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TOTAL WOMAN In the Business
GYM & DAY SPA About Women
C
ellulite, wrinkles, hot flashes—it may sound like a scene out of Sex
and the City, but at Total Woman Gym & Day Spa, it’s the daily talk
and treatment matter.
One of the largest women’s-only gym and day spa in the country, Total
Woman has 12 locations across Southern California. “Total Woman is a place to
escape, relax, retreat and gather with other women,” says Jessica Wadley, director
of spa and retail. “Our goal for more than 45 years has
B Y R AC H E L Z AW I L A
been to give women the opportunities they need to help
them achieve their health, fitness and wellness goals.”
The idea came straight from women themselves. Founder Art Stone, who
owned and operated Kismet Beauty Salons in Los Angeles, often heard his female
clientele discuss the need for a place where they could focus not only on maintaining their health but also their wellness. Heeding the call, he opened World for
Women, a women’s-only health club that also offered massage and a health-food
café, in West Los Angeles in 1965.
As the company grew, Stone’s wife, Adrienne, joined her husband in business,
and th ey expanded the concept to incorporate full-service day spas in 1983. They
renamed the company Total Woman Gym & Day Spa a decade later.
No Men Allowed
The spa’s niche target audience allows for more focused treatments on its menu.
“Our menu is designed to address every stage in a woman’s life, from pregnancy
to menopause,” says Wadley. The company partners with Mama Mio to offer
continuing education courses on maternity massage for all of its massage therapists, which number between eight and 14 at each location. “Most recently, we
are also adding a signature treatment to address hot flashes and menopause,”
she adds.
This candid approach to womanhood is a key part of the spa’s marketing strategy. “All of our gyms understand what makes us unique is our whole-body
wellness approach,” says Wadley. “The main benefit is our focus on women’s
health. It is not a place ‘to be seen’; it is a woman’s sanctuary. We can discuss
and address private health and wellness concerns such as cellulite, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, weight loss, saggy breasts, maternity and menopause in a place
14 PULSE
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May 2012