Today's anti-aging clients are often women in their 30s and 40s looking to preserve their looks.

The unrelenting pressure on women to stay young is ironically ageless and no different now than it was in my mother's day. When women of past generations hit "a certain age," their only recourse was a scalpel. Surgery at any time is radical, though sometimes necessary. Fortunately, thanks to technology, there are many non-invasive alternatives that are astonishingly effective. Today's cutting-edge technologies, now without the sharp edge of a surgeon's knife, are reaping many spas results that turn up sales and turn back the clock for their clients.

"Most women want to fight the signs of aging in private so they can maintain the image of growing old gracefully to the rest of the world," says Maureen Schumacher, spa director of the Aqua Star Spa at The Beverly Hilton (Beverly Hills, CA). "So offering anti-aging services in a spa setting instead of a doctor's office is a valuable part of any spa menu."

Business is Baby-Booming

Given that baby boomers (born from 1944 to 1964) number more than 78 million in the U.S. and make up more than 25 percent of the population, it isn't much of a stretch to expect them to want anti-aging treatments. But boomers are a demanding lot, and they know the difference between results and rhetoric—and they know what they want when it comes to anti-aging services.

"With all of the advanced technologies available in both products and equipment, anti-aging services should address multiple issues including thorough and deep cleansing, exfoliation, intensive treatment masks, and product infusions," says Lisa Henry-Jacobs, senior spa consultant for Blu Spas/Collier and Collier in Erie, CO. "Each treatment should be customized for each individual client's needs. The word 'aging' means something different to everyone. Texture, tone, clarity, fine lines, and wrinkles are the most common complaints. A good anti-aging treatment will be capable of addressing all of these things."

"For many guests, it is the number-one reason they come to the spa—they want to look and feel ten years younger," says Lorraine Park, vice president of spas for Remington Hotels. "These services let the public know you are serious about the menu you offer and that your team is educated in more than just feel-good and pampering types of treatments. It brings a level of expertise to the playing field."

Beyond the Boomer

Nowadays, demand for anti-aging services is crossing all generations. Spa-goers in their 40s are looking for epidermal tune-ups, Gen Xers in their 30s hope to keep their complexions in shape, and even Generations Y, Z, and I in their 20s and teens are starting anti-aging regimes early. Could it be that anti-aging treatments aren't only for the aging?

"These days, anti-aging services are being booked by women in their 20s who feel that it is never too soon to address the issue of aging," says Schumacher. "We see basically two groups—the ones in their 30s who want to preserve the look that they have and the 40-to 50-year-old baby boomers who want to slow down the aging process," adds Park. "The most important thing is not to over-promise and under-deliver. That is why the descriptions within our brochure are so important. We use terms like 'minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.' We do not use terms like 'anti-aging.'"

Marketing Tips

Desiree Dosanjh, spa director of the Alluvian Spa (Greenwood, MS), says her target market is everyone. "We market to younger women as a preventative measure, and we market to older clientele as a corrective measure," she says. WTS International spa consultant and operator Holli Beckwith says her market is everyone except teens for age management services. "You should state the effects and benefits in a clear, simple message," she says. "You can be cute with Fountain-of-Youth-type promos, but a direct approach to this serious skincare issue is best. Education is a good marketing tool, either at the time of the treatment or enhanced with guest events."

Many anti-aging treatments, while gentle and cumulative, can sometimes give dramatic results, and word-of-mouth is still your most effective promotion. "Our philosophy is that it's never too late to start making a difference," says Schumacher. "We had one guest in her late 50s who never had a facial and had been going through a rough time with the loss of her husband. We performed a galvanic microcurrent facial on her. When we showed her the results in the mirror, she was so astonished she started crying and told us that she had forgotten all about the young woman looking back at her in the mirror. Reactions and results like that are rare, but they are the best form of marketing—the very next day, her best friend came in for the same facial."

Beckwith also advises that spas market anti-aging services to men and put head-to-toe anti-aging services on their spa menus. "An anti-aging service should entail treatment of the face, décolleté, and hands," says Dosanjh. "It is also important not to forget the skin everywhere else on the body. We offer anti-aging peels for the arms, legs, feet and back, as well."