I had a spa appointment this past weekend, an 80 minute massage. Great block of time to read and do some writing, I thought to myself.
When I stepped into the massage room, though, the masseuse asked me to place my phone on the table on the corner. I did.
Later, telling a woman who runs a spa about this situation, she laughed knowingly. Apparently, many people bring their phones to spa treatments — even while receiving facials — and some even decline to put their phones down when asked. It’s one of the biggest challenges in the industry, she told me: Using social media to attract and schedule clients, while separating people from those very devices once they come in.
(Surprisingly, the woman admitted that she herself prefers not to speak to people when scheduling any type of service as a customer, even a spa treatment.)
***
I recently listened to a book called The Art And Science Of Respect by hip-hop legend James Prince. I strongly prefer my books in digital reading format, but I noticed Prince’s book in Apple Music, of all places, so I listened to his and Dame Dash and Kenyatta Griggs’s Culture Vultures (also on Apple) over two days.
While Dash’s book was uniquely produced — there was background music throughout and a distinctive echo behind Dame’s voice for much of it — Prince’s was set up like most audiobooks (like mine) would be: Just the author reading his book out loud.
Mr. Prince has a reputation for being a man of few words, and as customary for such people, he speaks relatively slowly in a very measured manner. Having conditioned myself by listening to the few audiobooks that I do own, and all my podcasts on 2x (1.5x at the slowest) speed every day, Respect’s pace forced me to slow down mentally.
(Maybe not) Surprisingly, there were unexpected benefits.
#WorkOnYourGame