Enhancing the customer experience through an elevated ambiance

There’s the outside world, and then there’s Milk + Honey. The Texas-based chain of nine spas (and counting) curates an atmosphere so unique and relaxing that it allows their clients to leave worries at the door. 

“We are not in the business of providing massages and facials,” owner Alissa Bayer said. “We are in the business of making people feel good and giving them even just a two-hour respite from their life and reality. All of the little details of that experience are so important because they’re not coming in for a massage—it really is that whole decompression process.” 

Milk + Honey offers massages, med spa treatments, hair cuts, and products they’ve created from the ground up. But their main mission is making people feel good. For many busy clients, that means creating an experience that’s clearly differentiated from their daily lives. 

Yelp reviewer Melissa M. noticed many of these details on her first visit, after a long quest to find the best spa experience in the Houston area. “When we found Milk + Honey, there was no need to go anywhere else,” she wrote. “I love everything about this place. Free parking in a convenient location is great. The staff is professional yet friendly. The interior is clean and well kept. The locker room is just big enough, and I’ve never had to wait for a shower. They have all the amenities you’d want—from a hairdryer, showers, little items you might’ve forgotten, etc.”

From the lighting to the robes, Milk + Honey has predicted its clients’ every need. “As soon as you walk through the doors, we place a lot of attention on architecture and utilizing architecture to enhance that experience,” Alissa said. “As you continue to go further and deeper into the spa, it’s darker, quieter, just more relaxed.”

A crucial aspect of this experience is the team that helps curate it every day. Alissa knew her employees couldn’t care for customers if they’re not able to care for themselves—and she vowed early on to support her staff, which has since grown to 500 people across seven locations. Every employee receives paid vacation, health care, 401k matching, and other benefits that help foster a supportive environment. 

“People are everything in our business,” Alissa said. “When you focus on employees and make sure that they’re really happy, instead of focusing on the bottom line, your employees will make sure that your customers are happy and your customers will ensure your bottom line is healthy.”

As a mother of three, Alissa also learned to prioritize her own work-life balance by delegating tasks and focusing on other aspects of the business. After expanding the first salon into six locations in Texas and one in Los Angeles, she is now focusing on creating a product line, sold online, direct to consumers, and through wholesale partners like Ulta and Anthropology. 

“I’d been wanting to create products for a long time,” she said. “Creating them allowed me to flex some different muscles and do something new without having to leave Milk + Honey, which I love—it’s my first baby in all of the ways.”

Another addition that simplified salon operations? Milk + Honey’s model—which serves as a consistent source of revenue and rewards regulars with discounts on services. “It’s not something that’s a heavy sell,” Alissa said. “It’s something that we talk about when we see people coming in every month. They can just kind of breeze in and out without having to stop and pay.”

After one visit, Melissa counted herself amongst that prized group: “Once we found Milk + Honey, I really was like, this is the place I’m going to come consistently. And when they mentioned to me that they have this subscription model where you get a discount if you sign up for a monthly subscription, I was like, this is great because I want to come here anyway. I want to come to Nia anyway, and getting a discount is kind of like icing on the cake.” 

Alissa used these tips to help her business flourish: 

• Use your physical space to create an atmosphere. That brick and mortar can start your customer’s journey on the right foot with the right look and feel.
• Make your employees feel as valuable as the customers. A team that feels valued and respected will pass that on to your customers, and play an active part in growing your business. 
• Test out passive revenue streams. They can help increase revenue and keep businesses afloat during downturns. 
• When things go wrong, what matters most is your reaction. That’s what separates truly exceptional customer service from the average.

Photos from Milk + Honey on Yelp

These lessons come from an episode of Behind the Review, Yelp & Entrepreneur Media’s weekly podcast. Listen below to hear more from Alissa and Melissa, or visit the episode page to read more, subscribe to the show, and explore other episodes.