Pure Salon & Spa wanted an updated, modern and fresh website that incorporated crisp lines and sharp, bright colors. They also have a large spa and salon product inventory so they wanted to make it more accessible to online customers. Pure specializes in weddings and needed a section of the website dedicated to bridal and wedding services as well as an image gallery that would give potential clients a sense of their expertise.

The solution was to create simple navigation that carried through the modern theme and resulted in a decidedly crisp and beautiful aesthetic for their website. Our graphic design team used sub-menus for more complex pages, which made the website extremely easy-to-use for online visitors and also added an accordion menu for their wedding and bridal gallery. This new design also streamlined the project development process and kept the implementation running smoothly, yielding a faster result.

Pure Salon & Spa came into the website design process prepared with professional images from one of their partners, Great Lengths. Superior images often inspire a compelling website design, a synergy likely to produce a beautiful and effective website. In this instance, we used these fantastic images and then incorporated movement to draw the eye in and encourage visitors to linger. Pure Salon & Spa was extremely organized throughout the website design process, providing all the critical information in a timely manner and that made for a wonderfully effective partnership.

Fusion's spa menu is rich with signature treatments including skin resurfacing facial treatments, exotic body scrubs, chakra balancing massages and exhilarating facials. The staff at Fusion Aveda Salon and Spa is extremely knowledgeable about new Aveda products and their spa services.

Fusion's new website takes their business to the next level with a homepage that is uncluttered, easy to navigate and sophisticated to meet the needs of their customers. The new website makes it simple for clients to purchase Instant Gift Certificates, book appointments online and follow their business on Facebook and Twitter.

Fusion has added a short video to their homepage, an important source of information for potential customers and a valuable marketing and SEO tool for all local spas and salons. Businesses are using video to educate and provide service demonstrations, which can increase conversions and take relevance to the next level with information that written content can't convey.

Fusion's new website raises the bar for other spas and salons in their geographical area and it will help Fusion generate more traffic online. Now it's so easy for visitors to see the menu and choose from their great selection of spa and salon services.

This is a beautiful and elegant website that will help Fusion Aveda Salon and Spa build online traffic and increase revenue for their business. They can easily make changes to the website and consistently keep content fresh to improve their SEO rank.

A new spa or salon website elevates your local brand, so building one that creates a strong association with your physical business and that attracts more visitors by standing out amongst competitor's websites is critical.

Spas like Chirugy, that embrace holistic health and wellness can effectively and subtlety communicate their unique brand and build a website that fits their business perfectly.

One philosophical tenant of Chirugy Massage is creating a practice that embraces whole body wellness, allowing the body to heal itself naturally and addressing the body as a whole unit that works toward the single purpose of life. It makes sense that their website should work pretty much the same way.

Color branding guru, Susan Gunelius, says this about using Yellow as a major color in a website:

After SpaBoom's initial website launch call with Chirugy Massage on January 1st, our implementation team was able to build and take their website live on January 25th. Chirugy Massage had a beautiful new website and integrated online marketing platform in less than a month.

Chirugy Massage is also taking advantage of SpaBoom's online marketing platform by using our built-in, customizable email campaigns that integrate Chirugy's current specials and events within the email. They repurposed the email content and posted it on Facebook. They used social media to extend that campaign to remind fans about their current treatment specials and in-spa events.

Actually, customers care more about your spa and the services offered than some "cutting-edge" experience that a designer wants to charge $5,000 to build. Most visitors (76%) simply want a website that makes it easy to find the stuff they are looking for like a spa's hours of operation, accurate contact information and valuable features like the ability to purchase Instant Gift Certificates online.

Unfortunately, like a puppy fixated on a squirrel, many businesses are hyper-focused on the visual aesthetics of their website design and spend weeks (months) perseverating on the kerning, background and images on a splash page while the usability gets shoved to the side.

I know what you are going to say; "but spa and salon are visual industries" you cry! "We must feel good about how we look," you plead. Fear not! Below are new spa and salon websites that deliver both, clean navigation with a purpose and beautiful and modern designs that catch the end-users eye and beg for a closer look.

Clear and Simple Navigation

The Cheveux Salon website delivers beautiful images that complement its simple and clean navigation. When a design team manages to mesh all the important components of a business into a website, providing valuable online tools and easy to read content, the end-user tends to linger, peruse and purchase. Salon Cheveux is a great example of a clean, modern design that allows the website to do its job.

Images and White Space

ESSA Salon and Spa's website is an amazing example of eye-catching images and strategic use of white space to make important features shine through. The photo slides catch the eye and draw you into all the amazing hairstyles. The use of white space on the homepage naturally focuses attention on all the important components of the website that should be clearly emphasized. This website is packed with information that the end-user can immediately tap into with a single click. ESSA's Facebook integration is cutting edge and adds an up-to-date social component to the website.

Typography and Background Patterns

The Rommetta Salon website shows how strong typography and background patterns can work in concert to achieve a rich texture design that also manages to effortlessly take the end-user where they need to go. The navigation bar is so easy to see and read but also serves to ground the website design. Rommetta's website is content rich but the large photos manage to create balance without overpowering valuable information about the salon.

A Clearly Defined Brand

The beauty of the VIP Salon and spa website design is how perfectly it expresses VIP's brand identity. This is an award winning, innovative salon and spa that strives to give clients the most amazing experience possible. I wrote a blog post about VIP a while back and was taken then with their desire to make every client feel special. The new website perfectly reflects the sophistication and urban feel that VIP strives to maintain. The limo service featured on the website is the perfect way to start a spa experience at VIP Salon and Spa.

Leverage a Strong Local Presence

Athena Jean Salon and Spa is a successful businesses that has amassed incredible value to their logo, it is a highly identified local business. The goal was to bring balance to their overall website design and also give the spa website clear navigation that makes it simple for consumers to find what they want. Our graphic designer accomplished this brilliantly by pairing balance to the logo with clean navigation, still allowing their strong local brand presence to shine through.

You might have missed your chance to take in the LIVE personality and sparkle of our webinar on Monday with Seth and Janell, but you can still learn the top 5 salon website design disasters and then how to avoid them with attractive and sophisticated designs that are useful to customers — just view and download our webinar files and catch up on your own schedule.

Janell and Seth reveal the latest website design trends that engage clients and seamlessly tie into content leaving a lasting impression.

Watch the Video: Top 5 Salon Website Disasters

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Join us as we reveal the top 5 salon website design disasters and then show you how to avoid them with attractive and sophisticated designs that are useful to customers.

Learn about the latest website design trends that engage clients and seamlessly tie into content leaving a lasting impression.

Don't miss out. This is a free webinar so sign up right away!

Reserve your Webinar Seat Now!

Title: Top 5 Salon Website Design Disasters — Free Webinar
Date: Monday, May 16th , 2011
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

The salon's new website is designed to create a strong first impression, highlighting their commitment to natural products and cutting-edge hair treatments. Essential's website incorporates many of the latest website design trends like streamlined navigation, so online traffic can find what they need quickly and efficiently, and cutting edge use of spacing for a modern and streamlined look.

Website designers are trending toward simple, easy to navigate websites that don't throw everything at the end-user all at once. Essentials Salon's professional photography is bold, creating a strong first impression that is appealing to the eye. The salon's website conveys their environmental focus and attention to natural beauty by delivering such a clean aesthetic.

Essentials salon is committed to helping clients get what they need, whether it's a new hairstyle or a trim to manage a style they already love. They also offer Shellac manicures and Keratin smoothing treatments. The salon offers organic hair color along with their specialized techniques to bring out the natural beauty of their clients. Essentials Salon also specializes in express blowout, formal hair, facial waxing, manicures and pedicures for adults and children.

This is a great review from a very happy customer, right from their Facebook page!

Creating this new website for Blue Water is a first step in being successful online. It creates the opportunity to build online traffic to their website and turn visitors into new clients. In addition, consumers can book appointments, purchase spa instant gift certificates and check out Blu Water's Twitter and Facebook page. It is critical that Blu Water Medi Spa now has a homepage that is easy to navigate, tells visitors exactly what the spa does and what is important to know about their business. The services menu is easy to find and outlines the full array of massage, skincare, waxing, chiropractic, nail and hair services they offer to their clients.

Blu Water is an Aveda concept salon which means the spa meets the strict quality standards of the beauty brand. They have also differentiated themselves in their community by hosting the Premier Bridal Expo in Monroe Michigan. There were a variety of wedding services and vendors on hand at the Expo to give brides-to-be access to all the local businesses while promoting Blu Water's expertise in bridal hair and spa services.

If you couldn't join us as we discussed the latest website design trends on Wednesday, fear not. All of the critical components to effective website design are still available for you as our slideshow download, and to get the full experience, watch our video of the webinar as it happened live. The presentation is always engaging by the duo of Seth and Janell and you'll leave feeling empowered and ready to revamp your site and your social media strategy for the spring holidays.

You won't hear the Q & A at the end, but feel free to call us and one of our folks can handle your questions from the nuts and bolts to "I am not a client yet but want to be". We love those calls! (It is 800-940-0458, if you've forgotten.)

Watch the Video: Secrets of Successful Websites

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

The spa's new website gives online consumers full access to client reviews right from the home page. Reviews are valuable to those wanting to know more about the Dermage spa experience before they book an appointment. In addition, SpaBoom assisted Dermage in adding video to their website, providing an added benefit to consumers preferring to get information through video.

It’s great to see a spa that has claimed their Google Places listing and sits at the top of search results! It is because they are doing so many things right and taking advantage of the online tools available, like reviews and blogging, to improve their rank in search results.

Advantages of using video to promote your spa:

According to Forrester Research, online videos were 53 times more likely than traditional web pages to receive an organic first-page ranking in search results.

According to TechCrunch:

To ensure you drive traffic to your website, make sure you submit a video sitemap to Google. It gives them the information they need to add your information in search.

Advantages of claiming your Google Places listing:

• Once you have verified your Google Places listing and optimized it, your spa will show up at the top of search results on the map. This is a great way to expand your exposure to more Google users for spa searches in your city.
• It is free so take advantage of it.
• Google Places allows you to enhance your spa listing and provide rich details about your spa. You can add hours of operation, photos, product and service descriptions, even video to your verified listing.
• Potential clients who are looking for your business using a smart phone will see all the relevant data on your spa’s Google Places listing. It provides easy access to your business’s address and phone number.
• As your spa adds online reviews, they are collected on your listing and it can help improve your search rank over time. Your online reviews are valuable so make sure you manage them effectively.

Very likely, these adjectives describe some aspect of the treatments, services and environment of your spa or salon. They should also describe your website. Today, your website is often the very first impression a consumer has of your business.

What impression is your website giving right now?

Join us as we discuss the latest website design trends and reveal the secrets to a successful website makeover. There are critical components to effective website design and when incorporated will intuitively align your website's first impression with the truest version of your spa or salon brand.

Learn how to leverage the power of group buying to build your client base, increase revenue all while enhancing your spa's services and increasing your social media reach.

Space is limited.

Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

Title: Secrets of Successful Websites — Free Webinar
Date: Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EST

In a recent J.Con Salon Spa online review, I read the following:

There is immense power in positive salon and spa reviews because quality is measured by a client's experience. If a client has taken time to relate their superior salon or spa experience it is meaningful and instantly engaging to potential customers. Approximately 160 million people use the Internet in the US, and online directories tend to be used by professionals between 25 and 49 making over $75k per year.

According to ComScore, in a study of local sites like CitySearch, Yelp, Kudzu, Local.com, and YellowBot, online directory users were willing to pay 20% more for services (like food, health and beauty) from business with a 5 star review than those who had just 4 stars.

The study also shows that 24% of consumers look at on online review before making an offline service purchase. A whopping 75% of those users were “influenced” by those review saying they were “unbiased,” “efficient” and provided a nice “forum for discussion.” And the influence is big. Not only will they pay 20% more for the same service from a place with a 5 star average rating, but almost 40% said they would not buy any services from a business with a one star rating.

If you want to gain traction, cultivate reviews and actively manage your online reputation. SpaBoomer's can activate the Instant Gift Certificate (IGC) review option, allowing consumers to leave reviews, like the one you see in this article. Each time a client writes a review from the IGC page of your website, they collect and show up in your SpaBoom account on the “today page” and you can see them when you log into SpaBoom. Additionally, the SpaBoom reviews report will allow you to monitor reviews over time and provide you with analysis and information for your business.

You can easily add these reviews to your dynamic website, they will be displayed in the events column in order, beginning with highlighted reviews, followed by highest rated reviews with the most recent first. Adding reviews to your website is easy, for step-by-step instructions go to SpaBoom Help. If you have more questions, call us at and we would be happy to walk you through it.

Infinity Medi-Spa is a new business in Wasilla, Alaska. They offer a full range of services including, massage, laser, physician services and body treatments. In addition, they are committed to using products that are safe for clients and the environment. Infinity Medi-Spa was designed to help clients achieve their beauty, wellness and anti-aging goals in a tranquil environment.

SpaBoom had an opportunity to work with Infinity Medi-Spa to develop a new logo for their business as well as a new dynamic website. Infinity worked with our graphic designer to create a unique logo that blends their particular expertise in both spa and medical services.

Infinity Medi-Spa’s new website gives them full online functionality, the ability to engage with customers and grow their business. They have set a great foundation for success as a small business, their website propels them ahead of over 50% of all local businesses in the United States.

The website’s clean navigation and intuitive design helps clients engage seamlessly. If a client wants to view the services menu, buy an Instant Gift Certificate or book an appointment online it is simple to see where to go right away, there are no extra steps.

It is a proven fact; successful spas consistently use their website’s online capabilities because it is critical to customer engagement. SpaBoom’s email marketing and integrated social media features are designed to help spas communicate with clients efficiently and effectively. It is all integrated, spas can set up a promotional email or use SpaBoom’s default emails along with social media posts and be ready to go.

For New Spas we highly recommend:

• Claim your Google Places Listing. It is one of the most important steps in making sure potential clients can find you online. Do this immediately.
• Develop an email list, but ask permission first. It will always backfire to email people who don’t want to hear from you.
• SpaBoom sets up your website with a great SEO foundation but you can always do more. Determine your key phrases both specific to your business and location and broad enough for general searches. Most importantly, use them in your website content and marketing.
• Get reviews! It all starts with great customer service but it is always ok to remind clients to leave a review online.
• Use email marketing, it is designed to help you retain customers and deliver valuable promotions and information.
• Make sure you are on the Joy of Spa and Spa Emergency! directories.
• Blog, one post per week. Use your keywords and phrases and add fresh, relevant content consistently.

Infinity Medi-Spa is ahead of the curve with an effective website, online engagement and a strong set of communication tools all baked in from the start.

End-user is tech-speak for all current and potential online spa clients. New trends are about designing a website that is attractive and useful for them. Today's end-users won’t bother to sit through your video, splash page or other fluff. They will just hit the back button and click to the next spa website that gives them the information they are looking for. It’s that simple. If your website doesn’t engage or captivate within 10 seconds, you will lose them forever. It is not personal, they just move on.

Below are several websites that demonstrate the latest trends in website design. They use images to engage the end-user's attention and provide key information intuitively.

Using big photos in the main content area of the homepage creates a strong impression and quickly draws the end-user's attention. It is critical that the photo tie-in seamlessly with the content and is stylized for maximum impact.

Website designers are trending toward simple, easy to navigate websites that don't throw everything at the end-user all at once. Simple navigation is extremely important.

The all important first impression should tell the end-user that they are in the right place, and guide them quickly to the information or action they need.

It is true that people are tired of straining to see dense blocks of text but you don’t want to design a spa website exclusively for aging baby boomers either.

Bigger fonts should be used only when it enhances the end user experience, like headers and sub-headers for instance. But with website content, 12-14px is still the appropriate standard.

More spacing between paragraph lines is also a trend that can give a website a cleaner look and feel. In addition, adjusting line-height helps give copy some breathing room and eases the strain on the eyes.

The boundaries within topography are widening, allowing for innovative web design and development. This trend will continue to grow and evolve. Just keep in mind, bad typography ruins good web design and it distracts the end-user.

New color trends center around the concept of using just a few colors for a super clean and modern website design. Busy, multi-colored websites strain the eyes and distract spa visitors from reading your content. Loud website design like centered format text, assorted text sizes that rule-out established text hierarchy disorganizes and diminishes the end-user experience.

There is still a way to get movement without using flash. SpaBoom website designers incorporate these methods to create rotating images that engage the online consumer. Click on the website below to see Lumiere Resort's rotating photos on their website.

Effective, search engine friendly websites get noticed, attract visitors and turns them into new clients. Synchronizing website navigation with a more stylized look will deliver a seamless and positive interaction with your clients.

The spa and imaging center worked with SpaBoom to create a new website for their growing business. The spa has succeeded in building an online social community, their Facebook page is filled with helpful information targeted at pregnancy. Their new website clearly communicates all the great services and products they offer to expectant moms and makes it easy to navigate through all the valuable information. Clients love the new website and the spa is excited about the SpaBoom feature allowing gift givers to pick a gift certificate design and delivery date. It is the perfect online gift solution for pregnant moms.

A very happy client recently exclaimed:

Looking back it is easy to track the journey of pregnancy, but during each stage women are much more focused on the immediate changes that affect the skin and the physical changes that bring on discomfort and exhaustion. The spa is a place pregnant women can address aches with a massage, hormonal changes with a soothing facial and find some relief from discomfort in a relaxing pregnancy focused treatment or beautiful pedicure. During pregnancy, expectant moms can't always see their feet but that doesn't mean they can't look beautiful thanks to a pampering foot treatment at Becoming Mom Spa.

Watch them both reveal the secrets to building a valuable list, increasing your fans and followers all while driving traffic to your website and spa. We will give you actionable tools to get the conversation started and increase revenue using the strategies behind these important numbers.

3 Number Challenge 2011: Watch the Video

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

That added barrier encourages online visitors to hit the back arrow fast and they won’t come back either. It really makes consumers frustrated and that sentiment transfers directly to a spa brand.

It’s so easy to lose sight of what website design is all about, your spa customers. They are online searching for valuable content, quick solutions and answers. It’s all about developing content they demand, so don’t create delays, irritate them or breed confusion with your website design.

With the online customer in the forefront, here are some website disasters that your spa business must avoid.

Predators Eat Peacocks with Cumbersome Plumage

Websites that put beauty first will not survive online. Clear navigation and functionality rule the roost. Dynamic websites are designed to organize information around consumer’s needs for maximum clarity. Functionality means that consumers see where they want to go intuitively, simple and easy.

If your core architecture is convoluted or “Shazam groovy” it might win awards but no one will find your website and those who do will be searching for the clever navigation hidden beneath layers of flash induced lightning bolts.

Also, avoid confusion with wearisome rollovers and maddening sub-navigation; each extra step moves you farther away from meeting consumer’s online needs.

Hieroglyphics are Antiquated for a Reason

Keep your typography readable, easy on the eye and don’t overwhelm consumers with too much information.

says Lori Patton a SpaBoom graphic designer. Visually, stick with standard, easy to read fonts and don’t overwhelm with over-sized graphics that clutter up the page.

Speed Dating vs. Stock Photography

Imagine perusing a dating website, among the suitors is an unbelievably gorgeous picture, a profile that looks too perfect and sculpted. In real life, we just don’t buy it. Spa consumers want to see what your spa looks like, not an endless array of stock photography. Research shows that real photos on websites lead to higher engagement and more revenue.

So invest in a great photographer and obtain attractive photos of your spa. It will provide more value to your website long-term. Video can work, but remember it is a huge online commitment to ask visitors to stop and listen to a 5-minute introduction. A single photo can speak volumes and work just as well.

Do Seek Balance with the Golden Ratio

Like all good things, balance is key to effectiveness in life and online. The Golden ratio has been used for centuries to create design that is aesthetic and welcoming to the eye. The ratio connects to a language that your brain is hardwired to understand, think of a nautilus shell. As the spirals get smaller they do so in a natural progression that is proportional to each spiral. The visual look of your website should incorporate your sense of good proportion and that will produce a design that is pleasing and harmonious to online consumers.

The Waterfalls Day Spa is located within the historic Middlebury Inn in Vermont. The Inn offers visitors a welcoming stay in a vibrant college town that is steeped in character and beauty. Waterfalls Day Spa offers a variety of spa services for locals and guests with a focus on relaxation, rejuvenation and helping clients maintain healthy skin. They also offer a full range of bridal services, including facial and bridal makeup packages, hair and eyelash application, everything a bride needs to feel ready and beautiful on their wedding day. The day spa is party central, with Glittericious and No Boys Allowed birthday party packages for girls 7-14. These creative parties allow birthday girls to be superstars and provide a creative option for parents seeking a unique birthday party.

The Day Spa succeeds in offering their clients a variety of spa options. There is an entire page on the website devoted to specials and events at the spa. The Day Spa utilizes SpaBoom default campaigns and have a variety of workshops for clients to choose from, even better they can share it on Facebook.

The Waterfalls Day spa offers soothing and relaxing experiences from the moment clients enter the spa. They create an environment that melts away the stress and ensures that clients feel happy and relaxed throughout their entire spa experience.

Their new salon website evokes the highest level of sophistication, a testament to its sleek, Paris chic modern design. It declares that feeling beautiful inspires confidence; to indulge and be pampered is important. The salon is on their way, creating a power brand and designating Splurge Salon as a place that creates customers for life.

The website’s fully integrated online marketing capability generates revenue instantly for the salon. It allows them to easily manage their online content and graphics, email marketing campaigns, online menus, SEO, social media, branded Instant Gift Certificates, and special events, all from a single login.

While the Splurge Salon website speaks to the essential qualities of luxury, their staff works very hard to make clients feel warm and welcome the moment they enter the salon. Customer service sets them apart from the competition as does the new website because it extends that relationship with customers online. Existing clients can be fully informed about news and events at Splurge Salon by following them on Facebook. Because they are now integrated online, it has streamlined their entire marketing process, which means they can continue to put their focus and attention on clients and running the salon.