The beauty industry is well placed to provide the perfect environment for holistic weight management services. The community already identifies with beauty therapists as being reputable when providing health and beauty services related to weight loss and cellulite treatments, and often, beauty therapists offer a much more personable and empathetic approach to weight loss than other more traditional avenues.
The last study on Obesity in Australia was the National Health Survey which identified that the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 56.3 percent in 1995 to 61.2 percent in 2007–2008 to 62.8 percent in 2011–2012. Whilst no official study has been done since 2012, most health experts agree that the obesity epidemic is continuing to worsen.
There is growing research to support the necessity of multi-disciplinary approaches to weight management with behavioural changes being identified as a missing link in many programs (which generally focus only on diet and/or exercise). The question, then, is how can we maximise current health and wellness structures to incorporate a holistic approach to weight management?
Implementing a weight management program, or clinic, which also addresses behavioural changes could be a game changer in the beauty industry; not only would this increase revenue streams through new service offerings, it would also increase adherence to current treatments and nutritional advice through dealing with behaviour changes that would ultimately lead to improved results and more referrals.
IBISWorld reports have showed a continued increase in the percentage of market share which consumers spend on Weight Management Counselling Services; up from 38.2 percent in 2011 to over 55 percent today. Additionally, they reported Australians are seeking new, convenient and more effective ways to lose weight and that one of the most important considerations for the Weight Loss Services Industry is the development of a symbiotic relationship with another industry.
Therefore, implementing a weight management program, or clinic, which addresses nutrition, activity and behavioural changes would not only increase revenue streams through offering additional services to existing clients, it would also attract new clients who previously may have only looked at traditional weight management services; this also then opens up avenues for promoting existing services to this new broader audience.
Beauty therapists could easily implement a Weight Management Counselling or Consulting service by employing (or contracting) a Weight Management Practitioner or upskilling their current qualifications with the government accredited Certificate IV in Weight Management (10576NAT). This would provide in-house skills and knowledge to help clients implement a holistic weight management program including behaviour changes, which would greatly complement any weight loss products already offered, as well as other beauty services targeted at weight loss and/or cellulite treatments.
An in-house weight loss program, whether one-on-one or group-based, would not only help clients to finally get off the dieting merry-go-round but also increase revenue through a new service and increased product sales.
Implementing an in-house Weight Management Program
Firstly, you have to decide whether you would like to upskill one of your existing team members, or your own qualifications, with the Certificate IV in Weight Management, or if you would prefer to employ (or contract) a qualified Weight Management Practitioner.
If you have a room or cubicle available for one-one-one consultations, or a room that would fit 6-10 people for a group clinic, another option could be to consider renting out this space on an hourly, daily or weekly basis with a condition that the weight loss products and any weight loss/cellulite treatments that are offered by your beauty clinic are used as part of the weight management programs being developed.
Space is usually the biggest consideration, so if your clinic doesn’t have a room, or private area, that can accommodate a group clinic of 6-10 people, then one-on-one consultations are the easiest place to start. If you don’t want to take up an existing beauty therapy room, you could find a quiet part of the clinic and install a partitioned cubicle with a desk and a set of scales (this is not an expensive exercise to do) and you are ready to start promoting your in-house weight management program.
With the weight management industry continuing to experience growth, and IBISWorld forecasting that one of the most important considerations for the Weight Loss Services Industry is the development of a symbiotic relationship with another industry, now is the time to become an industry leader and look into this area of opportunity for your own business or career.
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