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"Stop and smell the eucalyptus" is the mantra that Expressions Home Gallery, a division of Morrison Supply Company, repeats whenever it talks spa steam showers.
How to Transform a Steam Shower into a Sanctuary
Consultants make it a point to enlighten their customers about all the upgrades like aromatherapy and chromatherapy that turn a steam shower into a total sanctuary.
>> See How To Connect the AromaSteam System to Your Steam Shower Generator
>> See How To Install the Chroma Light Cable and Light Up Your Steam Room
“Without mentioning the add-ons, you’re not truly educating customers about all the health and wellness benefits of steam,” insists Jayme Adams, manager of showroom development for the organization, which has 30 showrooms throughout Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and California. It recently rebranded them with the name Expressions Home Gallery to distinguish them from the company’s 100 wholesale locations.
“Aromatherapy is really growing, something we didn’t see in the past. It’s becoming more of a standard now, especially eucalyptus,” Jayme says, talking about the Dallas-Ft. Worth market where she’s spent 16 years in the showroom business, five of them at Morrison.
Whereas most people know about the benefits of steam, they may not know that adding eucalyptus may help open air passages and adding lavender may help calm anxiety. They may also not realize that light can create environments rich with color and mood. Red, for example, signals vitality and green, harmony.
Jayme credits the spurt in aromatherapy to the desire for a healthy lifestyle and the popularity of spas. “Most spas have aromatherapy, with eucalyptus being the most common. People know that when they’re under the weather they often feel better after a steam session with eucalyptus,” she points out.
Overall, interest in steam is accelerating as more and more people become aware of the many associated health benefits, such as releasing toxins from the body, relieving symptoms of colds and flu, and easing the pain of sore, tired muscles.
>> See How To Make Your Workouts Leverage The Benefits Of Steam
To grow its steam shower business, Expressions Home Gallery is focused on making steam and its 40+ health and wellness benefits a priority when training their consultants.
Home Steam Showers are an Attainable Luxury!
Steam showers are often associated with spas, an unattainable luxury. However, consultants are quick to dispel that notion. “We tell them it is attainable, that we can do a ‘fit and finish’ for everybody,” Jayme says.
“Prospects become very excited when they realize they can truly have a spa lifestyle at home. It becomes a need rather than a want, and changes the whole priority discussion when it comes to price,” she adds. “We tell them it’s their perk for the day.”
Forget about 15 minutes of fame; people are so busy now that what they crave is 15 minutes of downtime.
“People are not spending money for things,” Jayme observes. “They are spending for moments in their lives. It’s a feeling, the sensory side of life. We tell people this is their peaceful time, the one time they have for themselves. It’s a vital part of what our customers want today, the bath as sanctuary.”
>> See How to Create a Full-Sensory Spa Experience at Home: Steam Room Design Tips
>> See Robin Wilson on the Benefits of Steam, “A Therapeutic Tool for Life”
That extends to the overall design of baths today, with customers seeking simple designs, with less color, more neutrals, a clean feel and nothing “too overwhelming.” Jayme reports they are selling more white than in the past, including Carrera marble and white cabinets. In Dallas, gray and white are most popular whereas Ft. Worth tends more toward a warmer biscuit palette.
After aromatherapy, the most popular enhancement to the steam shower is sophisticated controls to customize the steam shower experience. “People aren’t interested in on/off. They want more, such as being able to program the steam for multiple users,” Jayme says.
>> See Bring 5 Steam Shower Benefits Home With iSteam® 2.0 Now With WiFi
Expressions Home Gallery Focuses on Spa Steam Showers and Education
Here’s where the MrSteam kiosks come into play in the Dallas showroom and the 21,000-sq.-ft. Ft. Worth showroom modeled after an Italian villa. “MrSteam has done a great job with them. It’s important for customers to be able to see the different controls and how they function,” Jayme says.
That’s a message the team delivers not only to homeowners, many of whom work with remodeling contractors, but to trade professionals as well.
Architects and builders are increasingly important to Expressions Home Gallery as new construction returns to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, and the business shifts from its former mix of about 60 percent remodeling.
While professionals are aware of steam, Jayme finds they don’t know about all the new technology. “They don’t know about the MrSteam iSteam controls or about turning on a steam shower from a smart phone. And they don’t know you can make steam into an entire system,” Jayme says. “We do a lot of education on that, talking about aromatherapy, chromatherapy and musictherapy.
Expressions Home Gallery also reminds trade and consumer customers that, in effect, their staff becomes an extension of the contractors, especially when it comes to correct sizing. “We use the MrSteam VirtualSpa and Size & Design tools, as a way to broaden our customer service level. They are so simple,” Jayme says.
She finds contractors are much more familiar with how to install steam now, but sometimes have questions about where a generator can go. Expressions Home Gallery offers assistance on locating it, whether in a vanity, attic, closet or elsewhere.
Whether interacting with trade professionals or helping customers achieve their dream spa sanctuary, Jayme says her “favorite piece of the job is the people side, developing our consultants on the floor and teaching people how this business is all about the relationship.”
>> See Create a Dream Steam Shower with Mr.Steam's Updated Virtual Spa
