Mela Kesko English 1102003 Description of the Location: The figured world I chose to observe is my job, Urbana Cityspa

& Teabar. The spa is composed of two parts: The first is a large open area with an inviting lounge, tea bar, and checkout desk. Upon first entering the spa, you will see the checkout desk which is an L shaped bamboo bar. Behind the checkout is a secluded area equipped with two computers and file cabinets to store patient records this area is not visible to guests. To the right you will find the lounge complete with two large, black, couches both accompanied by 4 glass coffee (tea in this case) tables, 4 leather chairs each separated by a wooden tea table all surrounding a large square table wrapped in cloth. To the left of the furniture are 3 retail shelves floating on the wall. Adjacent to that is a large bookshelf (also for retail) as well as a table for salt lamps. Also placed against this wall are 3 tables with two chairs for extra seating. In passing the lounge you will see the tea bar. The tea bar is a large granite bar equipped with six bar stools for seating. Behind the tea bar is another computer, sinks for washing dishes as well as all of the dishware. Against the wall are 6 glass shelves floating on metal wires that hold over 100 canisters of various loose-leaf teas. To the right of the tea bar is a small room separated from the lounge with a bead curtain. The room is equipped with a large refrigerator, an ice bin, and shelves for cleaning supplies as well as shelving that hold plastic bins with large bags of loose-leaf tea. Back in lounge, against the left wall are two bead curtains (on opposite sides) that lead to a U shaped hall with eight treatments rooms and two restrooms. Each treatment room is equipped with a massage table, a desk that holds a towel warming cabinet as well as a chair for therapists during treatment. Two of the eight treatment rooms are couples rooms complete with two massage tables as opposed to one. One of the rooms is the esthetics room where facials are done; this room also has a massage table and desk with a towel warmer but it includes cabinets to store skin care products as well as a small stand for wax pots and a sink in the corner of the room. The entire building is dimly lit and meditation music plays in each room while a more up-tempo style of music plays in the lounge. Literacy Practices: Customer Satisfaction: Working in a spa environment is different from any style of job on the market. We all share one common ambition at work: to make sure the clients are satisfied. Customer service is a little different in a spa; we strive to see our clients well-being uplifted. When theyre drinking tea or come out of a service and feel better than when they first walked in is our goal. Seeing a client happy and relaxed brings satisfaction to our hearts and thats what helps us work together so well as a team. 250-word Summary: Proper behavior at Urbana has two sides: the employees and the clientele. While all spas should maintain a very professional atmosphere, Urbana is much more relaxed due to it not being a corporate business. We are the only Urbana in Charlotte and because of this, all of the staff knows one another very well and are much more comfortable being themselves. Both parties should keep their volume low in the lounge as well as in the treatment rooms and phones/electronic devices should be off or on silent. Laptop and tablet use by clients is acceptable during all times of the day and group events are expected. Alcohol consumption

should be strictly monitored and limited to crowds 21+ (despite that the spa is 18+). Clients should be on time to their scheduled appointments and communicate with Urbana if any changes arise with their appointment. As with any job, there are two different personalities that are displayed by employees in the break room and on the floor. The receptionists are the first faces clients see when they walk into Urbana and because of this, the front desk staff needs to be as friendly and professional as possible. They should also keep their volume low when speaking to guests in the lounge and on the phone. Receptionists should be as attentive as possible to assure all clients are satisfied during their visit. Therapists should also carry that same professional and friendly attitude when meeting with their client(s). They often have to try a little bit harder to refrain from inappropriate comments because a client can become uneasy very quickly when they are in a service. Urbana is very picky when hiring therapists they must be knowledgeable about the particular service they are performing and also be familiar with our retail products so they are able to upsell them after a service. The break room, however, has a slightly more relaxed atmosphere. There is often gossip between employees and the volume is much higher than on the floor. Because Urbana is a privately owned company, all the employees get a better chance to know one another. This is beneficial because when employees have a better understanding of their coworkers, they are more likely to perform as a team. All in all, Urbanas rules and conventions are very similar to those of any spa or salon. Actors: Jainan Naik: Owner of Urbna Cityspa & Teabar. He has a very big head, takes his position to heart and often says inappropriate things to remind you of his position. He doesnt like to be involved with the spa on a daily aspect, usually arrives 3-4 hours after the spas opening time and leaves anywhere from 1-4 hours before the spa closes. Jainan usually does not come in on the weekends and often takes vacations to Florida to visit his girlfriend. He has a very laid back personality - easy to talk to and can be a bit profane during casual conversation. He can be stingy with his money and does not like to give refunds or complimentary services for donation requests. He takes complaints very seriously and always asks that immediate action be taken to correct the issue. Jainan does not tolerate employee slacking or violation of spa conduct/rules. Brittany Boswell: Head/Lead therapist. She is very focused on her health only eats organic foods and always brings in some kind of organic fruit or nuts for the staff to try. She likes to send emails to the staff about health posts and often attaches reminders. She is in charge of the therapists and handles any questions or concerns that have to do with the treatment aspect of the spa. She runs the monthly staff meetings for the therapists and also attends the front desk meetings. She handles a lot of the marketing for Urbna and is in charge of hosting chair massage events around Charlotte. Brittany has a very bubbly personality and loves to be the life of the party. She is very religious and passionate about her son. She is Jainans go-to about everything; she also shares the office with him. Cara Truitt: Cara is the manager of the front desk. She has a very dominant personality and has a tendency to bite off more than she can chew. She takes complaints very personally and often gets upset if someone complains about her work ethic. She is a Mary Kay consultant and tries to sell her products to employees all the time. Cara often tries to plan girly events for the female staff at Urbana but no one ever seems interested. She always complains about something hurting or bothering her (physically) and often gets massages at Urbana during her shift (which is not allowed). Cara would be described as the chameleon and often changes her personality to fit in with those around her.

Derek Kramer: Derek is a receptionist and also does social media marketing for Urbana. He is everyones target. He is always being complained about to Jainan and can never seem to do his job correctly. He is known for his atrocious grammar and punctuation when sending an email or doing marketing via Facebook or Twitter. Derek usually butts heads with Mela due to their similar position. He often acts like the know-it-all and gets very defensive when he is confronted about his ongoing mistakes. He is very attached to his cell phone and always has it out at the front desk. Derek is very quick to place the blame on another front desk member. All in all, he is not on anyones favorites list. Mela Kesko: Mela is also a receptionist and does direct marketing for Urbana as well the interior design changes for the spa. Mela has been at Urbana longer than any other receptionist. She complains a lot to Jainan about little things that bug her at work. Her position is focused on interacting most with clients in the lounge as well as the tea bar. She despises Derek and will often call out of a shift to avoid working with him. She excels in her position and is always bugging Jainan for a promotion/raise. She is a tea addict and always brews herself tea at work, but because of this, she is everyones go-to when it comes to the teabar. She is often called upon to help answer questions about tea for a client. Mela loves making new spreadsheets and checklists to keep Urbana more organized. She is also very concerned with her physical appearance at work. Kendra Hart: Kendra is also a receptionist. She is very professional at work but is very playful and humorous when she is not on the clock. Kendra likes to play the good girl role when Jainan is around but often slips up when he is gone. She laughs at everything and has a very dry sense of humor. She often talks about other employees behind their backs and thinks of Urbana as a very mediocre place to work at since she has experience with a much higher level of hospitality. Kendra and Mela get along better than any other receptionists at work and often gossip a lot when they have a shift together. Taylor Folden: Taylor is one of the estheticians at Urbana. She is very bubbly and superficial. She is always late to her appointments and lacks professional character. She like to take vacations a lot and is often late to her shift because she like to go get her nails done. She is a dance teacher as well so she often skips around the lounge to lighten everyones mood. She always looks down on the others estheticians because she has been there longer than them, despite the fact that her work ethic and facials are often complained about. Regardless of her poor employment status, Taylor always puts everyone in a better mood when she is around. Artifacts: Dereks Cellphone: Dereks phone is very vital to his role because it contributes to his work ethic and the reason is often given the worst employee title. He often pulls out his phone to avoid being given a task or being confronted for his work ethic. Jainans Title: Jainans title is very important to him and gives him a sense of security at Urbana. Even though he is the owner, he still feels the need to have to remind everyone of his authority there. Caras Makeup: Caras makeup defines her because she is a Mary Kay consultant and she is always debating on whether or not she should quit to pursue her Mary Kay career. It is also important because she feels like her appearance will better her chances at being liked and getting along with her coworkers. The Teabar: Urbanas teabar serves dual purpose as an artifact. Urbana is the only massage spa in Charlotte that also doubles as a teabar, listing us above most spas in charlotte. Another reason

is because Mela loves hot tea and drinks it all the time at work. This defines who she is as an employee, making her the go-to at the teabar. Discourse Communities: The Bosses: Jainan, Cara and Brittany all fall into this discourse community because they all have some kind of authority over their employees. Although Jainan is the only one who will actively remind you of his position, all of them have no hesitance when it comes to using their authority. The Front Desk: Mela, Derek, Kendra and Cara all work at the Front Desk as receptionists and experience the front side of the spa. They deal with both the spa and Teabar aspect of the company. They all share the same list of responsibilities and tasks needed to be completed on a day-to-day basis. The Slackers: Derek and Taylor fall under the slacker category because they are always doing the bare minimum to keep their job. They often get in trouble with Jainan because their work ethic is always being complained about. The Interview (with Kendra) Q: How does Urbana differ from other spas in the area? A: I feel like Urbana takes an extra step to make guests feel more relaxed. We avoid making guests feel like they are in an uptight doctors office. We have a very low-lit lounge and offer freshly brewed loose-leaf hot tea and champagne (complimentary of course) to all of our guests and we also accommodate large parties as well. All in all, Urbana is much more client oriented than other spas. Q: Describe the atmosphere at Urbana: A: Zen. Thats the best word to describe it. The lights are very dim and the music is calming. We always have aroma-therapy candles lit and the couches are very low to the ground and comfortable so clients can just relax when they are here. Q: Do you enjoy working for this company? Why or why not? A: Yes and no. The company itself is great. Its such a great concept and a successful business. I love our staff, we are like one big family but sometime it loses its professionalism and that can get very stressful. Q: What is one thing you would want to add to this company? What is something you would take away? A: I would love to add a relaxation room. Something with a sauna and one of those bathtubs with the mud in it! Oh, and a few couches and a lot of salt lamps! A room where clients can go to just to relax prior/after their service. I would also take away the retail shelves. I feel like it makes it seem like youre in a store rather than a spa. Dont get me wrong, a lot of the stuff is spa related but I think it should be a little less displayed.

Observation One Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 Time 6:30pm 9:00pm 6:30 Mela arrives to work and already there is tension between her and Derek. There are two clients in the lounge; one is slightly uptight and unaware of the environment at Urbana clearly a new client. The other is a regular of Brittanys and is spread out on one of the couches with a glass of raspberry champagne and a heated neck wrap. Brittany takes her client back and as usual, Taylor is late for hers. Mela walks to the room behind the checkout desk and greets Cara, completely ignore Derek he didnt seem to mind. 6:35 Taylor finally takes her client back and Kendra arrives to work 5 minutes late. As soon as Kendra comes in, Derek leaves. Immediately, Mela becomes more social and asks Kendra how her day was. Kendra began to talk about how her professor was arrested yesterday for purchasing marijuana from a student. Cara comes out and gives Mela a to-do list and also leaves. 6:50 Mela is scrolling through the Daily Front Desk notes to catch herself up on whats been going on for the past few days as she has been off since Sunday. She scrolls through the company email and notices an email string between Derek and a regular client at Urbana. Appalled by his lack of correct grammar and spelling, she gets frustrated at his inability to correct his mistakes so she prints the emails and leaves them on the counter for Jainan. 7:15 Mela and Kendra are looking at funny pictures on the internet of popular memes that have been trending around the web. Jainan comes out of the office and says he is leaving for the night and he wont be in until Sunday morning because he is going to Florida to visit his girlfriend (typical). He asks if everything is running smoothly and if there is anything that he needs to know about. Mela mentions the emails and hands him the conversation she printed. He reads through them and gets furious and says to leave the papers on his desk and hell handle it when he comes back. 7:25 The clients come out of service and are being checked out by Kendra, Mela is pouring togo cups of tea for them. Taylor goes up to Mela and asks her if her client said anything about her being late. Mela, being already aggravated with everyones poor work ethic today snarls, no and walks away to give the clients their tea. 7:27 A man walks in to check-in for his appointment with Brittany. This is the last service of the day. Kendra checks him in and Mela offers him a drink, he asks for a glass of tea and a cold bottle of water. Mela gladly bring him his drinks and he thanks her kindly. 7:30 Brittany takes her client back and Mela and Kendra begin to close down the lounge. Kendra complains about how Derek didnt do anything during his shift and now shes stuck doing all of his extra work. 7:40 Mela cleans all the windows and tables as Kendra washes all the dishes and drains the sinks. Seconds after they close the teabar, Kendra realizes that there is no chilled tea for the morning so Kendra, even angrier at this point, brews a pot of blueberry-pomegranate tea and places it in the refrigerator for the morning. 7:45 Mela goes to the front counter and Taylor comes out of the Mood room asking if she had any cash tips for the day. Mela goes to the office to get the key to the tip box and gives Taylor her tips for the day. 8:10 As a wave of quietness takes over Urbana, Kendra and Mela sit in the back room and gossip. Kendra complains about Derek being on his phone during their shift last night and

threatens to tell Jainan about his work ethic. Mela snaps back, livid nonetheless, saying she always complains about his lack of anything appropriate at work and he never does anything. 8:32 Brittanys client comes out of service and checks-out. Kendra closes down the register and Mela gives Brittany her cash tips. Brittany starts gossiping about her last client informing us that he just got a new position as a pilot and wont be as often as hed like. 8:45 Mela and Kendra turn off all of the lights and music and set the alarm. 8:55 Kendra and Mela walk to their cars and Kendra asks Mela if she should talk to Jainan about Derek. Mela agrees and tells her that he should know, regardless of the fact that hes probably heard it before. Observation Two Friday, September 6rd, 2013 Time 6:30pm 7:35pm 6:30 Mela arrives for her shift with Derek. Already in a bad mood, Mela passes by him saying, Hi with the least amount of emotion possible. 6:50 There are two clients in the lounge and Mela is at the front desk ringing up a client for a gift card. Derek is in the back room on his phone scrolling through Tumblr, ignoring the clients in the lounge. Mela gets up and aggressively tells Derek to pull his head out of his ass and help her. He tells her to relax and goes out to greet the clients. 7:15 Mela begins on a project given to her by Jainan to design a new Excel spread sheet for group events. Derek walks up behind her and begins critiquing her work. Mela looks at him and laughs sarcastically and tells him that the reason she was given the project rather than him is because his grammar is that of a 6-year old child. Derek, unable to think of a comeback, puffs and slurs, Whatever at Derek. 7:20 Mela leaves to take a break because she is angry at Derek. She goes downstairs to Panera to get a coffee. 7:30 Mela comes back in and a client is checking out. She rolled her eyes at Derek and walked to the back room. 7:35 Jainan called and asked if everything is running smoothly. Mela complains about what Derek had said to her earlier. Noticing her frustration, Jainan offers Mela to go home for the night since it is slow. She takes him up on his offer and leaves, paying no attention to Derek. Observation Three Sunday, September 8th, 2013 Time 9am 10am (Front Desk Meeting) 9:00 The front desk members are gathered in the lounge on the couches and chairs with bagels and coffee ready to start the meeting. 9:05 Mela walks in late and takes a seat on the couch next to Cara. Brittany is on the same couch eating fresh blackberries and begins to chat with Mela about how she woke up early that morning to go to the farmers market. 9:15 Jainan begins the meeting and starts off with monthly numbers and reports. He begins to talk about the lack of professionalism that he has been noticing lately and mentions the grammar dilemma happening in emails, trying to avoid directing it toward Derek.

9:25 Cara announces that she will be quitting to pursue her career with Mary Kay. Jainan presents a speech for her and gives her a you will be missed card. He then proceeds to announce that he is promoting Kendra to manager. As happy as she is for her, Mela gives Jainan a look of disappointment because she has been asking him for a promotion for months. 9:40 The meeting ends and Jainan asks if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for the company. Derek proceeds to give ideas. Kendra rolls her eyes looks at Mela as they smile at each other, sharing the same thoughts. Mela stops paying attention. 9:50 Everyone begins to leave and Jainan asks Mela if he can speak to her outside. They go outside and Jainan asks Mela what she thinks about Kendra getting the promotion. Mela is obviously livid but keeps a straight face and says she is happy for her. 9:55 Kendra comes outside and begins to complain to Jainan about Dereks work ethic and performance. They sit down and begin to talk. Mela leaves.