Spa-Business

BANKRUPTCY FILING

As the economy slows, the nationwide Solana chain of 50-plus franchised medical spas has locked its Irvine headquarters, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, shut down its Web site, and disconnected its phone.  Their website indicates that another site is being developed by Higher Images.  Higher Images is a SEO and Internet Marketing and web design company.

The following is from a Medspa Blog:

Solana Medspas is out of business?

Neither the company’s chief executive, William Maya, nor its bankruptcy attorney could be reached for comment.

The company founder, John Buckingham of Mission Viejo, said he sold Solana on Nov. 20 to a private equity company in San Clemente and could not speak in detail about its current status.
Buckingham remained a director of the company, which helped entrepreneurs set up medical spas that provided spa services plus non-invasive cosmetic medical procedures such as Botox injections.

As recently as March, Buckingham predicted that the nation’s economic slowdown would help Solana MedSpas by freeing up new retail locations for its medical spas.
In an interview with CNN/Money, he said he was “excited about taking advantage of this year’s store vacancies to open another 20 locations in malls.”

At that point, he said Solana had 50 spas “located in upscale strip centers and lifestyle centers, which are typically open-air malls.”
In May, Solana struck a deal with cosmetic-laser company Cutera Inc. of Brisbane, Calif., which declared Solana the “preferred provider” for its products at medspas nationwide.
That announcement said Solana “has sold over 70 stand-alone retail med spas with others scheduled to be opened in 2008” and had established a new division, Solana MD, to open aesthetic spas in doctors’ offices.
Solana’s filing said it had $370,028 in liabilities but assets of only $11,713.

FRANCHISE ADS

Solana MedSpa franchises are still listed as for sale on franchising Web sites, with a total investment of $400,000 to $780,000.

The Franchise.com site, for example, says:
Solana MedSpas has forged a new medical spa model by combining cutting-edge aesthetics and wellness technologies with traditional spa therapies in a retail environment.
In a short period of time, Solana MedSpas has become a nationwide leader in medical spa development with a growing network of uniquely branded medical spas. With an emphasis on regulatory compliance, healthcare innovation, education, marketing and customer service, Solana MedSpas has emerged as the fastest growing developer of MedSpas in the US.

The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing means that the company will be liquidated, not reorganized.

BANKRUPTCY DETAILS
Solana’s current owner is Strategic Connections L.P., which is listed in the July 7 bankruptcy filing as “c/o WEM Management Company, 422 Avenida Salvador, San Clemente.”
The company’s largest listed creditor is its owner, which had floated it a $160,000 loan.
Solana said it had income of $456,989 so far this year from its consulting services to owners and operators of spas.
It paid Maya $161,112 in salary from Nov. 24, 2007, through June 24, the bankruptcy filing said. Buckingham’s salary for that period was $148,918.
The one company-owned medical spa, Resolutions, A Solana Medspa, also filed for bankruptcy under its legal name, Solana Medspa Development LLC.
The Resolutions medspa, located in a Rancho Santa Margarita shopping center, closed suddenly two weeks ago without explanation, said a hairdresser working in the adjoining hair salon.
The medspa listed assets of $11,713 and liabilities of $121,329. It cited $0 as the value of its unsold inventory of cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and Botox, which were purchased for $51,388.
Irvine-based Allergan, the maker of Botox, is its largest creditor. The medspa owes Allergan $49,260, the filing said.
The Resolutions spa had income of $225,555 so far this year, its filing said.

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 Shelton’s Salon and Day Spa

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Texas Resort Spas • Texas Medical Spas • Texas Spas

Find A Spa or Search the right Texas spa just for you

Claim to fame: A leader in providing its customers with the very best the salon & Spa industry has to offer – identifying an individual’s personal style wants and needs and having the technical skills to create a look or provide a spa service that meets and exceeds their wishes. Shelton’s has more trained stylists than any organization in the region and will always strive to improve the industry as a whole. It offers a full range of services and products for both men and women.

Where to find us:

• 2731 S. Hulen, Fort Worth, 817-921-1744
• 2200 W. Park Row, Arlington, 817-277-6339
• 3160 Harwood, Bedford, 817-283-8000.

Years in business: 44

Secret of Success: Shelton’s service providers have an eye for design that is always looking to the horizon for style ideas and new trends. Color is our specialty. The staff trains and retrains to provide services that are technically outstanding. Add to that a full-service day spa and a friendly and helpful front desk staff and that describes Shelton’s Salon and Day Spa.

 

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State proposal requires a license to massage

 

 

 

In 1983, Wilhelmina Blank was one of the first massage therapists in the area.

 

Now, Blank, the founder of the Pennsylvania Myotherapy Institute, says she sees massage therapists and day spas popping up all over the place.

That growth over the years has prompted State Rep. Keith McCall, of Carbon County, to sponsor a bill that will regulate the profession in Pennsylvania, one of 11 states that does not regulate massage.

State Massage Licensing Requirements

 

As an unregulated industry, people with little to no training are able to call themselves massage therapists. That also allows some people to practice the stereotypical parlor massage that trained therapists have worked to overcome.

 

The bill, however, would require massage therapists to obtain a

license under a newly established State Board of Massage Therapy. The license would require applicants to have 600 hours of training.

 

The bill was approved by the state House of Representatives and is currently under consideration by the Senate.

 

Bob Caton, McCall’s press secretary, said that this bill will go a long way in improving the massage therapy industry.

He said that untrained people are able to act as health-care professionals when they have no training, therefore giving reputable therapists a bad name.

 

Before there was “nowhere for the therapist or clients to turn,” but now they will be protected.

“The therapists will be given peace of mind and the client will have protection because they know they’re  getting well-trained professionals,” Caton said.

 

Blank said complaints sometimes come from clients that go to a massage therapist expecting relief from pain and just end up getting more pain because the therapist is not properly trained.

 

She hopes that the bill will make schools raise the standards of their training.

 

At PMI, students take a total of 725 hours in classes, 100 of which are clinical hours where students practice with clients.

 

PMI, runs his own massage therapy practice from Meadowview Family Practice in Hanover.

Rhodes said some therapists have a little knowledge of the practice, but pretend that they have a lot.

 

“A little knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge,” Rhodes said.

He said the problem with a lot of therapists is that they get into a routine and perform the same massage on every client.

Jody Phillips has been in the health-care industry for 17 years and is an instructor at PMI.

 

Phillips believes that if someone is practicing “true wellness and true therapy and pain relief,” they cater to each client’s needs. Every person’s body is different and everything in their lifestyle, from their profession to recreation, has an effect on their bodies. Phillips said that even a person’s right and left arms need different therapy from one another, and to practice the same massage would not be effective.

 

“We want to produce excellent therapists with a higher level of training that are out there making a difference,” Phillips said. “If they’re not making a difference in a client’s pain, then its pointless.”

But as for the idea that licensing would do away with unethical massage therapists, Blank is curious to see if it will work.

 

“I think it will depend on whether local authorities choose to enforce it,” Blank said. She has had her fair share of experience, from reporting a spa in the area, she knows that they are out there.

 

She encountered one spa where the therapists were dressed in lingerie. She could only guess what was going on inside the massage rooms.

She has also had clients that expect more because they received a “happy ending” massage from another therapist.

 

“As a therapist you have to know where to draw the line,” Blank said “It’s just unethical.”

 

Blank said that the massage industry isn’t just for relaxation anymore. Spas have been and always will be popular, but massage is moving toward “corporate wellness” and medical use.

 

According to the National Massage Therapy Institute, consumers spend between $4 billion and $6 billion a year on massage therapy. It is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S.

 

Many employers are beginning to take their employees’ health and wellness into consideration. It is common now for companies to have incentive programs including campaigns to quit smoking, exercise programs and now corporations are recognizing massage as a way to improve health, Blank said.

 

Blank also said that massage is becoming more prominent in the medical industry. There is a growing need for relief from pain for medical conditions ranging from cancer to geriatrics.

 

She believes that the licensing program will give therapists validity in the medical field and with insurance companies.

“The credibility is now there,” Blank said. “It will also boost recognition and credibility among people that had their doubts about massage therapy.”

Phillips also believes that the license program will make massage more accepted in the medical field. She stresses that massage isn’t an alternative form of medicine but complimentary to doctors.

 

“We want to work together,” Phillips said. She has many doctors and chiropractors who recommend their clients for massage therapy.

Although Blank said the bill will help massage therapists, she did say it has a few drawbacks.

 

If the testing method is consistent with the federal method, it will be a 600-question computerized test, which she believes measures a therapist’s knowledge but “doesn’t truly measure their skill.”

 

She also said that some states with licensing programs have high fees for those licenses and hopes that won’t be the case in Pennsylvania. Caton said whether there is a cost and what that might be would be determined by the

State Board of Massage.

 

Sherry Chenault, practices massage therapy in Westminster, Md. A 2006 graduate of PMI, she has gone through both a state and federal license program and feels that a license makes a therapist worth more.

 

In Maryland, massage therapists are required to complete 700 hours of training. Chenault said that the application process took her six months, but it was well worth it.

 

Massage therapists in Pennsylvania have been waiting a long time as well for this legislation.

The bill has been in the works for more than a decade.

“It’s been a long journey, but it’s worth it.” Caton said.

 

AT A GLANCE

A bill that would regulate massage therapists has passed the state House of Representatives and is under consideration by the Senate. If the bill passes, newer massage therapists would need to do the following steps before getting a license:

 

Complete 600 hours training approved by state Department of Education

Pass a state exam

Complete 24 hours of further education every two years.

Therapists are grandfathered in if:

They have practiced for more than five years

They have passed a national certification test

They have passed a licensing exam or have completed 500 hours of instruction approved by the Department of Education.

 

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Renaissance ClubSport Opens Aliso Viejo Hotel & Fitness Resort;
Area’s First Full-Service Hotel Debuts 75,000 Square-Foot Sports and Fitness Resort
Renaissance Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of the Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo Hotel & Fitness Resort, the first full-service hotel in Aliso Viejo and the brand’s second Renaissance ClubSport property. This unique boutique-style Southern California hotel and sports and fitness resort is situated in Saddleback Valley as the newest addition to the Summit Office Campus, a premier mixed-use business center.

The Renaissance ClubSport offers 174 guestrooms, including 5 suites, a 75,000 square foot world-class fitness facility and 5,500 square feet of flexible meeting space. Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo is managed by Marriott for Leisure Sports Inc. and R.D. Olsen in Aliso Viejo, California.

With distinctive architecture and colorful furnishings, the Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo is a world-class hotel and sports and fitness resort concept that appeals to both business and leisure travelers. The fitness club features a 12,000-square-foot fitness area with cardiovascular, circuit and free weight equipment, an NCAA-regulation gymnasium, basketball, volleyball, group exercise studios, racquetball and squash courts, and fully appointed locker rooms. An outdoor aquatic area offers two swimming pools plus a splash ‘n play area for kids, a whirlpool and garden patio area for dining or special events. Daily group exercise classes taught by top instructors include step, cycling, yoga, Pilates, tai chi, kickboxing and more.

“ClubSport is the essence of Renaissance - lifestyle driven elements accented by fashionable and stylish design and attentive and respectful service,” said Rita Cuddihy, senior vice president, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts. “The ClubSport offerings are the perfect blend with the Renaissance brand and we’re excited to partner with Leisure Sports again.”
Guests who stay at the Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo Hotel will have full access to the fitness resort with no additional charge. They can also take advantage of an on property fitness expert who will provide a guided tour of the facilities, and detailed information on the services and amenities provided.

After indulging in a range of exercise activities, guests will be able to unwind and rejuvenate at R Spa, a nine treatment room, full-service day spa. The spa will offer a varied menu of spa services including massage therapy, facials, body treatments, hydrotherapy, manicures and pedicures. A boutique-style gift shop offering a variety of sportswear and sundries is also available. For parents, a 7,000-square-foot Childcare Center will provide supervised childcare, fitness and sporting activities, arts and crafts and other educational programs. Also available is a full menu of youth programs, including specialty classes, camps, birthday parties and holiday special events.

The 174 guestrooms and suites are spacious and tastefully decorated with a contemporary feel and feature relaxing “spa-style” bathrooms. Each room features the plush Renaissance Revive®bedding package, as well as the innovative guestroom plug-in technology for laptops, MP3 players, camcorder and digital cameras, in-room high-definition, flat panel TVs and wired and wireless Internet available on the same network throughout the property.

Citrus Fresh Grill maintains the healthy, energetic style of this unique property, offering New American cuisine with a focus on fresh, locally grown ingredients. The comfortable lounge serves premium cocktails and wines and a full menu of appetizers and entrees. Citrus Express will offer a more casual fare, including health-conscious snacks and takeout foods.

Conveniently located at Summit Office Campus, the hotel is in close proximity to John Wayne International Airport, Disneyland, and the beautiful Southern California beaches. For more information on the Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo Hotel & Fitness Resort

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California Resort Spas • California Medical Spas • California Day Spas

 

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Children’s spa, salon opens in Gulfport

 

Dippady Do Spa has opened at 204 Courthouse Road, Suite 5, Gulfport, MS.

The business is a full-service spa and salon exclusively for children ages 18 months to 17 years old.

Owners are Shantrell Nicks, Charna Williams and Angela Collier.

 

Regular spa and salon hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The salon is now taking appointments for services and parties.

 

Details: 604-2772

 

 

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Volante POS Systems “Checks In” at the Southampton Inn & Spa
 
Toronto based hospitality software company Volante POS Systems was contracted to consolidate all guest services at this Inn & Spa, allowing for a stress free, seamless guest experience.
Volante POS Systems has announced their first installation in the Inn & Spa industry.

A new trend in lodging, the Country Inn and Spa is quickly replacing the basic Bed & Breakfasts of yester year. More and more, people are finding it difficult to separate from the office to take that much needed annual vacation. It should therefore come as no surprise that this type of accommodation has emerged onto the weekend getaway scene. A whole new type of lodging experience, guests can now enjoy an elegant, “country” experience while indulging in some on-site Spa pampering too.

Ever aspiring to offer the latest in modern amenities to their guests, and to retain a growing business clientele, The Southampton Inn in Southampton, Ontario, introduced complimentary high speed internet to all guest rooms in 2004. Then, in 2007, Susan and business partner Tony Robins added a full service Spa and Makeup Studio. The in-house Spa is a modern facility, and offers many Spa packages and services, from relaxation and hot stone massage to both day spa and overnight packages, and a full range of esthetic services. Guests can arrange a pamper day and enjoy lunch from a tantalizing Spa menu.

As the operation grew, it became apparent that a point of sale system and reporting back office was required that would help with day-to-day operations. Toronto based hospitality software company Volante POS Systems was contracted to consolidate all the services offered at the Southampton Inn and Spa, allowing for a stress free, seamless guest experience. The installation marks Volante’s entrance into the Inn & Spa market.

It’s a testament to modern technology that a sophisticated, scalable hospitality software system can be used with ease in a smaller establishment such as The Southampton Inn & Spa. Volante is 100% written in Java, and offers full enterprise capability and stand-alone terminals with peer-to-peer design. Volante is compatible on Windows, Linux, or Unix operating systems, and is an industry leader in Linux POS solutions.

“I’m definitely not a computer savvy person,” says Closs. “But I found Volante easy to use and not at all intimidating. Besides, I’m too busy running an Inn to take a computer course. Volante’s logical layout, dynamic features and on-line assistance were very much appreciated.”

Closs also mentions that Volante’s flexibility in configuring the feature set gave her peace of mind knowing she was able to track and report on all her spa services and spa inventory, while setting the security features and managing her food, beverage and labor costs at the same time. Future plans for the system is the implementation of the Volante Gift Card Module.

“I am confident that the gift card module will increase sales for Susan along with building community awareness” Says Annette Ennamorato, VP of Operations for Volante POS Systems. “These cards are so convenient for guest payment and they are great gifts too.”

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Lessons from the Field - Updating marketing and sales strategies mid year NOW is essential

I have learned in my career to consider the marketplace, the competition and the overall trends and cycles if I expect to be successful. In the past, this has usually meant creating an annual marketing plan and working that plan. Weekly and monthly action plans would lead to quarterly reviews and updates. The next year’s plan would take those updates and trends and as a team or a corporation, we would decide the next plan of strategies and tactics.
I must share that I read two interesting and disturbing articles within the past three weeks:

1. In late May, The Travel Industry Association ( the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $740 billion travel industry) released what they called a ‘First-of-Its-Kind Study Demonstrates Travelers Changing Behavior Due to Immense Frustration with Air Travel Process’. This survey  offered some alarming statistics about something we all know: ‘…… Deep Frustration Among Air Travelers ‘. The results of the survey documented that a staggering 41 million trips were avoided, with a negative $26.5 Billion hit to our industry.

The survey took opinions on a series of topics:

• Whether travelers believe the air travel system is either ‘broken’ or in need of ‘moderate correction.’

• Which direction the air travel system is headed

• The level of air travelers satisfaction with the air travel system,

• The sentiments of frequent air travelers (5+ trips per year)

• Who is responsible for the air travel process, - is it airlines ori issues the federal government can address

The frightening statistic is that of that $26.5 Billion dollars, $5.6 billion was allocated to hotels and $3.1 billion to restaurants. These lost trips would also have generated $4.2 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue.

2. The second article was almost a month later from Canada and a story found in The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Reuters (6/25). This story offered that a ‘Reliance on business travelers this year could hurt hotels next year’. The lead off paragraph was that many U.S. hotels are depending on business travelers to fill the gap left by lower numbers of leisure travelers who are limited by the rapid price of gas hikes. The Globe and Mail inferred that a reliance on business travel could give companies a much stronger bargaining position in negotiating 2009 hotel contracts.

For those of us who have been in the industry for more than 15-20 years, the notion of occupancy and rate cycles is not a new phenomenon. What is new is the realization that the combination of gasoline prices affecting literally all products and services is going to hit the hospitality industry incredibly hard.

TIA hosted an emergency summit of travel leaders in June in Washington, DC to discuss next steps for moving this issue forward with policymakers and TIA has called on each of the major presidential candidates to commit to addressing this issue. This type of proactive leadership is healthy for the industry, but will it help individual hotels?

The title of this article is Updating marketing and sales strategies mid year NOW is essential. I offer the following observations:

• Increase the attention given to all revenue management strategies and tactics.

• Carefully evaluate all advertising. Be certain it is logical, measurable and targeted

• Consider increasing ways to improve your online presence - the return here can be outstanding - IF it is thought out, managed and monitored

• Consider ways to capitalize on the ‘green’ movement. Government and many companies are increasingly paying attention and there is not an automatic winner in this race yet

• Examine every marketing and sales strategy you have in place. I am a firm believer in ’staying the course’ if the course is correct, but the danger of global inflation, a weak US dollar, rising gas prices and the national presidential election all figure into what is a non-typical cycle.

Finally, for those of us who have been in the industry less than 10-15 years, think back to whatever industry you may have been involved with before and remember those cycles. If you are under 35 in age, look at the economic histories of other businesses and recall what they did well or poorly.

The hospitality industry has had a solid run of accomplishments these past ten years or so, but that was preceded by a very mixed 20 year cycle.

Look at what is going on in your hometown and figure out as many ways as possible to be an essential part of the community as a good corporate citizen. That commitment will help ride out some stormy valleys of lower demand and will endear you and your hotel to the community and help maintain your levels of success.

Service…
Giving what you don’t have to give.
Giving when you don’t need to give.
Giving because you want to give.
Damien Hess

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Brandi Nuttall wanted a better working environment. That desire was the impetus to her starting a salon-and-spa business that has evolved into a multimillion-dollar operation that employs close to 300 workers at multiple locations.

After attending cosmetology school as a teenager, Nuttall worked at a few salons. She found the pay lacking, as were opportunities for further education and other benefits.

“I couldn’t find that all in one place, so it was kind of out of necessity,” Nuttall recalls. “I knew it could be done, and it had been done at other places.”

Nuttall faced a few hurdles before opening her first Dolce Salon & Spa location in 2002 near Chandler Fashion Center. The biggest was persuading a bank to lend to someone who, at the time, was in her early 20s. She struggled with the same obstacle when trying to negotiate a lease for her first location.

Eventually, she struck a deal with her father, who provided financing to Nuttall much like a traditional lender would. Since then, Nuttall’s company has been able to obtain financing through banks, helping it to expand.

One year after opening, Nuttall expanded into the space next door. She since has opened a location at Borgata of Scottsdale and built a 30,000-square-foot spa and salon in Peoria.

She says she would like to open more but wants to wait until her newest locations get acclimated.

“I definitely want to cover the Valley,” she said.

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