Going Corporate and Remaining Conscious

Article by Sienna Creasy, Group Spa Director for the Jewel Resorts

The day I traded my flip flops and Yoga pants for LifeStrides and slacks I knew I had embarked on a new practice. Long sleeve shirts and blazers covered my tattoos and my wild curly hair pulled tight into a top bun. Yes corporate Spa life was a VERY different ensemble from Yogini and Thai Massage Therapist. But the outfit cannot change the heart of a person; the shoes cannot change the pep in their step.

So I made a giant leap. Working for myself for 10 years had its perks, summer sabbaticals, afternoon naps and a lot of travel. It took me nearly two years to understand how someone had to “earn their vacation days, and what a day in ‘lieu’ meant”. Those of you in the industry since the beginning may not understand these simple challenges, but anyone reading this who entered this world from a different direction should read along.

ACTUALLY if you have been in the corporate world for so long you have forgotten what it feels like to take two days off in a week you too should read along.

My journey into this position began with a dedication to service. Sound familiar? I volunteered in the Peace Corps in both Bangladesh and Jamaica and during my time learned a whole heap about patience, persistence and passion. The service industry is NO different to me. I am sure we could talk for hours telling stories of frustrations and challenges BUT that will not cause the conscious ripple effect I hope to create with this message. Instead let's have a conversation about YOUR passion.

A short and simple 3-letter word that evokes many feelings, scenarios and situations for all of us. The journey I took to Spa Director was FAR from direct! Yoga Instructor and Therapist were my true passions, to work directly with my students and clients as an intuitive healer and inspirational leader. It took me some time to shift my student's mentality into therapists and my client as a one on one to every guest I meet. I think it is easy for some of us to forget how to truly ENJOY the work we get to do for a living.

So here are my 3 easy reminders to keep you in a Conscious space as a corporate Spa professional.

Wake up and MOVE. I do not mean move your thumbs over your phone to check the MOD report either. Move your body. I move for a minimum of 20 minutes a morning, sometimes Yoga, Pilates or Barre and sometimes a burst of Sean T.

Indulge. Again not the chocolate and wine although I am with you on those two. But indulge in the services you have created and are selling. Not as a review, not as an evaluation, but as a true check out of your head and into your Spa guest and pay for a service that you will love.

Collaborate. This is the conscious effort to support other spas and to connect with other people in your field to create a community and share ideas, vendors and great retail options. We are ALL in this industry to bring more balance and healing to this extremely dysfunctional world so stop competing with other healers and raise one another up. There is more than enough to go around. Spread the massage so to speak.

Ok. So you can see how the revolutionary Yogini still lives on and within each of us is that most passionate version of ourselves. Ignite them and let them wear the slacks and blazer and smile knowing the clothes do not make the director….the direction does!

Peace, Sienna Creasy