Yesterday we received notification from the US Green Building Council that we have been approved for Gold LEED certification for New Construction. We are so pleased. We will be receiving a beautiful plaque from USGBC which we will display in our reception area. We did do a search and found that we are the FIRST Gold LEED certified spa in the country for New Construction. This has been a really long process and I am thrilled with the outcome. Most of our points were achieved in the energy section. This has also been the area with the greatest amount of savings for our business. I would love to share my story with other small business owners. It can be done. You don’t have to be intimidated by the huge amount of documentation. I think we have learned a few things along the way that can help make this possible for other small business owners. My brother Tony is a licensed professional structural engineer and is going to become LEED certified himself. I am happy that he is going to pursue this after completing this project so successfully. He will be able to help other small businesses along the way and to accomplish their dreams of becoming LEED certified too!
I just returned from the International Beauty Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. I have to say, I am a bit disappointed at the show this year. In the Esthetic Spa section, there were only 5 isles of vendors. There was nothing new and not much excitement. I think this may have been the smallest turn out in many years. In years past this has been huge! I walked through the entire esthetics section in less than an hour. I think it was practically a wasted trip.
I am going to attend the New York Spa Owners meeting in two weeks for the first time. I suspect that that will be a far more worthwhile endeavor.
Just checked the LEED on line web page and the status of our project looks really good. Right now we have enough points approved to reach Gold Level! We are in line to be certified for New Construction. I can’t tell you how happy I will be when this is officially awarded. As soon as it is made official, we will be the first NEW Construction Gold Level Spa in the Country! Wow! I know there are a few others that have also become LEED Certified.
There are different categories for which you can become certified and each category has several tiers of success. I would love to meet the other owners who went through this process. It is not an easy task for a small business. I know from my own experience, we almost didn’t go through with it because of all the detailed documentation and because of how difficult it was to retrieve the proper documentation or “proof” if you would to satisfy the requirements. It would be such a pleasure to share our stories and help the other spa owners in the country follow in our foot steps. Hopefully from our challenges, mistakes and triumphs, we can help more spas reach this goal. The wellness benefits of the services that we offer our guests, make this a natural next step for those owners who truly want to offer a total wellness experience. I had a conversation at my spa today with a guest who was there for the day having several services. Her comments to me were that “while she was having her services, she enjoyed knowing that she was also benefiting from the surroundings.” Our guests appreciate what we did and I would love to share our experience with others. So……If you are another owner who has a LEED certified spa, let’s talk! I would love to share our experiences.
The 10th annual Spa Week Event will be taking place the week of April 13-19. We will be joining 700 spas across the country offering a few of our signature services at a special price of only $50.00. The goal of Spa Week is to introduce consumers to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle by having spa services that focus on “wellness”.
As the full impact of the economic downturn becomes painfully apparent, millions of Americans are experiencing the financial challenges of an uncertain future. So, it goes without saying that stress has become an everyday companion for many of us. This is unfortunately the start of a cycle where the average consumer cuts back on many of life’s necessities. Never before has Spa Week’s message been more relevant than in these trying times. The spa lifestyle is not only essential to maintaining one’s health and well-being, but it’s now available this week at an affordable price for everyone.
I recieved an email a few days ago letting us know the status of our LEED certification. Some of the points we applied for we did recieve and some needed additional clarification. We had to send it over to the electrical engineer who is working on the project. Many of the points in question pertained to the energy savings. This I feel is one of our strongest areas. We should be in good shape. After she reviews the items in question we can resubmit our application. It has taken several months and they have been a bit behind. There are now 4 spas in the country who are certified. I’m not sure if any of them are New Construction LEED Certified. We still may be the first. I need to confirm that with the US Green Building Council. It shouldn’t be much longer before we get our answer.
Just wanted to quickly reflect on the terrific time all of us from Complexions had this past Thursday. Thanks to everyone who helped make our first “sparty” a smashing success. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, don’t worry – I think we’ll definitely do a variation on this season-inspired program again.
To recap: We started things off with a fresh herbal facial cleanse to exfoliate & moisturize the skin. It’s amazing what a wonderfully aromatic cleanse can do to ones mood after a long day. I also wanted everyone at the Sparty to have a happy, balanced & perfect base for the new spring make up colors that were set to go on later in the evening. Next, we spent some time brightening our smiles with a personal teeth whitening treatment fromGoSMILE- there really is something to be said about products which produce meaningful results on the first application – a definitely crowd favorite. After that, individual hair consultations with our stylists educated us all on how best to brighten up our hair for the spring. And so, with our hair, skin & smiles recharged & ready for the warming weather, we headed over to theMake-Upcounter and begun sampling a smorgasbord of fresh spring colors from the Complexions Essentials line. With most of the girls having home as their next destination (it was a quiet Thursday night after all!) delightful experimentation definitely won out over our more ‘tried & true’ shades and palettes. And just like the previous ’stations’, impromptu question & answer sessions broke out between Spartiers & staff prompting me to dream up plans for a more formal series on skincare Q&A. But I digress!
We closed the night out with a stroll through the Complexions Boutique and another interesting Q&A session about each of the product lines we carry. With so many brands offering so many skincare solutions these days, I find that focusing in on the specific ingredients (rather than individual programs and/or items) works best. It also didn’t hurt having the $25 dollar reservation fee be good towards any service or product purchased that night. ;)
Our next Sparty is scheduled for April 16th and will feature a whole host of green-themed products & stations - expect email invites & an event post to our brand newFacebook Pagewithin the week. I’m also happy to announce that Complexions will be hosting lots of littleEarth Daycelebrations throughout the month of April with special promotions on brands likeY’tsara, whose certified organicproducts help make each and every Thai inspiredbody wellness treatmentas good for the earth as they are for our bodies. =)
We have been in our new Complexions Spa location at 221 Wolf Road for eleven months now. Earlier this week, I decided to take a quick look at the actual energy savings – if any – we’ve enjoyed thus far. Here is the quick, back-of-the-napkin rundown:
In our previous location we had 4200 sf. In our new location we have 8450sf. Thus far, monthly electric bills at 221 Wolf Rd average about $2200.00 which is equal to approximately $.26 per square foot. After approximating our cost per square foot at the previous 4200 sf. location over several years, I’m happy to announce that total energy costs are down by approximately 34% . Not too shabby!
This isn’t to say that the recent drop in global commodity prices (energy in particular) hasn’t been noticed. It has – but not because of any short-term monetary gains. On the contrary, the energy twists & turns have reminded me of how it used to be at our old location where we spent countless hours coming up with superficial ways to reduce our monthly energy bills. Rather distracting to say the least! What’s more, at the end of the day, it really didn’t matter what I did because when if oil prices spiked up – so did the bills – regardless of any and all energy saving actions. Which brings me to one of the best parts about having designed and engineered the new Complexions to regulate nearly every power-sucking machine, room and/or appliances in as efficient a manner as possible. Looking back over the last several months, I find it difficult to pinpoint any amount of time spent worrying about such matters. In others words, the new Complexions facility essentially manages itself. And therein lies the magic behind good green construction – it frees you from the growing distractions of uncontrollable energy prices, leaky faucets, left-on light bulbs, inefficient air-circulation systems, etc etc. So for Complexions, building GREEN definitely cost a bit more upfront – no doubt about that – however ….in the long term ….I believe our investments will more than pay for itself (which is what all good investments do!).
So in summary, the last several months worth of energy savings have exceeded my expectations. Going GREEN has thus far proved to be a very sound – very pro-growth decision for our company. Despite doubling both the size and scope of Complexions via 2x the number of treatment rooms and and nearly 3x the amount of retail square footage we’ve (somehow) managed to keep month-to-month expenses flat (if not down). Best of all, we’re coming in well below my ‘expected expenses’ long term budget plans- plotted long ago when gas was nearing $4 . Amazing how fast things change.
Complexion’s has always been a spa that focuses on the wellness side of the services that we offer but now more than ever we are very careful with how we send this message to our guests. We do not use words like pampering and luxury. We have started to explain the benefits of our services along with words like affordable, de-stressing, promoting wellness, mental clarity and more. We have also committed to continuing our “sparties” on the third Thursday of every month. This has proven to be a wonderful way for our guests to experience a complimentary sampling of a “featured” vendor or service. We charge our guests a $25.00 reservation fee which assures they will commit to coming in and they can apply that money toward a retail purchase made that evening for the “featured” product. We also give our guests a 20% discount on booking their appointment for the full experience of the featured service. Another wonderful service we have offered to our menu in a 6:30 Metta on the Mat (metta means loving kindness in Thai) morning class. This is a way for our guests to greet the day with a gentle stretching and meditation. What a wonderful way to start the day. We offer fruit, yogurt, tea, and full use of our steam room, sauna, and shower facilities. This has not only opened up a new influx of clients new to our facility, but it also generated additional income for us at a time that we normally did not have any income. We are using our relaxation room which is a green house so you can see the sun coming up. It’s just wonderful. Even in this economy, there are ways for us a spa owners to get creative and to get back to the true meaning of spa services. It has always been and should be about the wellness. I completely disagree with spa services being pampering ……..this is our opportunity as a spa professionals to get back to the origins of the spa industry…..
Today we had another staff meeting. This time we discussed the three “blocks” of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success that are in the center. He refers to them as the Heart of the Pyramid.
The first block refers to condition. This goes well beyond physical condition. He is referring to a good mental and moral condition. “When you are lacking in good mental condition this disrupts the team.” I agree with this. It also reminds me of a book called “Fish”. From the moment we wake up in the morning, we have the choice to either make it a great day or we can ‘choose’ to let our mood or events dictate our mood. Sometimes this can be a difficult task but we are all ultimately responsible for our own attitudes.
The second block is skill. “You have to know what you are doing, what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.” When I apply this to my staff and operating the spa, I explained to my staff that it is one thing to go through the motions of a facial, a haircut, or a massage then there is really knowing the who, what, when, where, and how. There is a huge difference in the quality and in our ability to fully provide the best service to our clients. This also means, knowing the products, in side and out. Being able to explain what everything is and why to our clients. You must be able to perform all aspects of your job, not just part of it. One without the other makes you a partial player. You must master all aspects of your job. “When I’m through learning, I am through.”
The third block is team spirit. I especially enjoyed this block. It refers to our attitude about our contribution to the “team”. John Wooden explained that he changed the meaning of this. The original meaning was: a willingness to sacrifice personal interest or glory for the welfare of all. He felt there was something missing. Then he finally got his answer and changed it to: An “eagerness” to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all. I see that with my own staff. There are those who are always eager to help and those that are willing, however not always eager. There is definitely a positive feeling from that eagerness!
Our next meeting will focus on the top of the pyramid. I find this to be a very helpful management tool for me to share with my staff. I think everyone enjoys our meetings because they inspired us all by his words and we can relate to them. It isn’t a meeting where the typical “problems” are rehashed. I think it makes us all do a little private self evaluation. It gets everyone back on track until the next meeting. We hold them the first Wednesday of every month. It seems to be the right amount of time before everyone needs a little checking in.
This past Friday (January 23, 2009), I sat down with Diane Lee – co-host of FOX 23’s morning show – to discuss winter skin care do’s and don’ts. Considering how cold it’s been these past few weeks, I couldn’t ask for a more perfectly pertinent topic. :)
I think the most important piece of winter-related advice will always be the benefits of a milky cleanser with alpha hydroxy acids that gently exfoliate over a standard bar or face soap.When ever you exfoliate the dead surface cells, any hydrating ingredients applied after penetrate much more efficiently. It is like removing a blanket of dead skin and allowing the serum to penetrate to where it is needed. I recommend using lactic and citric acid rather than glycolic acid, especially during the winter months. Glycolic acid is a very well known alpha hydroxy acids however, it is better suited for an oilier skin type.
After exfoliating with a gentle cleanser (not soap;), I recommend using a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid, or sodium PCA to add and bind moisture into the skin. This should be followed with the appropriate day cream which has a sun protection factor of at least a 15.
I had fun during the interview and hope to do more in the near future! I’ll leave all thoughts pertaining to my on-air performance for later this week – if you have any questions regarding some of the ingredients or products I mentioned to Diane, by all means, let me know either by comment or email. Stay balanced :-)
Recently, Paul Krugman wrote in response to President Elect Barack Obama’s planned tax-breaks for small businesses that
First, Mr. Obama should scrap his proposal for $150 billion in business tax cuts, which would do little to help the economy. Ideally he’d scrap the proposed $150 billion payroll tax cut as well, though I’m aware that it was a campaign promise.
Dr. Krugman thinks that I’ll just horde the money away – well guess what …
That’s just not true!
Here’s what I will spend all money generated from either tax breaks or energy savings:
I would purchase new treatment tables for the remaining rooms that need them, I would purchase furniture for our relaxation lounge for our clients to have lunch or dinner at and I would send our department managers for additional advanced training. That money would go directly back into business building tactics and because we would be using it to purchase equipment and necessary supplies, it would help stimulate the economy.
So Mr. Krugman please think more clearly and consider what you are really recommending and how it will effect the small business owner and it’s employees……..
We closed on the new Complexions building in November of 2007 and immediately began demolishing the existing building. Many – my sons especially – think of demolition as a super-fun activity. If only that were true with Green construction! Long story short – we had to be very very careful every step of the way.
First and foremost, we had to have asbestos specially removed by an independent company. They had to have special air filtration throughout this process. While they were doing their part, my father and I sought out salvage companies that would take some of the construction waste, diverting it from the land fills. They provided the dumpsters and we sorted the waste. We separated electrical wire, electrical parts, lighting fixtures, and steel studs. After it was all sorted, it was weighed and sold. We were able to sell ceiling tiles and the old plumbing fixtures too. For one of our LEED points, we had to measure the square footage of the original walls that we took down. This helped with the point that determined how much of the original building was being re-used. We actually salvaged the entire, original exterior shell of the building and diverted 75% of our construction waste.
The next step was to chop up much of the flooring to lay down the necessary plumbing. The layout of the plumbing was very difficult. We had to mark out all the rooms and walls with spray paint on the concrete slab to determine the proper location of all the pipes. It was like guessing where the pieces of the puzzle would eventually end up. This was especially difficult because of the circular design of our reception area walls and salon. The plumbing had to be layed out very carefully and perfectly. We did have to chop them up a few times to get it exactly correct before we could close the floor and begin to construct the walls. After some re-search, my father located a company where we could purchase the steel studs made from recycled steel. With the walls going up it was very exciting to see the Spa start to take shape. Once the walls were up, the plumbing in the walls was finished, and we could then proceed with the duct work for the heating and cooling and the air filtration system. When all of this was completed, the ceiling went up using ceiling tiles made from recycled material, the walls were sheet rocked, and we moved on to the next design phase.
Calcuating year end revenue is kind of like solving a circle (given three points on it ;)
After relaxing for the first day of the New Year, I went into work today, anxious to print out our month end numbers and our year end totals. I tell you, if you totally focus in on the negative tone of all the media, you would expext the year to have been a disaster. We had an amazing year! We had a 33% increase in our gift certificate sales alone for the month of December. Not bad for only being in our new location for six months. It pays off having Complexions located in an “A” location verses a “D” location. We spent a quarter of what we spent in previous years on advertising and still came out way ahead. We focused on our internal marketing and I feel strongly that worked really well for us.
I studied our yearly totals and have some thoughts and plans for the new year. I need to focus on our retail sales and I want to continue to work on our loyalty programs and new business. Annually you can expect a loss of about 20 % fewer customers for reasons out side of our control. Each month we need to focus on getting and keeping New Business. Getting more and more creative with our “word of mouth” advertising and strong referral programs, in my opinion, work the best.
Next week I want to re-evaluate all of our expenses and really tighten up our effeciancy and cost control. This way we might be able to pass along some of those savings to our guests for the new year. Over all we had appoximately a 27% increase in business over last year. I am very pleased with our growth during this economic time and I am excited for the new year. Next week I will also have my monthly goals done, budgets in place and I can work on our advertising and promotional calander for the year. I love what I do…….Happy New Year!!
While it did cost a bit more money on the front-end to make Complexions Spa an energy efficient facility, it appears more and more likely with each passing month that our year-over-year energy savings will take care of the initial investment far sooner than originally forecast. And that’s with oil being sold at less than $50 per-barrel. I really can’t wait to reach that milestone because after that, every single dollar saved gets to go right back into where it came from – the spa!
Before breaking ground, our goal was to save approximately $10,000 in relative energy-costs in 2008. And while our early estimates were a bit overly-conservative in regards to future energy prices (though not as much now given that they have come down some 50% from their late summer highs), six months in (we soft-opened in June), I’m pleased to report that our new facility at 221 Wolf Road has passed its first major test with flying colors :) It certainly wasn’t easy cutting our watts-per-square-foot in half – you essentially have to put a lot of little pieces together in such a way as to generate a whole whose output is greater than the sum of its many, different parts – but doing so allowed us to double in size, without doubling in costs. Long story short, the initial costs paid up front will be paid for in less than three years!
For anyone out there interested in the brass tacks, don’t fret – I putting together several posts for the very near future on the types of products and construction materials used. Right now, my list includes washer-type, reasearch on low flow water faucets, florescent and LED lighting fixtures, efficient heating & vent systems, the importance of glass, flooring, insulation, and more. So stay tuned :)
Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of Green: Back in 2005, SpaFinder identified the eco-spa boom, crystallizing the first industry definition, still widely used today. In our 2007 forecast..
I have to agree with Suzie regarding what it means to be a real Green Spa………I have recently completed a year long project of building our new facility, Complexions Spa for Beauty & Wellness. This was a lengthy and detailed process of making our entire facility as eco-friendly as we possibly could. It all started with a desire to provide wellness services in an environment that supported that same philosophy to maximize the experience for our guests. This process was far more detailed than simply using florescent light bulbs. Everything from how we diverted 75% of our construction waste from going to the landfills to the type of glass for our windows. We even have quality clean air control, motion sensors in work rooms, low VOC paints, adheasives, wall paper and more. I do think the consumer will become more knowledgeable about what “Going Green” really means and they won’t be fooled by people just trying to jump on the band wagon. We didn’t just say we were green, we are green. ♠
Yesterday we received notification from the US Green Building Council that we have been approved for Gold LEED certification for New Construction. We are so pleased. We will be receiving a beautiful plaque from USGBC which we will display in our reception area. We did do a search and found that we are the FIRST Gold LEED certified spa in the country for New Construction. This has been a really long process and I am thrilled with the outcome. Most of our points were achieved in the energy section. This has also been the area with the greatest amount of savings for our business. I would love to share my story with other small business owners. It can be done. You don’t have to be intimidated by the huge amount of documentation. I think we have learned a few things along the way that can help make this possible for other small business owners. My brother Tony is a licensed professional structural engineer and is going to become LEED certified himself. I am happy that he is going to pursue this after completing this project so successfully. He will be able to help other small businesses along the way and to accomplish their dreams of becoming LEED certified too!![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=3bbb2c4f-d7b7-47d8-bbc3-0b69321b1107)
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