Advice Needed Badly!!!

Okk iv tried just about everything to help people, Im not gonna go out again and spend 1000Ls on stuff when no one is going to come and use it...
Im thinking of opening a Spa were you can Relax in a Hot tub, Chill on the Sofa's just somthing Relaxing, I need some Advice from people...Should i open a Spa? And why/why not?


Just write the comments in here...
Thank you so muchh.....

no
reason why not, waste of money
anyone can have a tub, or spa, or table, or couch, etc to relax on (which doesn't equal to relaxing in RL)

if you do plan to open it, find a twist that would make people want to come there, and hang out, and enjoy the spa treatment.

and I have no idea what that twist would be, if I did, I would do it myself heh

sorta sounds like my situation at the moment

I have a great idea for a game (well I think it is a great idea) but do not know enough about scripting to do the hard part, so... either I hire someone and spend the money, and end up not being able to recup the losses or I just sit on the idea

at this time, sitting on the idea (one has to also trust the scripter to not go and use the idea themselves thus undermining your attempt at hitting the market with it)

which brings me to the next thing...
by putting your question out here, you might get some really good ideas, but remember, others are also getting those same ideas, so if it ends up being a really good idea, expect someone else to go with it too.

Why a spa?

What motivates anyone to go there?

People and atmosphere bring others when it comes to most builds meant for gatherings.

If you create it(market it, inflate traffic numbers, spam the forums, etc, etc...) they will come...

Question - do you do it to help people or do you want to get money out of it?

Answer- I want to do it because i would like to help people yes, But i also wanna do it because i would like to have a little Income in SL,Iv stopped Escorting b/c i hated it, I wanna do somthing different and i thought opening a Spa/Relaxing place would be good....

Thank you for everyone who Replied also ))

Well, relying upon SL for positive Linden flow at the moment is risky. A lot of people are tightening their prim-belts due to SL and RL economy.

If you want to do something to help people, great. It might even result in some extra Linden jangling in your pixelly pocket if it is something you love.

Create a social scene there, keep it small to begin with is my advice. It feels cozier having five people on a small lot than it does having 10 people on a bigger roomier one.

Start with people from your friend's list. Since you escorted you must have er, contacts. Make clear this is just a place to relax. But a lot of people might appreciate a place where they can 'chill' and chat.

Look around for freebies - heck I have two hot tubs I made that you can have if you want, they are full perm. But they're not fancy.

Hunts have freebie furniture and decor items. As long as it isn't ugly and it's functional, I think people will be okay with what you set out. It will have more to do with someone usually being there, and I don't mean bots.

Do you have a lot of RL time to invest in just hanging in there yourself? People TP quickly out of an empty space.

If you do open this I'd run ads in classifieds and maybe offer incentives to people to put your place in their Picks.

Nytalya, there is no such thing as instant gratification. Don't change your business every three weeks when you do not get the audience you seek. Adjust your marketing plan as needed, keep the customers you do get and slowly build your following. Quality of service is what is going to make you successful in the eyes of the peopel that take advantage of your service. Talk to someone from 2004 that has a successful business. It takes time.

Honeybear started a great thread on marketing your business. It would be a good read for you /327/0d/312162/1.html


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I just have to say Thank You, I relize that yea Maybe a Spa would be a big waste of money at this point....When i was reading through all these i came up with another Idea,

How about a Bar, With maybe a table or two and some dance balls, Nothing to pricy ofcourse, And when i say BAR i dont mean come and get Drunk, I mean a Relaxing place to just Cooloff from SL, Have a drink Hangout,Talk with friends there whatever, How would that sound ???

I'd favor spa over bar, there are sooo many bars/pubs/clubs in SL already.

YMMV.

If you want a bar to be nice and not earn money then go for it. I think every bar I know not only doesn't make money, but costs a fortune to operate.

When you said the idea just came to you, it makes me think you need to slow down a little. Take a deep breath and really think about it. Fly around and see what you think is missing from SL that people would really be interested in.

Thank you Brad, I think your right im doing this way way way too fast, I just wanna own somthing and gain alittle L from it, Im not saying i wanna be Rich and Huge but just alittle L....

I should like you all said think abit more about this, Like the Spa i dont think people will come, And the Bar maybe people will come but how would i make money with that Just by Tips No way lol.....

But when i get another Idea i will Mention it to everyone on here, You'll problely all see another idea from me in like 10 minutes lol....

But im going to say it again, Thank you so much for Replying to me ))

you want original? make a spa with bed and animations of giesha girls walking on customers backs. thats a bit different... enough to make cash? doubt it but it would be original.

in fact make your whole build after a japanese place, although im probably 99% sure thats been done too.

your spa idea would have to need linked to a bigger project to succeed... I'd listen to above comments and look a bit more for a "thing" to do.

And if you really want to be different, offer geisha *boys* too.

How about a shopper service - someone says, "I want a hairstyle that looks like X actress," or "a pair of boots like X wears in this television show," and you spend the time looking, for a certain amount per hour.

Yes, (not bad idea). I've seen 'personal shopper' in a profile but haven't yet hired any - not knowing if their taste would be the same as mine, not knowing how thorough they might be (as oppposed to just charging me to get some of their friends' shop landmarks).

Offer that service in a trial basis the first time someone uses it and then knock their socks off.

Hmm- a spa wd be cool I think - light, relaxing music... some massage tables - i do see a possibility. The bar/club tings is done to death - believe me- Done right I would try it out- But... it really is a hard thing- the marketing- u have make people NEED your place and it might be hard to sell them on such a tactile thing as a spa in a virtual space.

I agree. You know it might be possible but there would have to be staffed by people that could emote what is going on in a real spa like setting rather than a spa that is a front for an escort service. Finding the people to do that would probably be very difficult and then marketing it would rather daunting.

a spa/hot-tub ... yes, why not? Find some nice relaxing music streams and perhaps some people who could play acoustic sets now and again. Hold some events - perhaps discussion groups, philosophy, poetry readings, book club. I think it could be really nice.

Will it make money? No, I shouldn't think so.

Ooh Amaranthim got in just before me....I was going to say why not base it on a rl day spa, and offer a massage service (non sexual would be a novelty in sl). There are days when I'd gladly pay for a virtual cybered back-rub in a relaxing environment.

You could try offering some of the services that a spa/beautician offers.....manicures/pedicures...hairdos....facials(skins and shapes). Provide a stylist service to help people create a look. Work with other businesses who specialise in these areas. Theme it into a relaxing environment...music....virtual aromatherapy (it does happen in sl)......a bit of art.....good conversation.

I have no idea if this would make you much money immediately, especially since it is quite high-intensity in the service dept...but the rp would be fun. And who knows, it could catch on.

In the past when I first started there were a few spas about but they seem to have gone. There are several stunning sims what have spas, ponds, lakes in them with great poses for couples and singles.

From my personal view would i use such .. no i have a hot tub and a table at my home and with that comes privacy something many dont get in SL. If your looking at that way still maybe hire out the rooms so ppl can be alone.

Hmmm.....

As someone who loves to Explore SL......and who writes/reads a LOT.....one thing I haven't found a lot of is cool little coffee shops/cafes. There's a handful, but it seems like perhaps SL could use more areas where people gather just to be social and discuss common topics & interests.

One little place I found recently has some funny trivia games....a hangman game and a Simon game (remember Simon LOL the electronic simon says thingy, hehe) Anyway...it's kind of a neat hook for a coffee shop and the atmosphere is really very real worldish. It also happens to be in a sim that is sort of dedicated to a community.....there's a quaint plaza and a pretty sea wall with a view of the ocean.

I wouldn't say people don't want a quiet place to hang out tho....just yesterday I got a messege from a woman who had TP'd into my gallery and she was delighted by the island and asked if I minded if she just hung out and wrote some emails. She said she likes to find quiet pretty places to just sit while she does other tasks. I was so thrilled that she felt like staying.......and I think places where people feel THAT relaxed are great and certainly in demand to a % of SL residents.

The coffee shop I'm talking about is Starbrooks....you can find it in search........I spent 3 years in SL trying to find a venue that worked for me.....that gave me satisfaction and that others responded to. I'm not worried about making L's......but I do hope to recover some to help keep my island. When i finally decided to do my gallery (it's my mom's paintings and it's set up so folks can donate to the MS society, cause mom had MS) it just felt right. It's something close to my heart and I've had very positive reactions to it. I think sometimes it just takes us a while to find our niche....but you will.

I had actually considered offering my OCD gentlemen's fashion skills to any who require it, but had no idea if there would be interest. LOL

I've considered even offering a men's fashion SL road trip. Not for financial gain mind, but in an effort to strip new people and even some not so new of their bling and poor fashion sense. On the other hand, I also don't wish to seem so arrogant, and try not to begrudge some men of what they are comfortable in -- how does one know if they are just hopeless at shopping in SL or perhaps they really like those tacky loud shorts and badly textured t-shirts?

Instead, I compiled a list of designers suitable for the fashionable gentleman but still wonder if a more personal touch (guided tour etc) might not be helpful. Would it? This thought has given me pause to wonder if there would be interest in such a shopping expedition. Perhaps I'll give it a try next month when I return from holidays.

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Apologies, I am not trying to hijack the thread, but do wish to add it is difficult to come up with something new, especially if financial gain is the goal.

Miss Alexandre mentioned a severe lack of cafes and coffee shops, and I agree. There are a few (I think I've encountered about three in my two years here), but a nice little friendly bistro with some European ambiance would make a nice gathering place for those of us who aren't "club people".

There are also ideal locations for a "first date" *cough cough*, much like RL. Romantic gardens are wonderful, but those are better suited for successive dates. *winks*

A nice little Euro styled cafe would be very nice indeed.

There are a few Euro style cafes but they are nearly always empty. They only seem to come up in search by accident, may be why.

Elric from what I hear, finding male avatar's fashions in SL that are truly great, is even harder than finding just that right item for female avatars. Combine it with many RL men also saying 'they hate shopping including SL'. I think your personal shopper for male avatars, service would be a success. Certainly worth trying, it seems.

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A 'day spa' would be lovely but to be done right, would require finding quality poseball items (like mani/pedi, hairstyling, massage table, chair for facial) and quality emoters for your staff. *Pay the staff* and also let them have tip jars. Don't ding clients to use the tip jars every few minutes, just let them be visible.

I think a lot of people would go somewhere like that but it would require time/financial output to begin with and to keep it running well.

haha you been spying on my stuffs?