To give you a taste of what I’ll be up to this summer, I should
start by saying I’ve got one of the most exciting and revitalizing jobs around.
This internship has been a dream thus far. From the workers to the clients to
the general environment, happiness and energy saturate the air. And I didn’t
think I’d feel so very welcome from the start. But what could be better than
working at a spa? Don’t believe me? Just look at this gorgeous place!
First, I met the spa director, Sheri in person. We had a few meetings to talk over how I could
help the business. We discussed such ideas as the spa’s image and values and how
it wished to be portrayed as well as marketed. Sheri struck me from the start
as an exceptionally passionate and driven businesswoman. I’m quite excited to
work with her and to see where this job leads.
This week was remarkably quick and painless. I got myself
acquainted with the spa and everyone in it. I was able to ask a lot of
questions and learn a bit about everyone’s job. Megan and I, since we were
sharing a space the majority of the time, got to know each other particularly
well and I gained a fair amount of knowledge from her. She taught me a quick
overview of the products they carried and the promotions they had offered in
the past. She showed me the ropes, and I listened to her answer the phones and
talk to incoming customers. Megan seemed to have an answer for everything! I
also learned much more than expected about all kinds of spa treatments I knew
nothing about. Megan educated me on sugaring (which is like waxing but better
because you the hair comes out in the same direction it grows and doesn’t
remove live skin cells like waxing does) and eyelash extensions that last for
months and all the new makeup. (Please forgive my sudden outpouring of
girliness.)
I was expected to learn about each of the product lines carried
and the spa treatments provided so that I could handle any write-ups and
promotions that were sure to arise.
But I realized quickly that I could help in other ways as well. Just
reading through the brochure I quickly recognized two repeated typos and
pointed them out to Sheri. Finally, my largely unappreciated aptitude for
finding mistakes in published works paid off. I also seemed to gain the occupation
of Workplace Organizer. I had more fun than I should have working out a system
for optimizing the receptionist resources. Since there will soon be new hires
to train, it seemed like a great opportunity to help out.
I also got to meet Jessica. She’s the manager and very bright and
quick-witted. She set me up with loads of reading materials to get me caught up
to speed. I also gathered my own resources to research; brochures, fliers,
product guides, and spa magazines. I wanted to get myself acclimated and that’s
just what I did.
Then I flitted through the many web locations the spa occupies
and got myself all the passwords to operate and manage the sites.
There were a couple of challenges this first week. Facebook, for
example, labeled me a threat and locked the spa’s account from my laptop. This wasn’t
a big deal except that I wasn’t able to post to the spa’s Facebook from home
for a few days. Other than that, I mostly just had to fight through my nerves
and rely on the help of my coworkers when I was unsure how to proceed. I tried
my best to be as helpful as possible and ask frequently if there was more I could
do for anyone. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable experience, and I am especially
eager to move forward in this internship.
