“It’s about giving them that experience that’s unique….
So how do you enhance that? You highlight other local
businesses. And we’re not some big corporation; we need
those local partnerships just as much as they need us.”
— Kelleye Martin, Spa Director, The Edgewater Spa
American family that used locally
sourced deer skin. Instead of a generic
medicine bag, Mii amo now offers a
male and female version that takes its
presentation and intention to a
deeper, more authentic and genuine
level. That bag doesn’t work for a spa
in the Midwest, for example, but it’s
an example of how to integrate where
you are and what you are into that
local community.
“The key for wherever I’ve been, and
especially here, is to understand sense
of place and spirit of place,” Root says.
“It’s easy to go look at all these nice
things, but do they actually fit? Here,
we sit in strong place of Native Ameri-
can history and culture, so it’s been rel-
atively easy to reach out to our various
Native American communities and au-
thentically incorporate products that
move our business forward.
“It can’t be a gimmick or a cosmetic
that looks good. It has to fit.”
Root believes there is a duality—an
effort and a story. He says if the effort is
not supported by the story and an ex-
planation, it doesn’t resonate as richly
as it could. That’s why he and his entire
staff talked to the family producing the
medicine bags—so the whole team
could explain the significance to the
spa’s guests.
This way of thinking speaks to a
trend among spa directors, who have
found that featuring local products at
their spa does more than just help out
their neighbor: it improves their bot-
tom line and makes them a better
business.
Thinking in Terms of ‘Place’
to Expand Clientele
Whichever region your spa is in, there
are specific things native to your area.
Spas that work with local vendors in
their area can get premium products
in their spa. The Edgewater Spa in
Madison, Wisconsin, for example,
uses local cranberries and cherries
as snacks. Kelleye Martin, the spa
director, was most proud of figuring
out how to take advantage of the
popularity of local beers.
Martin knew she had to take
advantage of the thousands of people
that come to Madison for the
Brewgrass summer concert series,
and three years ago, she figured out
the best way to do it: beer-inspired
treatments. For example, she took a
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