Spa Owner Takes a Holistic View to Business

Genia Gould

Visits to day spas are down about 20% this year from last, according to the International SPA Association, but not so for Betty's Bath & Day Spa in Albuquerque, N.M. Elissa Breitbard, says her eight-year-old business saw its most dramatic growth in its first three years, and continues to enjoy increased sales over the last year, "even if barely."

Betty's Bath grossed $1.28 million last year.

Breitbard attributes her company's wellness to a large local clientele as opposed to the tourist trade on which many spas depend. "More people are staying at home," she says.

To help retain her clientele, she has not raised the prices for her standard one-hour facials and one-hour massages -- her "bread-and-butter" treatments. "We have a very loyal clientele we don't take for granted. We are always looking for feedback, and we haven't heard grumblings about our pricing."

Voice Your Vision

An important practice for a business owner, Breitbard says, is to often share and reinforce the vision of your company with your employees.

"I've learned that you have to constantly share your vision and how you want things done with your staff, so it's not a secret that only the owner has alone." To that end, Breitbard makes sure that her staff treats their customers in a manner that makes them feel at home and comfortable. "I let the staff know that we should be very unassuming and very welcoming and friendly."

That's why she named her company Betty's Bath. In addition to liking the alliteration of the two words, she believes the name Betty gives the place a familiar and friendly feel. "Everyone has an aunt or a mom or a friend named Betty." She adds, "It also means hip, sassy chick in surfer ski lingo, as in 'You're a betty.'"

"Our mission is that we are a relaxation space; that is our niche market. We are not trying to beautify or sweat like at a gym. I think when people tack on a massage at a hair salon, it has a different feel. Here, our customers know they're coming for rejuvenation and relaxation."

Balance of Power

Breitbard says she offers employees a well-balanced operational manual. "I've worked very hard at creating a balance of systems, so that everyone can function at a high level, but not such that the rules are dominating; and people feel cheerful. I make sure our staff knows who does what at Betty's." She has at any given time about 40 on her staff, 10 to 12 employees and about 30 independent massage practitioners and aestheticians.

"Our customer service people at the front desk are conscientious and the caliber of our therapists are top notch. As you know, New Mexico is the healing state. We have so many schools here to draw from: The New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics; the Academy of Healing Arts; three acupuncture schools; and the only Ayurvedic Institute in the country. We have the best massage therapists in Albuquerque. We've established a great reputation."

Letting Go

It is important to have clear operational guidelines in place, and to "let go," she says. That is, to delegate responsibilities.

"With a well-trained staff, one can delegate responsibilities," she says. "The person picking up the responsibilities is happy to be trusted and to have a richer, more complex job description."

Through the years, she learned not to micromanage. "Owners who have tight, tight control -- that's a tough role model," says Breitbard who was very hands-on the first three years of her business, but now is able to trust her staff so that she only has to work 20 hours a week. This allows her the time to raise a very young child that she and her partner recently adopted.

Finding Funding

Breitbard was 34 when she started Betty's Bath, having "burned out from teaching English as a second language," she drew on a background that included business people in her family; both her parents are accountants. She is not a practitioner of the healing arts herself, but she has a passion for wellness. "I really believe in integrative health and appreciated other spas I'd been to," says Breitbard. "I merged the concepts of two spas she says she really loved, one in San Francisco and another called Ten Thousand Waves in Sante Fe."

To start the business she was able to put together a package of loans including an SBA loan and through an Albuquerque-based micro lending organization, WESST Corp., which provides assistance to women and minorities who want to start businesses.

Staying Active

Breitbard discovered that running a business, but also leadership, comes naturally to her. She calls on these skills to stay active in her community. In 2003, she started the local Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, or AIBA, to raise awareness about the benefits of shopping at neighborhood businesses.

It doesn't all end there, Breitbard acknowledges that she has the entrepreneurial bug, and her dreams include starting other businesses where she sees a need and the opportunity, including a green building-supply company, a business in micro lending, and an organic ice cream store right next door to Betty's.

---