At last year’s Day Spa Expo, I was incredibly fortunate to receive the Spa Person of the Year Award from the Day Spa Association. I cannot begin to tell you what getting this award meant to me at that particular moment…but I’ll try.
As a fifteen year veteran of the spa industry, I got this honor at the absolute hardest moment of my professional career. Literally three days before I flew to Las Vegas for the Day Spa Expo, I was forced to close my own spa after many months of suffering through the sharply declining economy and the unexpected departure of two key staff members. The timing was crazy and made the whole experience seem surreal!
Though I almost felt guilty for receiving this incredible recognition at a time where I felt like such a failure for closing a business, I knew that the initial award nomination had been made in honor of my years of dedication to the spa industry. Over my entire time as a massage therapist, spa owner and business consultant, I’d made countless efforts to mentor students along with fellow professionals and spent hours of my free time volunteering in one way or another for numerous trade organizations, publications and associations, including the Day Spa Association.
The fact that I received the majority of the votes by the industry and thus became the Spa Person of the Year 2009 at such a difficult time in my career made the whole experience even sweeter. It also inspired me to move on with a positive attitude and refocus my coaching and consulting practice to help other spa, massage and wellness professionals succeed. What an incredible start to a new chapter in my life! I am truly honored and blessed to have been given such an opportunity by the DSA and Hannelore Leavy, the head of the DSA and woman who nominated me for the honor.
As a Day Spa Association or International Medical Spa Association member, you too have the opportunity to be recognized for your dedication and hard work in the industry. Each year, awards are given out by the Day Spa Association in the following categories:
- Spa Philanthropist
- Healing Hearts/Hands
- Spa Person of the Year 2010
- Distinguished Day Spa 2010
- DSA Leadership Award
- IMSA Leadership Award
Nominations are accepted from current association members for the Spa Philanthropist and Healing Hearts Awards and then voted upon, also by the DSA Advisory Board. In the case of the Spa Person of the Year, recipients of the Spa Person of the Month Awards (nominated by the industry) are automatically in the running for the Spa Person of the Year Award. In the Distinguished Day Spa category, spas must be a accredited members of the DSA; they get invited to enter this annual competition; the winner is determined through a vote by current board members.
Generally speaking, the way to get noticed for these awards is to get involved in the DSA and the spa industry at large. Whether you decide to provide sponsorships to spa-related causes, join a DSA volunteer committee, or apply to become an accredited DSA day spa, each venue can provide you with a path to personal and professional growth and satisfaction as well as the possibility of being recognized by your industry peers and your association. I encourage you to take the first step and become a volunteer in any area of the DSA (including the Day Spa Expo.) If you are ready to give back , please contact me at Felicia@spalutions.com.
For more details on accreditation, please click here.
To read about the past winners of the Spa Person of the Year Award, please click here.
Felicia Brown, LMBT
Spa Consultant & Trainer
NCBTMB Approved Provider
Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach
www.Spalutions.com
www.SmartSpaMarketing.com
http://blog.spalutions.com
http://blog.spaclientele.com
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DSA Spa Industry Blog 
Hi,
My name is Shannon and your blog has inspired me. I recently lost my job of 10 years and I have decided to change careers, wanting to go into Spa Management. I’m 32 years of age and have a sales and marketing background. As funny as this may sound, I’m looking for a mentor and am hoping you can help. I normally don’t reach out to strangers, however, you seem to have a tremendous amount of experience. I’m not looking for a job, just a resource to guide me in the right direction.
Regards, Shannon