First Spa Parties booked!

[AshleyR]

I have THREE Spa Parties coming up between now and Christmas! They're my first ones, so I thought I'd ask here for any ideas as to what I should do at them.

They are closer to Christmas so I thought I would have the guests make a small little gift set with me - maybe bath salts in a pretty jar, or something easy like that.

What else should I do though? I will explain the benefits of handmade soap & b&b stuff, let the guests try samples of everything, and bring some of my stuff for sale.

I can't see it taking very long once I explain everything to them and show them how to make the bath salts. What can I fill the rest of the time with?

Also, do any of you charge a fee for your Spa Parties? For example, I went to a few "Stampin' Up!" (scrapbooking) parties, and there was always a $10 fee to cover the cost of the materials that we used to make our little craft (usually a card or something). I am anticipating there to be around 20 people at each of these parties, so the cost of materials to make the bath salts will really add up.

Is that a cost I eat myself and hope to make up in sales? Or should I charge a small fee to everyone that attends?

How can I encourage big sales???

Any ideas at all would be appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[dagmar88]

I want to come!
I'd let the hostess pick one of your soaps for free 8) when she tells her friends they'll be fighting to make their home available for your spa party next time!
Also, make nice deals, by for 20, 30, 50 dollars and get ... for free. Doesn't have to be something that's expensive fo you.
That way someone who was only going to buy for 24 might spend those 6 dollars extra to get a freebie.

 

[topcat]

I can let you know what I do Ashley. Originally I was helping the guests make a small (single use) bath salts sample to take home. Each one was spooned into a small cellophane bag and tied with a colourful foil twist tie. My party guest average has been around 6 - 8 people and making these took about 20 minutes. Cost to me for 6 guests was only about $1.00 each, so no big outlay. At my last party I had 15 guests and decided to go with giving each lady a sample sized soap as a thank you for coming. Each sample is a 1/4 bar and they loved them! This was a total hit and I will continue that as the cost is around the same or less than the salts, takes waaaay less time and the guests are just as happy. Even more so maybe as I was getting comments like 'oh, I don't take baths I use the shower so no thanks'.

I set my table up like I am at a market stall and it is buy at the party - no later delivery. I am averaging the same or better in retail sales than at the markets, without the market fee so I don't charge the guests anything.

My format:-

I thank the hostess for inviting me into her home and give her a gift with a retail value of up to $15.00 - her choice from my range. She also received 10% of party sales to spend at her party and a $10.00 voucher to spend at each party booked (and held) by any of her guests. I tell the guests this so they know what they can expect if they would like to have a party too.

I spend somewhere around 10 minutes or so explaining about handmade soap-v-commercial soap. I give some information about the ingredients I use and pass around several products for people to smell.

I ask that everyone please try my soap and have a small bar at the sink or basin for that purpose. I also offer my salt scrub for them to test and body butter to try on their hands after. Note: what they test they tend to buy so be prepared with enough!

Sales and conversation; take bookings; pack up & go home! Elapsed time about 1 1/2 hours.

My costs average out to be around $25.00 (including the $10.00 retail voucher) and my sales average out to be about $180.00 so far.

Good luck with what you do and have fun!

Tanya

 

[AshleyR]

Thanks soooooooo much!

Tanya, your parties sound like fun! Thank you so much for the ideas! The first two parties I'm holding are at my sisters house, and my sister-in-laws, with a bunch of their friends, so there isn't tooooooo much pressure.... thank goodness!

I do have a third party booked with my mother in law and her friends (eeep!) but by then I'll have some practice! LOL

 

[misty]

topcat, if I may ask how you set up your ingredients for the bathsalts? Would they be in individual containers(bowls) & the guests just spoon out (as you suggested) a spoonfull(tsp./tbsp) of each salt into their baggies, etc. then add color & f.o.'s. Never did one & these parties sound like fun....thanks

 

[topcat]

Yes Misty, that is pretty much how I do it. I have tupperware bowls of sea salt, bicarbonate soda, epsom salts and buttermilk powder. I spoon out what the guests want to include into small bowls, add their choice of fragrance and they stir, stir, stir! I didn't take colour along - I could just see someone knocking it onto the host's carpet :shock:

Tanya

 

[misty]

thank you Tanya, although the fragrance is each to their own, would
there still be a certain ratio to the salts, etc. just wondering.

 

[topcat]

Each guest ended up with about 2 tablespoons of bath salts mix, so I offered them about 4 or 5 drops fragrance. HTH!

Tanya

 

[misty]

thank you Tanya, I have a better perspective now......