business. Practical management tasks and duties such as staff scheduling, product and service costing, policy and procedure development, and job specific training plans are created. Additionally, students are prepared to deal with the day to day issues related to managing the physical facility and comply with health and safety regulations.
Subject Area 9: Strategic Business Planning (40 hours)
The cap-stone course in the Spa Manager/Director Diploma program requires that students apply the entire scope of learning acquired throughout the program. In this final course, students work in groups to create a full business plan for the case study spa, SpaCific.
Other Spa Management Programs:
