Strangers No More – The Cost of Experience

Strangers never return to Donna Phillips’ Studio 360 Med Spa in Highland Village for a second visit.

Here’s how it works.

A person calling the spa for the first time to make an appointment is a stranger. The status of the stranger remains as she walks through the door and introduces herself to the spa employee, who welcomes her with a warm smile. She then meets the highly skilled provider who will be responsible for administering the service(s) she requested. At this point, the designation of “stranger” begins disappearing. Before the end of the appointment, a friend or a family member emerges. She’ll never again be a stranger at Studio 360.

“That’s exactly what we want to happen,” Ryndi Hodge, manager since the studio opened in 2018, said. “Our environment is quite different from most spas. We’ve created a relaxed, comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. It’s family-like. We want every person who leaves after that first appointment to know they’ve been listened to, that we heard them, and we know their goals. We know them, and we intend to know them even better as our relationship develops.”

Friendly, family-like relationships do develop at Studio 360, especially between patients and their regular providers. “The fact that we have very little turnover within our staff is a tremendous advantage in establishing those personal connections,” Ryndi affirmed. “The better our providers know their patients, the better we can serve them.”

Many of us remember when spas first began dotting our social landscape. In the beginning, it was a form of pampering reserved for those with significant discretionary income. Facials and massages led the way in those early stages. Before long, we realized it wasn’t just pampering.

Then, one by one, the injectables joined the menu. Then came lasers, body treatments, bio-identical hormones, and even sexual wellness.

Spas proliferated. Technology advanced. New products and procedures joined the market. Med spas were born with board-certified medical professionals, including physicians and nurses, on-site to consult and oversee treatments at the med spa facilities.

“Today, there is a med spa on every corner,” Ryndi said, “and there is truly a Botox price war. While we keep our prices competitive, we are also honest when we say our patients also pay for the in-depth experience and technical training of our providers. We have over 35 years of combined experience as our professionals. It takes time and commitment to build what we offer, and we don’t de-value our services by aligning with Groupon or other mega discount retailers.

“Our providers train constantly. It’s on-going and it truly never reaches a place where we can say ‘The End.’ We stay on top of the industry. We offer the tried-and-true protocols, but we also investigate new products. We research all the science and technology connected to them, and we always use them first in the studio before we introduce anything new to our patients. We consider all of this a huge responsibility. We also feel selecting a Med Spa should not be a lightly made decision.”

Spa 360 also offers weight loss and hormone therapy programs. “Many people view us as a glamour industry,” Ryndi continued, “but we also hold a person’s health in our hands, especially when we talk about weight loss and hormone therapy. This is one of the reasons we rely on honest, comfortable, and caring relationships with our patients. Open and honest communication about all procedures is vital.

“We do not offer a production line delivery service, and we don’t need to look at your chart to remember your name after that first appointment. We know who you are, and name tags aren’t needed among family and friends.”

Studio 360 doesn’t hesitate to think outside the box, which is what happened two years ago when Kathy Hodges stepped on board to construct and manage a boutique filled with unique selections of jewelry, clothing, handbags, and much more. A naturally strong, symbiotic relationship bloomed between the two entities.

According to Ryndi, everyone is ready to expand the Studio’s menu of services and more than anything else, to lengthen their list of family names.