Special Anniversary Series BY ALEXANDER MENRISKY Along with ISPA which turns 25 this year, many other ISPA members are also marking a milestone with more than two decades in business. What was it like when they first opened their spa or business? What were the struggles and victories? How have they withstood the test of time? In this special anniversary series, discover the lessons and stories behind some of the spa industry s most enduring spas and companies. EDITORS NOTE: Are you celebrating your 25-year or more anniversary this year? Email us at ispa@ispastaff.com for an opportunity to be highlighted in this special anniversary series in Pulse. 56 PULSE October 2015
ELEMIS London W1K 5EX, United Kingdom In the 25 years since its founding, Elemis has grown into a reputed British skin-care and spa line. The company serves over an estimated six and a half million clients in 60 countries, bringing together nature, science and aromatics through aromatherapy and body care. Elemis has always been a treatmentled brand, using a combination of rigorous clinical trials and feedback from therapists to perfect formulas, says Chief Marketing Officer Oriele Frank. The brand has long been dedicated to international growth and has expanded enormously outside its U.K. base, learning how to operate differently in various countries across a variety of cultures and skin types. In recent years, the brand has embraced the digital market and continued its international push, branching out into travel spas and cruise ships, while maintaining its retail success. To support our ever-growing network of international Elemis therapists, we plan to open new training academies across the world to deliver therapy training and business skills that ultimately help make spas a successful and profitable business, Frank says. We have also invested in our online LONGEVITY TIP: Always aim to deliver the best in what you do. Live and breathe your brand from your head office to the customer s journey. Don t be afraid to make changes, embrace it and drive it. Listen to your clients and customers and enjoy the relationships. 25 training center so that therapists can build on their knowledge in the workplace or at home. To celebrate its 25th year, Elemis has rolled out numerous changes and specials, including three anniversary products a super-sized Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, a silver-embossed Pro- Collagen Marine Cream and its celebratory silver Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules. The House of Elemis opens with a new treatment menu and a refreshed brand, including newly designed modern packaging with clearly communicated product benefits. Our biggest and most exciting new treatment launch is BIOTEC Facials, Clockwise: The Elemis team at The House of Elemis located in the United Kingdom; Elemis Men's Skin-Care line and Elemis Chief Marketing Officer Oriele Frank. Frank says. The power of actives, technology and touch are combined to deliver clinically proven results. The company s upcoming rebranding campaign and The House of Elemis launch are new contributions to a long list of what Frank considers to be major turning points for Elemis. Frank, alongside Elemis two other co-founders, Noella Gabriel and Sean Harrington, especially remembers the launch of the company s Pro-Collagen Marine Cream in 2003, which placed Elemis on the map in anti-aging skin care. At the heart of the brand, we will always stay true to our belief that it must have an incredible texture, aroma and experience, while delivering the best results, Frank says. October 2015 PULSE 57
GLEN IVY HOT SPRINGS Corona, California Glen Ivy Hot Springs is one of the oldest and most esteemed spas in the United States. It opened its doors 155 years ago in March of 1860 as Temescal Hot Springs. To put that age into some perspective, Billy the Kid was still Billy the Baby when Glen Ivy started taking customers. Over the first few decades of its operation into the 20th century, Glen Ivy expanded its property and services, finally transforming into the modern destination resort it is today in the prosperous postwar economy of the late 1940s and 50s. A change of ownership in 1977 resulted in several exciting new developments. The Lounge Pool was added in 1984, the Bath House in 1999, the Roman Baths in 2001, The Grotto in 2002 and Under the Oaks in 2007. The facilities currently house 72 rooms and stations in five buildings, and the spa s treatments use both organic and luxury ingredients to complement personal wellness healing services such as yoga and fitness activities. 155 Top: Glen Ivy Hot Springs in its early years as a pioneering wellness destination. Right: Guests enjoy a detoxifying mud bath. Below: The destination spa's lounge pool was added in 1984. The Glen Ivy experience aims to inspire an approach to personal health that comes with the integration of certain timeless values that can be found on the Wheel of Wellness, says CEO and President Jim Root. With Glen Ivy Hot Springs at its most progressive point to date, 2015 is gearing up to usher in a new era of wellness for this acclaimed property. To commemorate the 155th anniversary, Glen Ivy Hot Springs is offering guests a special package for USD$155 that LONGEVITY TIP: Honor [your] spa s rich history and look forward to a future of serving generations of guests and providing memorable, meaningful and enjoyable experiences to everyone, every day. includes a 50-minute service, Grotto and Taking the Waters admission, and a champagne toast. The spa is also hosting a 155th Anniversary Media Event for spa and wellness writers, bloggers and social media influencers to celebrate the organization s rich history, development and its new directions. In the next 25 years, we re headed back to the future. Glen Ivy will once again be a true wellness destination with overnight accommodations, programs, a working farm and access to the wonders of the Santa Ana Mountains as was first available in our founding year of 1860, Root says. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 60) 58 PULSE October 2015
MARKING A MILESTONE (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58) JURLIQUE Santa Monica, California What started as an idea in South Australia in 1985 has grown into the major global brand that Jurlique is today, thanks to its unrelenting commitment to the founders vision: pure and effective skin care born out of the application of modern technology to time-honored organic formulations. The core of the brand is the same as it always has been, says Rose Fernandez, vice president of sales and marketing, North America. We maintain our farm in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia and our own manufacturing facility is just up the road from the farm. It is exciting to note that we are undergoing a major expansion in the area. Proudly, we do this with the latest global sustainability and operational standards. 30 As a global brand, Jurlique has a strong presence in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The year 2014 proved to be a milestone year for Jurlique for the launch of its latest technology called Nutri-Define. Nutri-Define is a real milestone in natural as it touts patent-pending technology with Biosome5 and delivers unexpected textures, efficacy and scents in a sophisticated and luxurious range, Fernandez says. This year, Jurlique marks its 30th anniversary by launching a limited edition version of its best-selling Precious Rose Hand Cream. Understanding the process for how we developed this hand cream is integral and speaks to the authenticity of our LONGEVITY TIP: Stay committed to your truth, even if your thinking has not caught on yet. brand, Fernandez says. In crafting the Precious Rose Hand Cream, we employed an innovative method of collecting precious rose water from pure Alchemist Roses through a dehumidifying process. The roses, she further explains, were carefully picked by hand and placed in a drying shed where dehumidifying is used to preserve and extract pure Rosa Gallica flower water. These roses have been tenderly grown, meticulously nurtured and honorably harvested by Jurlique in the Adelaide Hills for 30 years. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 62) From far left: Jurlique Vice President of Sales and Marketing, North America Rose Fernandez. Jurlique marks its 30th anniversary with the launch of its Precious Rose Hand Cream. 60 PULSE October 2015
MARKING A MILESTONE (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 60) THE MARSH, A CENTER FOR BALANCE AND FITNESS Minnetonka, Minnesota After a year of careful planning and building, The Marsh, A Center for Balance and Fitness opened in 1985, the culmination of owner and Executive Director Ruth Stricker s 58 years of work in health education. Combining private membership with public access and blending Western medicine with holistic therapies, The Marsh has remained true to its mission while still developing innovative treatments. We refer to The Marsh as a place, a community and an attitude, Stricker says. It has stayed true to its philosophy and mission of addressing the whole person, practicing life lessons, not perfection. Given that there is always change, its mission has remained relevant and applicable. The Marsh began with a cardiologist and acupuncturist working side-by-side to emphasize its mission. Eight years after it opened, The Marsh underwent a major expansion, doubling its treatment space to 67,000 square feet. This expansion allowed the center to grow its staff to 200 and provided room for growth in programming and services with a full spa, second dining room, water therapy pool, meditation tower, mental gym, conference center and overnight accommodations. Physical therapy personnel were added to the staff, and the gym tripled in size to accommodate new services such as Pilates classes. In May 2015, The Marsh celebrated its 30th anniversary with the theme The Power of Community, reflecting on the 30 Clockwise: Front entrance of The Marsh, A Center for Balance and Fitness. Guests enjoying the scenic view while lounging at the spa. The Marsh owner and Executive Director Ruth Stricker. diversity of people in the community and focusing on living healthier lives in different ways. Every The Marsh anniversary has hosted a visiting speaker who presents a topic on health and well-being. This year, the spa offered a series of events and activities, some continuing annual traditions, such as giving back to the earth with tree-planting events. All of these activities are designed to simultaneously celebrate The Marsh s past as well as look forward to its future. We envision growing the ranks of our health and well-being services with additional mental and health service specialists, and also establishing a lifestyle foundation, Stricker says. Overall, it is most important for us to maintain and protect our warm and unique The Marsh culture. LONGEVITY TIP: Have a deep sense of integrity know who you are, your purpose and mission. Be willing to be unique. Take risks. Follow where the people are. Read the front page of the newspaper, not just the industry publications. Be part of the community. Create a place where people can just be. 62 PULSE October 2015