3 things about spa insurance you may not have known

It’s a known fact that spas are the epitome of an ideal holistic relaxation experience. The scent of patchouli wafting throughout the spa, the slight sound of trickling water coming from the miniature waterfall fountain and smiling staff warmly welcoming you - for clients, it’s like 7th heaven. But behind the scenes, spa owners and staff are bustling about, making sure that everything works like clockwork. Even in the best-run spas, accidents do happen, which is why we have spa insurance to help cover the costs. However, there are a number of spa insurance secrets that you might not have known, so grab your chai tea and let’s jump into it!

The additional types of coverage

As a business owner, you’re well aware of the more common types of spa business insurance, like buildings, contents, public liability, self-employed and employers’ liability insurances - however, that’s just scratching the tip of the iceberg. There are a number of other insurance policies that can really give you an added sense of security which include:

• Product liability - whether you’re a massage therapist, aromatherapist or specialise in body sugaring and waxing, you must have a consultation with each new client and ask about any allergies they may have. If you fail to do so and a client sustains injuries caused by one of your products, spa liability insurance for products will pay the legal fees.
• Coverage against sexual allegations - in the spa industry, sexual allegations made by clients are quite common, since spa treatments often require direct contact with the client’s body. If you have a team of specialists or you yourself treat clients, you ought to consider this form of coverage, especially if you regularly put up with clients who accuse you of sexual misconduct.
• Malpractice and treatment liability - even though your team are trained professionals, mistakes can happen that might cause injury to your client, resulting in professional negligence. If they decide to take legal action against you, this insurance protects you.
• Business interruption coverage - whether it be due to a natural disaster or a social issue, if your business cannot operate for a certain amount of time, your spa might go under. Thankfully, this kind of coverage can help you keep your head above the water.

Cyber threats and insurance

You read correctly - hair and beauty businesses have been migrating over to digital solutions for better running and managing their enterprises. Storing sensitive data like staff salaries, monthly revenue and client information onto a digital spreadsheet is a great convenience. After all, imagine having to flip through a stack of hundreds of client cards, notes and reports in order to find what you’re looking for - with a digital solution, finding that spreadsheet is just a click away. So where exactly does cyber insurance come into play? Well, imagine that an unauthorised person makes their way into your files, be it by hacking into your computer, or by simply walking up to it. Now you might have a problem. Although you wouldn’t want peering eyes to see your revenue reports, your greatest concern would be having your clients’ data getting breached. A person with malicious intentions might steal their information and sell it, or, in the case of a staff member, might take your clients if they plan on migrating to another business. Not only is this a GDPR violation, but if your clients find out, you might also get sued. Cyber insurance pays the legal fees imposed by affected clients - however, here’s the thing: you don’t necessarily need this kind of insurance if you’re taking the right preventative measures.

You don’t need insurance for everything

Both your insurance broker and the company you sign up with will tell you that you absolutely must insure even the tiniest speck of dust in your spa. Obviously, one of the spa requirements is to have employers’ liability insurance, but what about employee dishonesty coverage or cyber insurance? By going with a package that includes only required insurance plans and by introducing a number of changes to how your spa is run and managed, you can actually save a pretty penny. Here’s what you can do to make your spa a safer place and to free yourself of unnecessary insurance plans:

• In-depth consultations - prior to treating a new client, have a consultation with them and ask about any allergies they may have, or underlying health conditions which may be affected by the treatment. Consider using digital questionnaires to save your time and get rid of paper.
• Maintain strict cleaning policies - make sure that massage beds, foot basins, chairs, towels and workstations are properly cleaned and disinfected. And if you provide waxing services, absolutely no double-dipping.
• Host regular team meetings - regularly get together with your team and make sure they’re aware of your cleaning policies and everyone is on the same track.
• Introduce a spa system - storing sensitive client data, like information on their allergies, contact details and purchase history should be secured, in order to prevent data breaches.

By bringing these changes to your spa, you significantly reduce the possibility of getting sued for injuries caused by products, staff dishonesty or even cyber data breaches. And with a reliable spa system like Booksy, you can store sensitive client data and restrict staff access to it. Best of all, your data is stored securely on our servers, which are protected with an encryption cypher that prevents third parties from getting access to it. Additionally, Booksy works as a spa online booking system, which lets you track and manage appointments with ease. Sign up with Booksy for state of the art security in your spa - no credit card required, no hidden fees.