Pulse January / February 2020 | Page 45

P: The rollout of the new branding was delayed at some Red Door locations. How did you decide which spas were renovated first? W: We based it on geographic clusters. We started with our New York region and our flagship Fifth Avenue location; there’s a history in terms of Elizabeth Arden and how she started her own location on 5th Avenue, and so we felt it was important to start the next phase of our history there. Then we went out to some of our outer markets— Chicago, Florida, Texas, Arizona—and we’re finishing with our mid-Atlantic region. As we thought about the transition of products, we knew we needed to sell through the products that we wouldn’t be carrying after the complete rebrand was done. By starting with our largest region and finishing with our next largest region, it allowed us to sell through the inventory that we would be transitioning out of. It was both symbolic and pragmatic. P: What has been the initial feedback from customers? W: It’s funny, I would say the vast majority of feedback is that it’s very pleasant, it’s natural, it’s soothing. It was a pretty significant change from where we were with the bright- red lacquered door and a harder color palette. Now, it’s more natural and relaxing, so it’s perhaps more in-line with what people expect from a traditional spa. Certainly, we’ve received a number of comments as to why we would do this, why we would effectively relin- quish a globally recognized brand for something that is new and different. It’s certainly under- standable why people are asking that question. “The core values of the new brand are the same core values that we had as the Red Door. Who we are, what we do and what our people believe in hasn’t changed. What we wanted was a brand that better reflected what our core values and beliefs are.” Mynd Spa & Salon's new look is brighter, friendlier and aims to be more inclusive. JANUARY/FEBRUARY ■ PULSE 2020 43