Interview with Ms. Joy Tsang, the Founder of AEVUM SPA, a European-style noble Spa
Forsaking the blind pursuit of luxury, AEVUM SPA creates a space of subtle liveliness with a clean, elegant, free and tranquil atmosphere, where a pure healing experience of body and mind is offered. As the only Spa in Shenzhen that focuses on the balance of body and mind, AEVUM SPA features a range of unique offerings, including a completely soundproof room for calming the mind and reducing pressure, the signature “Soar in the Sky” treatment, and the awaking zone with overwhelming city views.
“When material needs are basically satisfied, people naturally shift their focus to the inner spiritual world, trying to fuel their physical and mental energy. Inspired by the concept of ‘fulfill the beauty of body and mind’, AEVUM SPA aims to help guests restore the harmony of body and mind, and achieve a happier status from inside out,” Said Ms. Joy Tsang, the Founder of AEVUM SPA. SpaChina interviewed Ms. Tsang.
Your own personality is reflected in AEVUM SPA. What kind of Spa brand do you want to create?
We want to create a European standard Spa. Internationally, many standards such as those for drugs, skincare products’ components and Spasare set according to the European criteria. I want every aspect of AEVUM SPA to reach these standards.
So the product and equipment partners of AEVUM SPA are all from Europe, including Natura Bissé from Spain; [comfort zone] from Italy; HISTOMER, a medical anti-aging brand, from Italy; Golgemma, a manufacturer of organic oil with a hundred years of experience, from France; and LPG, a body shaping equipment brand, from France. These well-known brands are top leaders of the industry in every aspect from global prestige to product quality and effects.
I have 10 years’ business experience with professional European skincare brands. I am personally a faithful follower of European Spa and skincare. I really appreciate the product criteria, service standards and brand culture of Europe. What I want to do and am doing is to turn my biggest interest and appreciative lifestyle into my career and share it with customers who have the same goals.
You have positioned AEVUM SPA as a “European style noble Spa”. How do you define “noble”?
My understanding of “noble” comes from the following aspects. Firstly, most of AEVUM’s product partners are family enterprises. Through the efforts of several generations, they gain prestige in Europe as well as the whole world. They emphasize strongly on quality and brand identity and actively contribute to the society. From my points of view, this is surely the spirit of nobility.
Also, people born in the 1980s and 1990s are the main force of the market at present, as well as for the next five years. They are widely informed and have a good education background. Many of them have studied abroad, so they have much overseas experience and global horizons. In China, we often call this savvy and demanding group the “new noble”. So they also expect a high-quality noble style SPA which offers not only body relaxation, but a further restoration of mind and soul. They never blindly follow the multitudes, but rather choose a brand which has unique characteristics and can meet their own needs.
AEVUM is such a brand, for it gives them both a place of relaxation and a platform to express themselves. They can show their “noble” lifestyle on social media and gain much satisfaction and confidence from it.
Why do you open your stores at high-end shopping malls? What is the consumption pattern and visiting frequency of AEVUM customers?
We demand high standards in every aspect and high-end shopping malls will facilitate our delivery of high-level services and brand concept to the target group. The landmark shopping malls in every district of Shenzhen are indeed gathering places of notable elites and fair ladies. Such locations perfectly conform to AEVUM’s brand positioning.
Frankly speaking, the surrounding environment not covered by the shopping mall’s management is not satisfactory enough. Nevertheless, visitors to the mall are our target group – those with high taste, high demand, high education background and high income. Their consumption pattern is more holistic. After shopping or having a meal, they would directly go to the SPA. The average consumption sum is about 2,000 yuan each time. Data shows that customers’ visiting frequency is 1.7 times every month per person.
What is the main practice at AEVUM SPA, manual treatment or equipment treatment?
Seventy percent of our treatments are done manually, while others are by equipment. Since equipments are used to solve deep skin problems, it is not necessary to use them all the time. We prefer combining manual manipulation with the best products to deliver result-proven treatments. The products can also be brought home to prolong the treatment effect. More importantly, our customers want a complete relaxation of body and mind, so we don’t take equipment as our main approach.
Can you share with us some representative treatments in detail?
Every treatment at AEVUM SPA is meticulously designed and has superb comfort and effect. I’d like to share with you some of my favorites.
Natura Bissé Diamond Energy Treatment RMB 2,580: as a member of the global pioneering Crystal Diamond Range, the treatment extracts marine DNA for cell regeneration, moisture retention, intensive repair and skin tightening. It forms a protective film to protect the skin cells’ DNA structures. As a result, you will achieve firm, plump and radiant skin.
LPG Anti-aging Body Treatment RMB 1,080: the treatment will awaken the fibroblast, stimulate the generation of collagen, elastic fibers and hyaluronic acid in the dermis, and reshape the curve, restore the skin youth and firmness.
Seven Chakra Energy Treatment RMB1,280: the treatment is a combination of specially formulated essential oil, therapists’ non-judgmental mentality and unique manipulations. It helps customers reach a serene harmony of body and mind.
What are the products most often used at AEVUM SPA?
Our most often-used products are Natura Bissé. This brand sets no cost ceiling in doing research and development. So very obviously, customers are quite satisfied with the products’ effects. As a result, their re-visiting rate climbs.
In addition, we select organic oil from Golgemma, a French brand with a hundred years’ experience, to form our unique aromatherapy to balance body and mind. It is quite popular among customers. Golgemma is the crystallization of three generations’ inheritance of organic cultivation from a French family, combined with a professional and authoritative formulator team. Golgemma transfers the natural plant energy into human body.
What are your methods for expanding and maintaining guests?
We expand our guest portfolio mainly through three channels: sales at the member center, old members’ positive reviews and introductions, and partnership with banks for customer activities and promotions.
Meanwhile, we keep providing quality services attentively and whole-heartedly to maintain our old members. Natura Bissé and LPG also assist us by holding workshops during festivals and providing courses of body-mind treatments.
We also launch some new treatments and activities via internet, but we don’t do too much online marketing because I believe that in this age of overdone online marketing, it is the physical off-line experience that has the final say. Moreover, customers will share their experience on social media (like WeChat) to help promote the brand. Therefore, I attach more importance to the practical offline offerings.
How do you guarantee the quality standards of each store? What are your approaches in building your staff team and carrying out staff training?
We focus on three pillars of each store: 1. Corporate culture. It means that every management staff in the store should understand AEVUM’s goal of fulfilling the beauty of body and mind, as well as the relationship between this goal and their own life; 2. Standards. We have standard execution manuals for each position; 3. Benign promotion channels and payment mechanisms.
Nowadays, many hotel Spas are seeing a decline in business. As an expert in the cosmetology day Spa area, what is your view?
Concerning the development strategy of the hotel, Spa is just an additive. So many hotels don’t offer budget or have a plan to help Spas improve their operations. Such positioning inevitably leads to the decline of hotel Spa operations.
Hotels usually have more concerns, especially about feedback or complaints from customers in every region of the world. So many hotel Spas, in order to avoid trouble, don’t introduce challenging treatments which normally demand more staff training and capital investment because the hotel won’t support it.
Consequently, the hotel Spa operators become increasingly inactive. In my opinion, a well operated Spa, in fact, will bring more customers to the hotel. There should be mutual support between the hotel Spa and other departments.
In contrast, day Spas are more free to establish brand philosophy according to the preferences of local people and introduce unique treatments to meet their demands and lead their consumption patterns. Hotel Spas, despite their outstanding facilities, provide very similar services to all customers in different regions because of their unified hotel chain management.
