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Spa Management and Leadership AOS Degree

Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) realizes the benefits graduates may enjoy when working in a spa setting, therefore, a specialized spa program was created to make sure SWIHA graduates succeed at the highest levels of their careers. The Spa Management and Leadership Programmeets the needs of active or inactive licensed massage therapists, aesthecians and/or cosmetologists who want to build on their knowledge and apply it to the spa business world. As many as 750 hours of massage, aesthetic, and/or cosmetology training may be transferable into the Spa Management and Leadership Associate Degree Program.   (There are 300 hours of Spa Management classes which may be taken as Certificate of Excellence rather than a degree.  Please ask an academic advisor to discuss this option with you.) 

Today's spas are serious business.  The InternationalSpa Association reports as many as 12,100 spas in the United Statess, with the Southwest ranking as the largest spa market in the country.  The exponential growth of the industry has prompted the need for spa professionals to enhance their skills specifically related to the business and management issues unique to spas. Our research indicates there is a shortage of high-quality, trained labor – including spa managers and directors, aestheticians, and massage therapists.  It is one of the major challenges facing the global spa industry today, according to a survey of more than 160 world spa and wellness industry leaders who attended the first-ever Global Spa Summit earlier this week in New York...During a three day, invitation-only gathering held in December 2007 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, leaders from the global spa, real estate, investment, travel, spa education, beauty, and wellness sectors charted the future of the booming $40 billion plus spa industry.  The Spa industry has seen double digit growth for the past 20 years. According to the survey, 29 percent of delegates cited labor shortages as the top issue facing the industry, while 22 percent said the main challenge was the lack of industry-wide standards for defining spa categories and best practices. In terms of opportunities for the industry, delegates placed the greatest emphasis on enhancing clients’ health (29 percent), educating consumers that spas are about wellness (26 percent), and promoting preventative medicine (20 percent). 

SWIHA'S  Associate of Occupational Studies – Spa Management and Leadership Degree Program  focuses on the business models and positioning needed for the various spa categories as well as the operations, management, resources, treatments, services, equipment, marketing and retailing issues unique to the industry.  The degree program is designed for current spa owners, directors, practitioners, spa employees needing management training, business professionals and entrepreneurs entering the spa industry.  Manufacturers and developers of products for the spa industry, wellness and fitness professionals seeking to expand their understanding of the industry and representatives from business, hospitality, and tourism could also benefit from this program.  Students gain specific business and management skills needed for successful day-to-day spa operations, combined with long-range strategies necessary for sustained growth and profitability, employee retention and customer loyalty.

Some of the general education courses in this program include: Life Coaching, Nutrition, and Stress Management. Specialty classes like, Therapeutic Myotherapy, Yoga Teacher Training, Aromatherapy, and others may be included in the program as well to accumulate the total number of credits needed. 

Students entering this program will have the technical expertise of either Massage Therapy, Aesthetics, or Cosmetology or a combination of them.  By combining their technical skills with the Spa Management and Leadership element they become even more valuable in the market place.  Students who attend the program full-time may be completed in as little as eighteen months, earning up to 60 credits.

The faculty and staff here at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts invite you to reach your full potential and become a future leader in the world of business!

Make a smart business move and contact us about the Spa Management and Leadership Program today!