How do I check that a day spa’s treatment products are not expired?

Do the check yourself, in person, and bring the inventory list. Open cupboards, back bar shelves and any storage room. Read the date on each container and note anything past it or unlabelled. Decanted products without a label are a particular warning. Remember that retail shelves count too. Skin care sold to clients should be as fresh as the products used in rooms, and an old retail display can lead to complaints you would have to answer.

Ask how the spa rotates stock. Do staff put new deliveries behind older ones? Is there a regular date check, and is it written down? A log kept by the team shows habit. A tidy shelf the day of your visit may not.

Look at how much product the spa holds. Large stores of slow-moving items may have been bought in bulk and left. These affect the inventory figure you are given, so ask your accountant whether expired items should be removed from it. Ask about supplier terms, returns and any past client reactions to products. Check that the spa follows the manufacturers’ instructions on storage, and consider asking an industry association or your insurer what a sensible checking routine looks like.

Key takeaways

• Read expiry dates yourself instead of relying on a stock list.
• Ask to see the rotation routine and any written date checks.
• Ask your accountant how expired product affects the inventory figure.