I Made It! - Part One of my Polish Adventure
Whenever I go to new spas or new places in the world, I make it my primary goal to learn and to be open to the entire experience. That is really a must I think when you are fly traveling...a willingness I mean to be flexible and to see things from an objective rather than judgemental point of view...at least for me. Then I can absorb the entire experience, good and bad, without being upset or angry about things that don't go exactly my way. And I can learn what to do more or less of in my own business, life and practice.
Take my first travel day for example...I was up at the crack of dawn to finish the few remaining items on my to do list and still found myself rushing to the airport like a bat out of hell. I made it to RDU just in time to get on my flight - barely - and get whisked away to JFK in NY in record time. A lot of good it did me though as my flilght to Poland - which already gave me a generous 5 hour layover - was scheduled to be more than 4 hours late in leaving. So off to a fun start. The time did give me a chance to finish up a few last minute tasks - emails you know - and to practice my beginners' version of Polish. So it wasn't all bad.
My first spa experience of the trip though actually happened at the airport. As much as I've travelled, I don't think I've ever stopped in an airport "spa" to relax between flights. Now with ten hours to kill, I thought "why not?" Well I will tell you why not...because no one at the spa would even acknowledge my presence. Contrary to earlier in the day when I had drifted by in search of lunch and I was practically accosted to take a service menu, now that I was ready to be pampered and have my eye brows waxed, no one would make eye contact with me.
I stood in front of the spa's "waiting area" for about 5 minutes trying to get someone's attention to no avail. I looked at the menu, strolled around, checked my watch. Finally, thinking that perhaps I needed to sign up I went to their front desk/cash register where I stood for at least 5 minutes directly in front of 2 employees who competely ignored me while they rang out other people's tickets. I smiled and waited patiently, nodding my head at each of the other 3 or 4 people who walked by the station. But no one said a word to me.
Then just when I was getting ready to leave, a therapist walked up to the desk and asked THE MAN BEHIND ME if he would like a massage. I was stunned! Only a moment later, that shock increased when another different therapist asked ANOTHER MAN further behind me in line if he would like a massage. Incensed, I strolled out dragging my carry-in woefully behind me. And as I walked out, completely unsatisfied and a bit irked, yet ANOTHER MAN who was standing in front of the spa was asked if he wanted a massage. Unbelievable!
Gender discrimination? Who knows if that was their reason for totally dissing me. Or perhaps they somehow knew I was from the Raleigh-Durham area and was on to their mispelling of the Durham (D-U-R-N-H-A-M) on their storefront sign. I'll never know but perhaps I'll drop a line to their corporate office when I have a chance.
No matter though...I happily decided to use my time to have dinner instead - along with a couple of glasses of wine that were easily more relaxing than the spa experience would have been. And just a couple of hours later I was on my long-awaited flight to Warsaw - and on my way to visit at least two of Poland's Spa Hotels.
My next entry will be about my first spa experience here in Poland - which I promise is better than my JFK ordeal. So stay tuned!
Do widzenia
Felicia
Take my first travel day for example...I was up at the crack of dawn to finish the few remaining items on my to do list and still found myself rushing to the airport like a bat out of hell. I made it to RDU just in time to get on my flight - barely - and get whisked away to JFK in NY in record time. A lot of good it did me though as my flilght to Poland - which already gave me a generous 5 hour layover - was scheduled to be more than 4 hours late in leaving. So off to a fun start. The time did give me a chance to finish up a few last minute tasks - emails you know - and to practice my beginners' version of Polish. So it wasn't all bad.
My first spa experience of the trip though actually happened at the airport. As much as I've travelled, I don't think I've ever stopped in an airport "spa" to relax between flights. Now with ten hours to kill, I thought "why not?" Well I will tell you why not...because no one at the spa would even acknowledge my presence. Contrary to earlier in the day when I had drifted by in search of lunch and I was practically accosted to take a service menu, now that I was ready to be pampered and have my eye brows waxed, no one would make eye contact with me.
I stood in front of the spa's "waiting area" for about 5 minutes trying to get someone's attention to no avail. I looked at the menu, strolled around, checked my watch. Finally, thinking that perhaps I needed to sign up I went to their front desk/cash register where I stood for at least 5 minutes directly in front of 2 employees who competely ignored me while they rang out other people's tickets. I smiled and waited patiently, nodding my head at each of the other 3 or 4 people who walked by the station. But no one said a word to me.
Then just when I was getting ready to leave, a therapist walked up to the desk and asked THE MAN BEHIND ME if he would like a massage. I was stunned! Only a moment later, that shock increased when another different therapist asked ANOTHER MAN further behind me in line if he would like a massage. Incensed, I strolled out dragging my carry-in woefully behind me. And as I walked out, completely unsatisfied and a bit irked, yet ANOTHER MAN who was standing in front of the spa was asked if he wanted a massage. Unbelievable!
Gender discrimination? Who knows if that was their reason for totally dissing me. Or perhaps they somehow knew I was from the Raleigh-Durham area and was on to their mispelling of the Durham (D-U-R-N-H-A-M) on their storefront sign. I'll never know but perhaps I'll drop a line to their corporate office when I have a chance.
No matter though...I happily decided to use my time to have dinner instead - along with a couple of glasses of wine that were easily more relaxing than the spa experience would have been. And just a couple of hours later I was on my long-awaited flight to Warsaw - and on my way to visit at least two of Poland's Spa Hotels.
My next entry will be about my first spa experience here in Poland - which I promise is better than my JFK ordeal. So stay tuned!
Do widzenia
Felicia
Posted by Felicia Brown LMBT at 6/23/2008 11:27 AM 
Categories: Training and Education, Events and Publicity
Categories: Training and Education, Events and Publicity
UNBELIEVABLE indeed. That's what happens in restaurants, too. In college, I was a waitress and the wait staff would fight over the male patrons, assuming they'd be bigger tippers. Certain waiters were so competitive in the city, I found out they were secretly tipping the hostess so she'd give them these patrons, even if it wasn't their turn to be seated. And the hostess would lie if challenged and say she goofed up and would promise to seat me a party of four next time -- but she'd try to make sure it was four old ladies). And, I've noticed this as a female patron -- I've found myself competing with male patrons for my waitperson's attention, as well. One night, I actually heard one of the gay waiters say to the hostess, "I want all the queens in my station. Send in the queens!" (because, presumably, they have the BEST tipping etiquette of all potential patrons).
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I waited tables and bartended as well and found myself guilty of sterotypying patrons in the very beginning of my restaurant career. But then one of those sterotypical "bad tippers" left me a huge tip (after ordering a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne, mind you) and I learned not to judge my tables by their gender, appearance or other qualities we thought represented their gratuity potential.
So spa pros, I ask you...are you guilty treating people differently because you expect more or less of a tip from them? Or do you give all clients VIP service regardless? Something to think about!
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Well Felicia, I would not feel so bad. If the female therapists preferred gentlemen, they may not have been therapists at all ...
You know, there are still those establishments out there, and no matter what the regulations and health codes say, they love to use the word "spa" to camouflage their real business!
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You might be right, Hannelore, although at this "spa" the majority of the services were all done in one big open room. Many of the therapists were men (who also ignored me). The business focused mostly on pedicures and chair massage, but who knows what goes on behind closed doors.
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