Adweek - 02.09.2019

ADWEEK 11

®

| SEPTEMBER 2, 2019

A

trip to the spa is many

things—relaxing and

rejuvenating, but also

expensive and time-

consuming. A number

of new skincare concepts

want to remedy this.

Over the past half-decade, disruptors like

Glowbar, Heyday and Skin Laundry have all

opened their doors, first in New York and

later expanding to cities like Los Angeles, Mi-

ami and Phoenix. These places offer a faster,

more affordable facial alternative, and with

these shorter times come lower price tags

than those usually associated with facials,

which can run well over $100 at a spa.

The concept, which marries the wellness

obsession with consumer demand for speed

and efficiency, is all about turning the idea of

what a facial is on its head, according to Adam

Ross, CEO of Heyday.

“When a lot of people hear the word ‘spa,’ it

connotes beauty, pampering and indulgence,”

he said. “For us, it was really important to

reposition a facial, take it out of the spa and

change the environment with which it’s de-

livered because we don’t view it as beauty; we

view it as self-care.”

Meeting consumer demands

Skincare has been a beneficiary of the increas-

ing popularity around self-care. Glowbar co-

founder and CEO Rachel Liverman said that

people are more willing than ever to make

time for skincare. The global skincare market,

currently worth $141.3 billion, is expected to

climb to $180.3 billion by 2024 and is in-

creasingly serving a younger customer base,

according to Statista.

“The consumer is finally understand-

ing that skincare is part of their wellness

routine,” said Liverman.

At the same time, these brands offer a solu-

tion for those who don’t want to dedicate hours

to a spa visit—namely, younger customers.

“This is a different generation that’s not

willing to spend two hours at a spa,” said

Larissa Jensen, beauty industry analyst at

the NPD Group.

MAKING FACIALS FASTER

AND MORE AFFORDABLE

WHILE SHAKING UP THE

INDUSTRY. BY DIANA PEARL

BRANDING

music plays so the resulting

atmosphere delivers the same

soothing feeling you’d expect

and resembles a cool boutique

rather than a medical office.

“[We wanted] to make it

feel very casual in the right

way,” said Michael Pollak,

chief brand officer of Heyday.

“I think that gets people to

come in no matter what their

expertise or experience is when it comes to

engaging in skincare at a deeper level.”

Making every detail count

The marketing materials matter, too. Glow-

bar’s branding revolves around the color red,

from the walls of its shops to its Instagram

feed. Liverman said that the color is reflec-

tive of the brand’s “bold, modern approach to

skincare,” and that it has helped to differenti-

ate Glowbar from competitors because red

is often avoided due to its association with

inflammation or acne.

“People shy away from that color, whereas

at Glowbar, we’ve embraced it,” she said. “In

response, people are trusting us in an interest-

ing way. They see kind of how different we look,

and they’re like, ‘Oh, they mean business.’”

Ultimately, what these places offer is a

chance to experience that luxury for consumers

who may not have been able to before, whether

that was due to time or budget constraints.

As Liverman said, “There’s no reason why

someone can’t fit a 30-minute treatment into

their life.”

DIANA PEARL IS A STAFF WRITER AT ADWEEK,

WHERE SHE COVERS BRAND MARKETING.

PREVIOUSLY, SHE WAS A WRITER AND REPORTER

AT PEOPLE MAGAZINE. @DIANAPEARL_

SKIN LAUNDRY This Santa Monica, Calif.,

storefront has been around since 2013 and

is known for specializing in laser facials

that can be as short as 15 minutes. Plus, a

customer’s first treatment is always free.

The treatments are streamlined, too.

Instead of offering a multitude of differ-

ent options, Heyday simply asks visitors to

choose how long they want their treatment

to last (all of Glowbar’s are 30 minutes), and

the estheticians change approaches based on

customer preference.

“We want to simplify the menu, and we’re

going to personalize the treatment based on

your skin type and conditions,” Ross said.

Emphasizing the right elements

These operations are also masters at brand-

ing. The visuals are a key element of re-

minding consumers that just because these

alternatives are faster than what they’re used

to, it doesn’t mean they’ll be sacrificing the

atmosphere and effective treatment.

“It’s about that experience and wanting to

have that beautiful environment to decom-

press,” said Jensen. “Branding yourself and put-

ting yourself in a position where you have it out

there that you are a place to relax and that you

are visually showing your luxury is important.”

This starts with their physical spaces.

Heyday’s shops are done up in marble wallpa-

per with gold accents while Glowbar’s Tribeca

location is sleek, with bright white walls

and pops of color from the products them-

selves. Instead of subdued spa tunes, popular

From Skincare

To S e l f - C a r e

TRENDING

HEYDAY First opened in 2015, the firm operates

eight locations in New York and Los Angeles, and

has raised $8 million in Series A funding as of

November 2018. It offers 30-, 50- and 75-minute

facials, which cost $65, $95 and $140, respectively.

GLOWBAR Glowbar opened in June of this year and only

offers 30-minute facials. Co-founder Rachel Liverman

brings a multigenerational knowledge of skincare to her

operation; her grandmother opened the first esthetics

school in the U.S., a business her mother owns today.