The 3 Tiny Details That Killed My Luxury Experience

I don't know about you, but as a business nerd, I feel like a lot of people who listen to this podcast must be business nerds in one way or another because you're listening to a business podcast, right? As a business nerd, whenever I have certain, like, customer experiences, I'm always paying attention. Like, I'm always, like, intellectualizing what is happening to me and how I'm feeling as a customer so that way I can see if I can learn anything from it to bring it back to my own business. And so last week, I had a beautiful little trip with my mom.

We have- we always do a trip, like, every year, and we went to a spa. And it reminded me of an experience that I actually had with her last year at a different spa, okay? So, we'll call last year's spa just, like, Spa 1, okay? Spa 1 is the original spa that we went to.

Blew me away. I love this spa, okay? I've gone multiple times. It is genuinely an amazing spa.

Spa 2 is the one that we went to this time, and my mom had actually already been there, and she was like, "Hunter, I can't wait for you to experience this. It's so good. It's just as good as Spa 1, if not better." Like, so excited about it, and I was like, "Okay, great.

I can't wait to see it, and maybe it'll blow my expectations out of the water. Maybe it'll be better than Spa 1." And so, we went to Spa 2 and everybody was very friendly. The environment was very beautiful.

It was in a very nice large resort. That was really cool, and I will say that the service was absolutely excellent. Like, the service was so good. Probably the best facial I've ever had in my life.

Like, truly so good, okay? However, if anybody has had, like, a really, like, nice luxury, like, spa experience, a lot of the times these built-out spas, like, they'll have locker rooms. They'll have showers. Maybe they'll have, like, a hot tub or cold plunger sauna that you can go into, and they'll also have, like, a pool area or whatever it may be specific to the spa.

So it's a very, like, relaxation environment. It's a- it's a full-blown experience. It's more than just going in, getting your appointment, and leaving. It's like you spend the day at the spa, right?

And there were a couple things about the entire spa experience that are so tiny, but I really missed about Spa 1, and I was like... And by the way, similar price points, by the way. Very similar pricing. Very similar structure, very similar friendliness, very similar vibes.

Like, everything was very much similar, okay? But there were just these stupid tiny little things that I felt, like, were lowering my perceived value of my experience because I had already experienced something amazing, right? So then when I experienced something great and I was going into this new experience, I was expecting the same, if not better, and I think that that's super important for so many different things, and I'll tell you guys what those things were. You guys are gonna think that's ridiculous, but it's just how I felt, okay?

And it was just so interesting to me how, like, these really small things really changed my perspective, but this is so important for a couple different things. Number one, like, a- we talk- we've been talking a lot about this on the podcast recently, about how, like, a consistent client experience, every single client, every single time, you have set the bar for what somebody expects. If you miss out on those little details that that client really values, if at their next appointment or their third appointment or their fourth appointment, then that client may see that in a v- actually very negative light, right? They'll feel like they're getting less than they're paying for.

The other thing, too, is in a day and age in which your client has the choice of stylist or salon that they go to, it's very easy to find a great hairstylist. And now a word from our sponsors. When I went out on my own as a hairstylist, I quickly realized that running your own business is more complex than most people anticipate, right? There's no roadmap, and honestly, the last thing you need is tools and technology that make it harder to figure out.

That's why Gloss Genius was the clear choice from day one. It made running and growing my business feel way more manageable. The platform is intuitive in a way that most aren't. And I'm pretty tech-savvy, but what I actually appreciate about it is that you don't have to be.

Any owner or staff member can jump in, get up to speed fast, and use everything the platform has to offer with no learning curve. The payment processing is worth calling out specifically. It's a consistent flat rate regardless of how a client pays, and the fees are lower than other platforms. That type of transparency has a real impact on your bottom line.

And the client-facing experience is polished and modern. It positions you as a professional brand at every stage of your business to impress your ideal clientele. Every platform has trade-offs, but if you're tired of running everything in your business manually or you're over your current frustrating software, Gloss Genius is worth a serious look. You can go to the link in my show notes and use "MODERN" to get 50% off your first two months of their gold or platinum plan to see for yourself.

Nowadays, that everybody's trying their best to create a really awesome luxury experience, and these small little details made a big difference for me, and so I'll tell you what the small details are. So, the first one is probably the least significant one, which at Spa 1 there is, uh, sunscreen bottles at every part of the resort. So, like, at the p- at the general pool, but then also at the spa pool you can find sunscreen very, very easily. By the way, we're in- talking Arizona and Nevada, right?

Like, we're in the desert. The sun is hot. Like, it is important to put on sunscreen. I'm a big sunscreen person, and I had gone down to the Spa 2 to lay out by the pool or whatever it may be, and I had forgotten to put on sunscreen, and I was like, "Oh, I bet you; they're a luxury spa.

They probably thought of everything. Then they must have some sort of sunscreen like Spa 1 does," and they didn't. So I had to walk my ass back to my room, and you could say, "Hunter, this is your fault for not having sunscreen." Well, guess what?

It w- didn't matter when I went to Spa 1. So, I wouldn't have expected to need it or think about it as a super essential situation 'cause I'm paying so much fucking money and I'm expecting them to think about everything for me. I don't want to think.Also, I'm having a mimosa, girl.

Like, I'm gonna forget things. Like, it just is what it is. And like, let me tell you, with spa two, what made this even more frustrating was, have you ever been in a hotel room where the walk from the elevator is like a mile to your room? Yes.

Girl, very much that. And not just that, it's a huge resort. So like, a mile to the room, a mile back down, and then walking a ton to the spa, right? Not fun, okay?

And I, this is very diva, all right? Like, I'm very much like, I know that this is like stupid, right? But it's like, again, like, we are trying to attract high-paying clients. This is a luxury experience, and high-paying clients are really prissy and annoying like this.

So this little detail will make a big difference. Well, this is the stuff that makes it a luxury experience though. This is why, right? Right.

Like, the little details, I think, are some of the most important because once you get to that level of being a luxury spa, that, like, there's a standard. Right. Same as with luxury hair services. And so these little things are what make the difference.

Very much so. Uh, and the second little thing, which again, so, it feels so like annoying saying it, but I just want to, you know, share with you this perspective, right? Was pool service was you had to call to order whatever drink or food you want, instead of, at Spa One, like you'd have somebody coming around and like taking your order every now and then, right, and serving you. And it was nice, I mean, e- even with like just having one server was really nice too.

Like, you get to know the person, you feel like you trust them, like they create rapport with you, that relationship, right? I mean, that's so important for a customer experience in general. And with this, you really miss that. You know, there was like, there was just a random s- uh, people just bringing stuff in and out for people, calling their n- they, they, the s- the, the, the runners would come out to the pool, and they would just like scream the person's name that they were, that, uh, that ordered basically, with- Now, that's not giving luxury.

No. And it's like supposed to be like a really nice- Yep. spa, right? And, you know, God forbid I have to call in my order.

I'm like, "At least have a QR code to like an online ordering situation-" Right. "... so I don't have to fucking talk," you know? Yeah.

Like, talk on the phone, like dial on my phone. I can't even fucking see my phone screen 'cause I'm in Nevada and the sun, the sun is blasting down on me. I don't even want my phone in the spa. I don't want my, I don't wanna have- Mm-hmm.

my phone in the spa, right? Yeah. So, lack of the pool service was not the tea for me. Here is a huge one, and I, and I, I thought that it was a stupid little inconvenience, but then Jodi actually illuminated to me that it's actually a really big deal.

Huge. Which was, I went with my mom, right? I am a boy. My mom is a girl.

And this was not a co-ed spa. So, Spa One is a co-ed spa. So like, for, of course, not the locker rooms and the showers, but the like hot tub and the cold plunge and the saunas, like those are co-ed. And so, like, we were able to share those experiences with each other, and we were, wanted to spend the entire day together.

And so, Spa One was awesome to do with her. Spa Two, we didn't really realize, and we weren't made obviously aware that it was not a co-ed situation. And so, this is like a whole trip that we're doing at a resort, and we're spending a lot of money, and we were wanting to bond together to do this. And we were really disappointed that we weren't gonna be able to spend the day together, you know?

And what Jodi was sharing with us before we, with me before we started recording was, this was a lack of expectations set. This was a lack of awareness. And it is the company's job to make it so you understand these details before you book and after you book. And that's why we focus so much on having an extremely clear client experience in the pre-visit experience, whether that be your social media, your website, but then also when somebody actually books with you, making sure that they're prepared, at least mentally...

Yes. about what's going to happen before they walk in. I mean, if me and my mom had the expectation like, "Yeah, we're not gonna be able to hang out with each other all day," uh, before we walked into the door, we'd probably be a little bit more settled with that idea and not as upset about it. Or, you would've potentially chosen a different location, right?

Like, you get to decide how important that is to you and then make the call. Like, as- Right. a mom, if I had a trip planned with my son and I couldn't spend the time with him, like for half of that, that would be a major deal to me, for sure. Absolutely.

And you don't want people in your space who aren't willing or wanting to be a part of whatever experience you're setting up for them, right? So like, if you have boundaries in place, such as this co-ed situation, if you have boundaries in place that make it so you are able to deliver a great experience, let's say- Yeah. uh, then you make sure that you let people know upfront about that. And then- Right.

it's their job to decide whether or not they're up for that or not, right? Absolutely. And giving people the freedom of choice and giving people also, especially in today's day and age, giving people transparency, letting people know what they're getting themselves into, especially in exchange for a lot of money. If you want to be a higher-ticket person, and if you want to continuously raise your prices, that all is so important.

And so, that's why all of these things kind of made me want to make a podcast episode about it, because I realized like, as a person who is paying for a high-ticket service, these small little things made the biggest difference. Mm-hmm. And these are the type of small details that we're gonna be talking about in Client Experience Glow Up Party. So at the time of recording this, Client Experience Glow Up Party is gonna happen May 3rd through the 5th, 2026.

And we are gonna be using our full survey report that we got from high-ticket-paying clients about their consumer behavior and expectations in today's day and age. And we're gonna be t- sharing with you how you can create a client experience that gets more of those ideal clients, gets them to refer other ideal clients, and makes it so you can break through your glass ceiling and raise your prices even more, even if you're already charging a lot. So, if you wanna join us for the party, and girl, I put on a good party, okay? Trust, believe.

We had so much fun we, when we did this last year, so I'd really love for you to be a part of it. If you go to Hair By Hunty, and you comment on any of my posts or you DM me the words "glow up", then I will send you the invitation for you to be able to join us. Or, you can check out the show notes of this episode, and then you can sign up for the party there. And then you can RSVP, and then we're gonna have a blast over the three days.

It's gonna be amazing. But, nonetheless, my friend, I hope that this episode was insightful for you. So much love to you. Thank you for tuning in to the Modern Hairstylers podcast.

Peace out, girl scout. Bye-bye. Boop.

End of transcript. © 2026 Hunter Donia LLC.