Most spa owners fail to grasp just how important the choice between retail and wholesale spa supplies can be.

According to the 2022 ISPA U.S. Spa industry study, average profit margins in the spa industry ranged from 10-15% in 2022.

This business can be lucrative,  but the competition is fierce. You must get your product sourcing and selection right to survive.

Retail sourcing saves on storage space and provides more product choice, however our in-depth guide below explains why purchasing wholesale supplies is the smarter choice for your spa. 

Keep reading to learn more about how wholesale can help you minimize costs, source higher quality products, and scale your spa business. 

1. Cost Savings Through Bulk Purchase Discounts 

ISPA’s 2022 spa industry study lists $104.50 as the average revenue per spa visit in 2021.

That may sound impressive, but remember, revenue is not the same as profit. Costs play a large role in the profitability of your business. 

Maximize the profit margin from each visit to your spa by keeping costs as low as possible without sacrificing quality. 

How? By sourcing from wholesalers.

Purchasing wholesale spa supplies is a more cost-effective approach than relying on restocks from local retail stores. 

Wholesalers sell product in much larger quantities (often with large minimum order quantities in place), therefore they can afford to provide high-quality skin care supplies at much lower costs compared to retailers. 

This allows your spa to benefit from the economies of scale through bulk purchasing discounts. 

In general, the more skin care you buy, the less you pay per unit of product. 

At Genie Supply, we price our skin care competitively and offer four separate tiers of formula (diffusion, mass market, luxury, and super luxury) to suit a range of different budgets. Enjoy discounted prices on larger quantity orders. Learn more in our full product catalog here. 

2. Customization And Branding: Create Your Own Spa Products  

Perhaps the biggest benefit of sourcing wholesale spa supplies is the opportunity to create your own product line for use during treatment sessions and to sell to customers post-treatment.

Private Label 

Skin care purchased on a bulk basis for spa treatments typically arrives in large unbranded drums.

Did you know that some manufacturers offer the option to purchase the same formulas and add your own customized packaging and branding? 

This manufacturing process is known as private labeling. Although the formula will not be unique to your spa’s brand, it is the most cost and time-effective method to launch a skin care range to complement your spa’s services. 

At Genie Supply, we offer over 60 different clean and ethical skin care products on a private label basis. Order samples of our private label formulas directly from our website here. 

Custom Formulating 

Quality skin care labs also offer the opportunity to formulate brand-new products from scratch. 

Maybe your spa offers a unique treatment but you have never found the right skin care to complement it? Or perhaps a single treatment requires three separate serums instead of just one to create the desired effect on the skin? 

From formulating 3-in-1 hybrid formulas to launching spa products that the market has never seen before, custom formulating is your opportunity to bring your spa’s dream skin care line to life. 

At Genie Supply, we specialize in custom formulating new-to-market concepts, clean skin care, novel chemical research, and hybrid formulas. Read more about our custom formulating capabilities and estimated timelines here. 

Custom Product Creation 

What if custom formulating is out of your budget, but you cannot find private label products to complement your salon treatments?

Custom product creation is the manufacturing method for your spa. This process involves adding a limited number of customizations to a lab’s existing formula. 

Imagine this scenario: you have launched a new treatment that you are proud of, but the sign-ups are sparse and all of your marketing efforts (thus far) have been in vain. 

One potential way to attract more clients is to incorporate a unique skin care ingredient into this treatment and make it the star of the show in your marketing. 

For example, research from 2021 linked snow mushrooms (Tremella fuciformis) to a reduction in skin damage caused by UV rays. 

Custom product creation could involve adding this mushroom ingredient to a preformulated UV-protecting serum to complement an anti-aging treatment at your spa. 

At Genie Supply, we offer two different custom product creation packages to suit different price points. Learn more about our custom product creation services here. 

3. A Closer Working Relationship Results In Better Product Selection 

Sourcing wholesale spa supplies is the best strategy to ensure you are providing authentic professional-grade products with transparent and traceable ingredients throughout your services. 

Wholesalers generally partner with a small limited number of spas, and this exclusivity results in more accessibility to expert advice compared to the retail purchasing approach. 

From the discovery call to the onboarding process, and throughout the formulating phases, expect in-depth communication about the ingredients, benefits, and applicable uses of each formula to help you find the right fit for your spa.

Close communication with your wholesaler is an opportunity to learn more about the ingredient sourcing and formulating process – meaning you can confidently go into detail when clients ask about the origins of your products during your spa services.

At Genie Supply, our diverse team is proud to provide authentic, transparent communication and personalized attention to our clients.

Rooted in Midwestern values, we focus on sincerity and warmth in our partnerships and treat your vision as our own. Learn more about the product creation process from start to finish in our full guide here. 

4. Scaling Your Business Seamlessly With Wholesale Spa Supplies 

Buying wholesale product in bulk is the most efficient way to plan for unexpected boosts in bookings and set up your business for future growth.  

What if tomorrow your latest Tiktok goes viral, or your spa is featured in the local newspaper? 

Growth in the spa business is not linear and you must always expect the unexpected.

A consistent skin care supply is important to handle unexpected increases in demand and to save valuable time on replenishing stock during busy periods. 

Plus, buying straight from wholesalers helps your business to scale seamlessly.

Whether you buy preformulated products or create skin care from scratch, working with a lab from the get-go makes the jump from 5kg to 120kg of product as simple as hopping on a call with your wholesaler. 

In contrast, the retail supply route cannot handle such volatility in demand or facilitate seamless growth. Some retailers are flexible and will order additional stock on request.

However, this is less efficient as the retailer merely acts as an intermediary step between your spa and the wholesaler in this case. 

At Genie Supply, we offer our bulk product in 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120kg sizes (and beyond) to make scaling your services as easy as possible for your spa. Learn more about our pricing structure for smaller and larger quantities in our latest product catalog. 

5. Cleaner And More Ethical Options Via Wholesalers 

The quality of the skin care used at your spa is a reflection of the quality of your services.

However, professional-grade skincare that complements your skin treatments and provides real results on the skin is merely the bare minimum. 

In 2024, clients expect more than just skin care that works - especially from luxury spas. 

It’s time to take a critical look at the ethics and origins of the skin care used during your services.

Your focus should be sourcing the highest quality products made from effective, safe, clean, vegan, cruelty-free, ethically sourced, and sustainable ingredients. 

Finding skin care that fits this bill is much easier when you choose wholesale spa supplies.

Collaborating with a lab to formulate new skin care from scratch provides ultimate control over every single ingredient in your products.

Communicate your standards for ethically sourced, sustainable, and clean ingredients with potential wholesalers before you commit to a contract.    

Make the selection process easier by narrowing your search to labs that specialize in formulating clean and ethical beauty.

Even if you choose the preformulated route, you can be confident that your products are ethically sourced and made from kind-to-skin ingredients. 

At Genie Supply, clean, ethical, vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable standards run at the heart of our business.

We formulate our products without over 2,000 potentially harmful ingredients to ensure your clients experience the safest spa treatment experience possible. Learn more about clean and ethical skincare at Genie Supply here.

In sum, the benefits of purchasing wholesale spa supplies include: 

• Enjoying cost savings through bulk purchase discounts 

• Customizing your own branded spa products 

• Developing a closer working relationship that results in better product selection 

• Scaling up your business seamlessly 

• Sourcing cleaner and more ethical skin care compared to retail 

Are you ready to source wholesale spa supplies for your business? Genie Supply is here to help. Learn more about our preformulated and custom formulated skin care by calling: (812) 329-1105 or emailing: customerservice@geniesupply.com.