Pulse Legacy Archive September 2012 | Page 32

An upscale day spa franchisor, The Woodhouse Day Spas Corporation has more than 25 locations and more than 20 more in development. expenses. Before opening a location, Massage Envy franchisees also receive a week of training at corporate headquarters and have access to ongoing training. “By developing inclusive training programs for massage therapists and estheticians, as well as front office staff, Massage Envy is able to provide consistent, high-quality services to their members and guests, which are key to maintaining brand standards on a large national scale,” Funk says. The Woodhouse Day Spa: Early Trailblazer The Woodhouse Day Spas Corporation, based in Victoria, Texas, was an early trailblazer in spa franchising. Established in 2001, the 25-unit upscale day spa began franchising in 2003. The estimated initial investment for opening a Woodhouse Day Spa in the U.S. ranges from US$402,750 to US$530,000, including a US$45,000 franchise fee. Today, the company has more than 25 locations in 14 states with more than 20 locations in development. Each location offers more than 40 different treatments ranging from massage and facials to manicures and microdermabrasion. “All of our franchisees have a desire to help others and their communities, but it’s not required to have a background in the spa industry in order to be successful,” says Jeni Garrett, The Woodhouse Day Spas Corporation founder, president and CEO. Maurita Elias and her husband, Robert, own a Woodhouse franchise in Kingston, Pennsylvania and are also shareholders on 30 PULSE ■ September 2012 the board of the corporation. When the Elias’s opened their spa in November 2003 and became the first franchisees of The Woodhouse Day Spa, they had a decade of retail franchise experience under their belt, but lacked any knowledge of the spa industry. Maurita Elias says being part of a franchise made it easy for them to open and successfully run the spa. “From the design of our spa, to the ordering of our inventory and equipment, to our grand opening marketing, we were able to hit the ground running with no downtime,” she says. “The training was second to none and our therapists were uniformly trained to perform all of our services. Follow-up sessions with the corporate staff continued for a year after to ensure our success.” Marketing the Franchise With recognized names behind their operations, franchise spas benefit from both a local and national marketing presence. To market The Woodhouse Day Spa, Elias uses signage and email marketing promotions aimed at her target audience. She also utilizes social media like Facebook and Twitter and keeps a blog. Attending trade shows, health fairs and hosting special events for local nonprofit organizations have also proved successful, she says. “Certain times of the year, we will do radio advertising and billboard marketing. Any promotion or event we have had has always resulted in increased awareness of our spa,” Elias says. Garrett credits The Woodhouse Day Spa’s strong Facebook (CONTINUED ON PAGE 32)