I'm back!

I am pleased to announce that I, Sophia, your former Spa Queen, has returned!

My official title is still up in the air but I am the person you will talk to on the phone or email with to schedule an appointment or for any questions you may have. I will still be available for session, of course.

Another return I would like to make you aware of is our unique "classic spa session" which will henceforth be known as our Signature Spa Session.

Feel yourself uplifted by the light scent of essential oils while getting your feet washed and rubbed in a warm foot bath. A quick shower will get you ready to be floated into oblivion in our spacious hot tub while your attentive practitioner cradles and stretches the stress from your body. After being deposited back on dry land, you'll enjoy a clay body treatment, which you will shower off in our custom shower, emerging refreshed and rejuvenated. Choose between an aromatherapy hot oil body treatment or a handmade salt scrub will enliven your skin as a finishing note.

Feel free to give me a call at 206-963-0772 or email relax@LittleRedDaySpa.com and I will take care of you.

The holiday week(end) is coming.

Most holidays don't affect the operating hours of the spa since we have so many practitioners with different lifestyles. With Labor Day coming up close, this one may be the hardest to schedule. Please call a little early than normal for an appointment next week. I have quite a few people who are planning on taking time to enjoy a last hurrah of summer late next week.

I will be teaching a couple anatomy classes out at Paradise Unbound, which is a camping event for the sex positive community held out near Redmond. I am happy to share my knowledge to help people keep safe and informed during their explorations. In previous years I have received bodywork from a gentleman who will be teaching massage classes this year. I have seen him teach before and he is quite good.

Men's Spa Night is hosting an extra evening at the Little Red day Spa is Sunday the 30th of August in honor of Richard being in town this week. If you are interested in attending, email Sophia@HengstStusio.com and I will get you in touch with Dion and Richard. Also, because of the holiday weekend, there is some question as to whether the 1st Sunday Men's Night will go on as usual. I will let you know by Tuesday or Wednesday what has been decided.

A yoga workshop has been scheduled on Saturday September 5th at 2pm over at the Harrison space, behind the Bistro. It's still in the planning stages, so the only information I have is that it will be 90 minutes long and there is a chance it may become a regular or semi-regular event. I wish we could host this in the spa, however, there is so much more floor space available in the Little Red Studio on Harrison St. Once day, when we get a new building for the Spa, I will be able to host yoga classes. Richard is going to be enrolling in a yoga instructor training program this fall. It would be a treat to be able to have room for him to hold classes at the spa. Some day.

Switching to email based scheduling.

Effective immediately! (I love how important that sounds.)

If you would like to make a spa session or have questions regarding the spa, please email Sophia@HengstStudio.com. Email has proved to be a much more effective tool in meeting our guests needs. From this point forward the phone will be used to confirm appointments and as a back up means of communication.

Email is checked frequently throughout the day, where as the phone messages will be collected once each day.

Remember to include your phone number when emailing me about scheduling a spa session. All first time appointments must be confirmed via phone.

Answering Phones and Messages

If you have called the Spa in the last month, you probably got me directly. I have been able to answer the phone more often with my other practitioners taking so many sessions.

This week, however, I am setting up for the Seattle Erotic Art Festival and will not be able to answer the phone quite as much. I will, however, be checking message much more frequently than usual as a result. So if you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment, leave me a message and I'll get back to you soon!

Come visit the Little Red Day Spa!

Today, Sunday December 7th, the Spa will be open from 1pm -6pm for Jeff Hengst's Art Show.

There will be no appointments today, as the Spa is acting as the museum gift shop, with smaller works on paper, sale-priced paintings, spa products and gift certificates for sale. this is a wonderful opportunity to view the spa if you have been curious to see what it is like and an incredible chance to see some of Jeff's rarer works of art.

1506 Franklin Ave.
Seattle, WA 98102

Call (206) 963-0772 with any questions you may have.

Voicemail 1, Sophia 0

To the gentleman who called this afternoon about scheduling a couple's spa session, around 4:30pm today, please call again!

You spoke your phone number too fast. I have tried various alternate numbers and can't get through. Please call back and if I don't answer, please say your number slowly.

Thank you!!!!

Reminders about scheduling.

Email is a great way to start the process of setting up a spa session at the Little Red Day Spa. However, unless you have become a regular at the spa, I will still need to talk with you on the phone to put your session on the schedule. Including your phone number in your email will make the process go faster. I really enjoy using email, but there are often too many things that I need answers to for it to be efficient, especially for first time guests.

Please don't let me put you off from contacting me via email. It's a great way to touch base with someone when I am really busy. if it's a quick question, I can read and type out an email faster than I can check voicemail and call you back.

And since I am on the subject of contacting me, when you call the Day Spa, make sure to leave me a message. When I am in session, I don't answer the phone. so leaving me a message is the best way to get in touch with someone. I keep a little list of calls to be returned by my desk and fit them in all day long until I get back to everyone.

And if you don't like leaving messages, just on principle, do not say to me "Finally! A real person!" when I do have a chance to answer the phone. That is one of my pet peeves. One day, we'll be a big enough business so that I can have someone answer the phones 10am -6pm, every day. Soon, I promise. It's on my list.

While I may have spa sessions that end later in the evening, I do not answer the phone after 7pm. I will also not call you after 7pm unless you specifically say I can in your phone message, or you are calling about a time sensitive issue. And even then, all my customer service training won't permit me to make a business call after 8pm. I grew up working in my family's bookstore so these habits were ingrained at a young age.

Thanks for reading my little house-keeping messages. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

Some days, the phone is quiet and the sessions spread out. Other days, like yesterday, the calendar is packed solid and I fall behind of returning phone calls. While it is still best to call a few days before the date you wish to have an appointment, occasionally, a half a day's notice is sufficient. so feel free to take a chance if you want a last minute appointment. You might get lucky.

I am getting questions about next season's salt scrub already. The Pineapple with Eucalyptus and Myrrh has been very well received so I am wondering, why people are so keen for a new one? Perhaps I should rotate them more often than every three months.

Should I have a monthly salt scrub or stick with changing the scrub recipe with the weather? Feedback is always appreciated.

A bit of this and a little of that.

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of June, which means we are shifting into a regular pattern for Sunday evenings.

1st and 3rd Sundays will be Men's Night. Richard will be in the Spa from 7pm - 10pm with doors open for soaking, floating and relaxing. Cost is $10 per person, with mini Shitasu sessions available for an additional fee.

2nd and 4th Sunday's will be Couple's Night, which is open to all genders provided you come as a couple. cost is $25 per couple. Mark your calendars for next weeks inaugural Couple's Night.

Please remember that you can also email me at Sophia at HengstStidio.com to make an appointment or ask question, as well as calling the spa at (206) 963-0772. I have a slight preference for email, as I can check email in between appointments, as I don't always have enough time to check the phone messages. I do encourage you to call or email a few days in advance, as same day (and sometimes even next day) appointments are not always possible. For weekends, it is suggested that you call 4-7 days in advance, as these days tend to fill up the fastest.

With the few days of warm weather we have had in the past few weeks, I have decided to lower the temperature of the hot tub. We did this last year, and it was amazing how much just a degree or two made in comfort. I will probably adjust for the each day's weather, until those warmer days become more consistent.

A quiet time.

Normally, we are so busy that getting an appointment the same day you call is unlikely. Reviewing the calendar this morning, I noticed that we are in a lull for the next few days. The weekend is filling up fast, though. If you want a spa session this Saturday or Sunday, now is the time to call.

If same day scheduling is for you, today, Thursday and Friday have quite a few open appointments. Give me a call at 206-963-0772 or email me at Sophia and HengstStudio.com and we'll get you set up!

A Sensual Repast - Saturday, May 3rd @ 8PM

In the tradition of past Sensual Repasts here at the Studio, we are creating a night of pure indulgence of the senses. And to the lucky few who will be present - you're in for a delightful experience! There are even a few spa appointments available this Saturday before the dinner if you decide to have a truly decadent day and evening.

First, our menu. Our Chef, Kim Black, is a true artist. Many of you have experienced his heavenly desserts over the past several months, but when tasked with a larger, more robust menu, Kim truly shines. Here is the menu he is crafting for your pleasure on May 3rd:

Appetizers:
Mascarpone Stuffed Prosciutto W/ Medjool Dates
~
Brushetta
~
Smoked Salmon Boursin Filled Belgium Endive

Primo:
Duxell stuffed Ravioli in saffron burr blanc

Secundo:
Tableside Caesar with fresh croutons & hand shaved pecorino

Piatto Forte:
Espresso Smoked Duck with Port Clove Sauce

Alla Fine:
Tiramisu


Each course will be paired with a carefully selected wine and served by Kim and our amazing Little Red Studio Troupe members as the evening progresses.

You will be entertained in delightful and intimate ways which only a gathering of this size will allow. Perhaps you'll enjoy a salsa lesson between courses to help spice up the evening a little more. Maybe a poem to guide your senses from your eyes and tongue to your head and heart. We'll offer that and so much more to indulge and sweeten your evening. We are limiting the attendance for this event to 30 people, so don't hesitate to purchase your tickets now for this wonderful event.

Tickets must be purchased in advance either at Brown Paper Tickets or by calling (206) 328-4758

Photo: Christina Dietrich, 2008

Make an appointment via email.

*New policy to take effect immediately.*

Remember what I said about email not being the best way to make an appointment? Well, scratch that. Since sessions are now needing to be scheduled at least a day or 2 in advance, email is now a great way to set up an appointment. I have had a few regular guests using email for a month now and it is actually working out great. I can check and answer emails much faster than I can voicemails. This is especially nice on the days when I only have a few minutes between sessions.

The main email for me at the Little Red Day Spa is Sophia at Hengst Studio.com. (Take out all the spaces.) For those of you confused by the address, Hengst Studio, Jeff's painting business, owns Little Red Studio and the Little Red Day Spa.

Please remember to include a phone number for confirmation, especially if you are wanting to schedule for your first visit to the Spa.

Ruminations.

I have been doing massage for a long time, longer than any other job/career I have done in the past. Having a wide open field in which to move around in helps to alleviate boredom and burn out. I have reinvented my practice 4 different times based of my evolving interests and need for change.

I have been worried about burn-out recently. Felt it on the edges of my perception. Yes, I am using the past tense. There has been a little reordering in the office and there is more to come. Some of it is very exciting, such as Chef Kim coming on board to provide catering for spa sessions. Other stuff is not so interesting, like how dividing up the phone duties is going to work, but just as important.

As you may know, we can only do one spa session at a time. This means that the only practitioner(s) on duty at any given time, are busy with a session. As a result, we have tried having phone calls forwarded to the LRS office, or to a cell phone in attempts at making sure to catch as many calls as possible. This has created a lot more work and stress than we would like to live with. It had to change. So today we started a new program and are confident that it will make our lives easier, and still provide fabulous service.

Since same day sessions are so rare, we will be asking people to call a few days in advance of their preferred appointment time and leave a message. Phone messages will be collected no less than twice a day. At 10am and 6pm we will collect messages and return calls, answer questions and schedule appointments. This doesn't mean we will not answer the phone, we will still be answering between appointments. And if you are having trouble finding the Spa, by all means call us! We will be waiting by the phone to help guide you in.

Hopefully, this won't impact our guests, while still giving me a little breathing room, as I am the person who took/takes care of the bulk of the phone duties. Just starting the new regime today pushes burn-out farther away from me. And this is a very good thing because it would be a shame to jump ship right when all the new stuff is getting off the ground! More on that as it comes to fruition!

Did you know you can rent the Spa?

For those of you who just want a relaxing soak in a sumptuous atmosphere without being fussed over, the Little Red Day Spa is available for private rentals. $75 for the first hour, and $50 each hour afterward. This includes use of all the spa's equipment and products. We'll get you settled and comfortable running the hot tub, the heaters, lights, etc... and then leave you to enjoy the spa as you wish. Don't worry about cleaning up after yourselves, we take care of that.

Actually, what I find most couples like to do is get fussed over, and then immediately after their spa session, they rent the studio. It makes for the best of both worlds; a chance to be pampered and then a chance for them to fully enjoy their sweetie in private. If you schedule a rental in this way, after your spa session, we take $25 off the first hour so that it is only $50 per hour.

I love getting people settled in for a private rental. The excitement is usually palpable. Not to mention how fun it is knowing that I am making a magical space for people to have an adventure in.

To schedule a get-away within the city, please call 206-963-0772.

The emails I get.

I love email. It's such an efficient way to communicate, most of the time. However, when one is making appointments, it is not. From the time I get your email and reply to it about times available, the chance that someone called in and made an appointment is very high. I am then in the position of waiting for a reply to outdated information, which will trigger another round of emails with the corrected "times available."

Not efficient at all. This is why if you email me in response to a Craigslist post, or after reading the website, I will encourage you to call me to set up an appointment. Whenever I see an email with the subject line of "I need a massage" or "Appointment?" I heave a little sigh. I don't want to be rude, after all, the person has made an effort to contact me and here I am asking them to do more, which goes against my customer service training.

And sometimes, when I open these emails, I don't have to do anything. A new scam has evolved where someone says they will send you a cashier's check for a months worth of services plus extra for some other costs, and you have to cash the check and send them back the extra monies. Occasionally, these emails are difficult to spot out at first and it's not until you have read a whole page of text do you realize what is being asked of you. But today I only had to read the first paragraph:

Hello.
My name is James . i am a new member of craigslist and i am in need of any therapeutic service for my 19 year old daughter. my daughter as been suffering from a severe pain due to a long term fracture on the left leg ribs. When my daughter was 18, she got an accident and was treated but ever since then she has been experiencing this pain on her left leg yearly.

Ok, bad translation software. That is excusable. Just to make sure I am not dismissing anyone out of hand, and also for fun, I scan the rest of the email to ascertain the goal. Another paragraph telling me how much pain the daughter is in and then this:

Since i am in spain,my CEO BOSS that i am work for here is willing to pay me an advance payment of my work with a check/money order in dollars. I am willing to send down this check/money order to you for your charges. i would like you to make some advance payment for one month for this services and i need to fly her back to the state immediatly we agree on this.

And there is the promise of advance payment for him and me. Interestingly worded with the truth. (My emphasis.) That's not very common. The next paragraph goes on to tell me that I must send my name, address, etc... so that they can mail me a check and how I am supposed to process it and send them back money. With all the constant references to his daughter's pain and that he is doing this for her, and I almost feel bad for giggling at the audacity of this person.

So ends my public service announcement regarding making appointments via email. Please always include your phone javascript:void(0)
Publish Postnumber in your emails and I will be able to efficiently make your appointment.

Phone problems.

If it's not one thing, it's another.

The Spa has been having communications difficulties since Friday evening. Phone calls are not going through. Fortunately, the voicemail service is still working, so please be patient with me and I will return your calls as soon as possible.

Guest Watsu Practitioner

Next week is quite special. We have a Watsu and Shiatsu specialist visiting from California. Richard helped start the spa 2 years ago and is coming back for a little more than a week. Another reason we are so incredibly happy that the hot tub is back in full working order. He will be offering appointments, one of which is an amazing combination session consisting of Watsu and Shiatsu, during our regular spa hours.

Richard is an incredible therapist and someone I am deeply indebted to, as he has helped me develop my Watsu style when we first started the spa. If you are looking for a Watsu session with a more therapeutic angle than we normally offer, please give me a call and I'll get you set up with a session with Richard.

If you are interested in making an appointment for next week, I highly recommend that you call in soon, as I expect to be booked rather full while Richard is in town.

And there was much rejoicing!

Finally got the news I have been waiting for; the part for the spa has come in!

Tomorrow the spa company is supposedly sending out someone to do the part swap and installation. This means appointments will be limited and only available last minute for tomorrow, Thursday the 8th. Hopefully, they will be done and gone by 11am so as not to impact operations.

Yay!!!

Conditionally taking appointments.

We are still open and making appointments, as long as you don't want a Watsu session. That is the only thing we can't do at this time.

With the hot tub on the fritz, we have had to become quite creative with the Spa Sessions. We are still open, as only 1/8th of what we do in the Spa is unavailable. The sessions have been adapted so that they are still packed with fun things to do that are relaxing.

Bad news: No Watsu is possible at the moment. I'll post as soon as the tub is fixed.

Good news: Therapeutic Massage is unaltered by the tub situation. The Classic Spa Sampler, Body Painting, Creative Movement and the Sculptural Clay sessions have all been adapted so that they can still be done without the Watsu element or the hot tub. The Scalp Massage station (our fancy hair-washing sink) has been inserted into the Classic Sampler Session. A steamy shower is prescribed before getting covered in scented, fine potter's clay.

Necessity really is the mother of invention!

LRS Halloween Party is taking over the Spa!

On October 26th, a Friday, the Little Red Day Spa will only be open for appointments until 2pm. The Spa will close down for the rest of the day in preparations for the Little Red Studio's big Halloween Bash, during which the hot tub will be available for soaking.

Please forgive the inconvenience and I hope you will take the chance to come and play dress up with the Little Red Studio Troupe!

Doors open at 9pm (at both venues!) and tickets are $20 per person. You can pay at the door or go to Brown Paper Tickets and pay in adavance.