Spa Week founder Cheryl Reid of SPA WEEK MEDIA GROUP, LTD. shares her secret to success for building a national brand in a constantly evolving industry.

How We Got Started
Living in New York is not always as easy or glamorous as it sounds. I guess that's why they say, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." While the constant hustle and bustle of our metropolis can be exciting, some days a one mile commute can take 45 minutes. Everyone in New York moves in a hurried, frenzied, impersonal manner. One that is both stressful and draining. One evening I began brainstorming how to create an event that would educate exhausted New Yorkers about the benefits of the spa lifestyle while offering them an affordable way to experience it. I also needed to figure out a cost-effective way to drive this new clientele into the day spa market. With these components recognized, the light bulb went off, and the Spa Week Brand was born.

About Spa Week
In 2003, I started my company, SPA WEEK MEDIA GROUP, LTD., an integrated boutique marketing and public relations firm that specializes in the niche spa industry. At that time I had well over ten years of vast experience in promoting the spa, beauty, and wellness sectors. My goal was to create a fresh, innovative, and effective outlook on an industry that was experiencing explosive growth. With over a decade of living the spa experience, I felt that I possessed an intimate firsthand knowledge of the lifestyle. This extensive knowledge base has allowed me to redefine the experience mdash; not just promote it.

The Spa Week concept was born on a rainy Spring morning in 2004. Bringing the spa experience to the masses was my goal. The concept was simple; full service treatments, normally costing from $100 to $200 dollars, for just $50 dollars. No longer would spa be relegated to the wealthy; it was my mission to make it an affordable part of a healthy lifestyle routine. After months of research and organizing, Spa Week was officially launched in October 2004. Spa Week had a humble beginning. With a mere 25 spas participating in the New York area, www.spaweek.org went live. Never once during those long months of planning did I ever dream that the Spa Week franchise would be embraced the way it has. The response was both overwhelming and instantaneous—Spa Week was a cultural phenomenon. The very next day after the launch party, my phone started to ring off the hook, and I was flooded with e-mails from spas asking how they could become involved. From those humble roots, Spa Week has grown in just three short years to 21 cities nationwide with over 500 individual participating spas. Along the way, Spa Week has attracted the attention and participation of many corporate sponsors, including: Saab, eBay, Conair, jane iredale—The Skin Care Makeup, CEW, Pevonia Botanica Skincare, PHYTO Universe, CareCredit, Borba Skin Balance Water, Goldstar, Olivier New York, Essence of Vali, Los Angeles Magazine, Xela Aromasticks, POM Wonderful, Pure Essentials, Nicoderm, Aqua Fresh and CancerandCareers.org. Allure Magazine has been my exclusive media partner since 2005. I believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have every intention of making Spa Week a truly national brand.

Industry Response
When I started Spa Week in its initial market of Manhattan, I reached out to the individual spa owners for their feedback and kept coming up with a reoccurring concern—how can I drive new clients into my spa? Advertising is too expensive and only minimally effective. Because most day spas are individually owned and operated, they possess limited marketing and advertising funds. They can't afford to advertise in national publications and even the better local pubs are beyond their means. Most spas have seen an average increase of 60% in new business as a direct result of Spa Week. As a matter of fact, most spas book up their available time slots so quickly that they have resorted to expanding the discount for additional weeks.

Consumer Response
The response from the consumer was instantaneous and overwhelming. Responses ranging from, "thank you, what took you so long?" to "it's so simple, it's brilliant" are commonplace. As a result of Spa Week, the industry has become "inclusive" not "exclusive". We have achieved our goal of creating something that will make the spa experience affordable to all demographics. No longer an indulgence, I have created a vehicle that will allow all people the ability to make the spa experience a normal part of a healthy lifestyle. With consumers utilizing spa treatments to relieve stress, quit smoking, improve circulation, assist in weight loss and so much more, it is certain that regular visits to the spa will soon become as prominent as a balanced diet and regular exercise.

In three short years, Spa Week has gone from one of Manhattan's best kept secrets to a nationwide spa enthusiasts' dream. At SPA WEEK MEDIA GROUP, LTD., my goal is to have Spa Week in every American city that has a high proliferation of day spas to accommodate eager consumers looking for affordable indulgence and a peek into the future of wellness. I'm confident that the future of Spa Week will assist in educating Americans on the importance of spa as a part of a new and improved healthy lifestyle campaign.

Cheryl Reid, Founder