You don’t have to be a sports fan to know who Michael Jordan is. Or that in the twenty years since his career ended he is still considered on of the best basketball players of all time.
What you might not know is that Michael Jordan tried playing professional baseball as a second career choice. To everyone’s amazement he was never drafted to a professional team and his play on the baseball diamond was nothing close to his domination on the basketball court.
The moral of this story is to stick to what you know and be the best in your field, always. That has been my approach at Skin Bar for a decade.
Invest in the best.
In my business being the best is all about delivering great results to your clients. I have more than a dozen different lasers and advanced technologies that each perform a different and unique function.
Most owners look at the cost and inconvenience of multiple platforms. The cost of purchasing, servicing and training for each machine is considered an operational overload. So, they go the cheaper route and buy a multipurpose devise and that’s what many clients get.
When I opened Skin Bar in 2008 I had a choice to make; purchase technology platforms that were versatile and performed multiple functions, or invest in the gold standard for each of the services I intended to offer?
I chose the latter. And it was the right choice. You see Just like Michael Jordan, machines are designed to do one thing really well. Some technologies promise to do many things, but rarely are they able to deliver on results.
Most of the time these platforms are designed with two lasers built in. And usually it is a YAG laser and IPL. The handpieces are nothing more than different filters that slightly change the wavelength or pulse. This is the equivalent of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It doesn’t work.
Consider this example.
One very common technology uses the IPL wavelength to treat acne. But, there is no clear evidence or studies to suggest that IPL is effective in treating acne. There are many studies that prove IPL is very effective at removing sun damage, but it doesn’t work on acne.
But, Isolaz does. In fact, Isolaz has been clinically proven to successfully treat acne clients who have failed to control their breakouts with Accutane. It works because it was designed to treat acne and acne alone. And there are published studies to back it up. These factors are what led me to buy the Isolaz.
Fraxel is another example. When I bought the Fraxel there were a dozen “me-too” fractional lasers being sold for a fraction of the price. Some were stand-alone technologies that only did fractional treatments. But when I evaluated these other fractional lasers the results were nothing like the real McCoy. That set the stage for my philosophy on how to invest in technology.
Once I determined what skin care conditions my spa was going to specialize in I spent months studying, evaluating and testing for the technology that had the best results for each specific condition.
Sometimes more is better.
Well, it’s better for our members. And that means it’s better for us. Skin Bar is the first Medspa of its kind. We pioneered the membership concept. Since we started others have followed. Many have failed, and some are still figuring it out. But, the formula to success isn’t that complicated.
Invest in the best technology money can buy.
Then put it in the hands of the most experienced and passionate skincare specialists (we call them Skinticians).
And add consistency and you get real tangible results and happy members.
Seeing is believing.
When clients spend their hard-earned money at my spa I want them to see what they are paying for when they look in the mirror. That’s why we review our members before and after photos in our Fit-Skin- Photo-Booth regularly. And having invested in the best technology money can buy and assembling the best skincare specialists in NYC, I am confident our clients will see that their time and money is in good hands. After all we wouldn’t be very successful if our members didn’t see results because they would stop being members. Today, on the eve of our 10th Anniversary, I’m proud to report, Skin bar has a 90% retention rate of its members. Here’s to another 10 years at your service.
