Startup Story
Although it has grown to be the mega-spa
in Beirut that it is today, G spa started
small. In fact, when Ghanem opened the
spa in its first location, it only had two
cabins. Despite its modest size, the spa
saw a growing market demand, which
prompted her to eventually expand and
relocate.
“In 2005, when my husband relocated
his pharmacy to its current location, the
[spa] was moved next to the pharmacy in
a larger area with six cabins,” she says.
Her business decision to expand has
given her the space to introduce more
treatments and serve more clients.
Because the spa opened at a time
when the spa market in Beirut was relatively young, Ghanem says that one of
the spa’s early challenges included separating itself from other so-called “spas”
that do not adhere to the quality and
standards of a spa.
“Unfortunately in Lebanon, a lot of
small beauty institutes call themselves
‘spas’ although they don’t meet any of
the requirements or quality standards
necessary for a spa,” she says.
“One has to fulfill an extensive
number of criteria, like providing several
water activities and aqua therapy [to be
labeled a real spa],” Ghanem says,
adding that G spa is one of the few spas
in Lebanon that has met these criteria.
Aside from a whole menu on wellness
and beauty, the spa currently offers a
host of water-based treatments, including hammam rituals, balneotherapy and
Aquaride sessions.
A History Rich in Beauty
According to Ghanem, the Lebanese
people are historically known for their
distinct style and desire to upkeep their
appearance. Socially, she notes, women
outnumber men seven to one, so now
more than ever, beauty and body
shaping are strong motivators to frequent spas.
The Lebanese preference toward
aesthetic-focused treatments is evident
in the spa’s best-selling services. In fact,
per G spa’s data, beauty treatments (e.g.
skin care, salon, and body and slimming
treatments) far outnumber wellnessfocused treatments (e.g. massage) in
terms of percentage of requests from
their customers.
“We are well-known for our focus on
body-shaping,” she says. By creating a
complete morphotherapy program that
combines physical activities with body
treatments and diet programs, the spa is
able to customize its clients’ treatment
plans to their specific needs, whether it
is slimming, firming, reducing the
appearance of cellulite, redefining the
figure, posture adjustment or physical
reconditioning.
While G spa offers a blend of wellness and beauty treatments on their menu,
the spa’s clients tend to request beauty treatments over wellness-focused
treatments, like traditional massage.
November 2012
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