Hand & Stone featured in Highlands Ranch Herald

An article called “Holiday shoppers seek stress relief,” ran in the Highlands Ranch Herald, and published Dec. 23. This article references Hand & Stone in Highlands Ranch as somewhere to go to relax after all that holiday shopping! Erik Bostrom was quoted in the article telling readers why many holiday shoppers pit stop at Hand & Stone - to get a break and some relaxation amidst all the crazy holiday shopping. View the full article here.

Holiday shoppers seek stress relief
By Chris Michlewicz

Traffic congestion. Long lines. Aching feet. They are the signatures of holiday shopping. But there is relief from the hustle and bustle if you know where to look.

With the shopping season starting earlier every year, there is little wonder why consumers tend to run out of steam by the time Christmas hits. Most people are ready to relax with a movie or curl up with a good book. However, those who become stir crazy during holiday breaks have options right in their own backyard that can melt the stress away.

Many find relief in working out, particularly yoga classes, which offer a period of silence and decompression. Moms and dads have the chance to escape the excited sounds of children on school break or the expectation to assemble toys. Recreation centers operated by the Highlands Ranch Community Association, South Suburban Parks and Recreation District, as well as public fitness facilities in Parker and Castle Rock, offer yoga classes on a regular basis.

The sessions can be therapeutic and great for the well-being of both mind and body. Some classes focus on using yoga as a tool for reducing pain, fatigue, stiffness and stress.
Some find spa treatments as a source of comfort during the stressful holiday shopping season. Whether it is someone who desires relaxation after hosting a large family dinner or out-of-town guests, a deep-tissue massage or facial can be just the answer.

“It’s a perfect way for people to get ‘me’ time,” said Erik Bostrom, owner of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa in Highlands Ranch. “They feel more effective in other areas of their life, whether it’s as an employee, boss, mother or father. They leave with a different mind set.”

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Hand & Stone Featured in Burlington County Times

Hand & Stone was recently featured in an article called “New Hands-On Career” in the Burlington County Times. It discusses Kathleen’s entrepreneurial story, then moves to the Vicarios having a location in Burlington County as well and being integral in helping Kathleen get her location up and running and then progresses to quoting Todd about why the business works. The article also uses statistics from the AMA to make a claim that this is an industry that is booming. Check out a portion of the story below or read the full article here.

New hands-on career

Kathleen Edwards has already had two fulfilling careers: first as banker and then as teacher.

Now Edwards, a Mullica Hill resident, has started a third career with the purchase of a Hand & Stone franchise.

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa is a New Jersey-based company that focuses on the health-care benefits of massage and skin care.

"The franchise is popular and it was a perfect fit for me," said the new entrepreneur who opened the Hand & Stone at the Hartford Corners shopping center on Route 130 in Delran earlier this month. It is the second such outlet in the county. There are 12 either open or planned in New Jersey. (Read More)

Franchisee Profile: Maggie Brown of Scottsdale, Arizona

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Something Interesting About Maggie Brown’s Story…
Maggie Brown is a multi-faceted business owner: a Hand & Stone franchisee and the Regional Developer for the state of Arizona. Having worked in the technical sales industry for over 15 years, Maggie is now heading up the development for Hand & Stone in Arizona. When she joined the team in 2006, Hand & Stone only had two franchises up and running nationwide. Since becoming the Arizona RD, Brown has added four spas, with 15-25 employees at each, throughout Arizona. Maggie plans to develop more than 20 additional spas throughout the region and continue to strengthen Hand & Stone’s brand presence in Arizona.

What Maggie Brown Did Before Hand & Stone…
Maggie Brown began a career in technology at IBM leaving there to pursue sales and marketing ventures. As a natural entrepreneur, she founded a Manufacturer's Representative sales firm that grew to become a national sales and marketing organization called Pivotal Sales Group, LLC. She continues to expand her portfolio now as a Hand and Stone franchisee and Regional Developer of Arizona.

How Maggie Brown Specifically Found Out About Hand & Stone…
Prior to joining on with Hand & Stone, Maggie Brown was a customer of one of her competitors and noticed that the massage industry was booming. Wanting to get involved, she began researching the competitor’s brand and inquiring about franchise opportunities, but soon realized that the entire market she wanted was sold out. After thoroughly investigating the massage industry, Maggie found that Hand & Stone was superior to any other concept she had looked into. She felt that the atmosphere and experience of visiting a Hand & Stone provided a variety of high quality services, and a luxurious experience at an affordable price.

Why Maggie Brown Became and Loves Being a Hand & Stone RD and Franchisee…
Maggie Brown decided to become a franchisee with Hand & Stone right after the franchise becoming Hand & Stone’s first franchisee and the first Regional Developer, becoming a strong part of the brand’s expansion in Arizona; Hand and Stone now has 5 locations throughout the Phoenix DMA. With a strong background in sales and marketing Maggie loves interacting with people and new environments. Additionally, she has always loved the relaxing and soothing environment the spa provides and remains enthusiastic about customer engagement, where customer satisfaction has always been her highest priority. After learning the brand as a franchisee of it first and becoming passionate about the concept, Maggie made the financial decision to invest in and develop Arizona becoming the Regional Developer for Hand and Stone.

Maggie Brown also loves working with her employees and has built very strong relationships with each of them. She has seven employees who have been with her at her Scottsdale Hand & Stone since she opened in 2006. Maggie also likes the wide variety of services Hand and Stone offers in a spa-like atmosphere and environment providing her customers an ultimate relaxing and rejuvenating experience.

Franchisee Profile: Fred and Steve Vicario

Franchisee Names: Fred and Steve Vicario
Franchisee Since: February 2008
Franchise Locations: Owners of Marlton and Vorhees locations; Regional Developers of Central and South Jersey

How Fred and Steve Vicario Got Started With Hand and Stone…
Between Fred and Steve, the two brothers have extensive business experience in franchise development and small business ownership. Fred comes with a long list of experience in the franchising industry, which spans over 20 years. He got his start with Maaco, an auto body and collision center franchise, in the franchise development team where he was responsible for helping entrepreneurs become franchisees with Maaco. While there, Fred and his wife, decided to become franchisees themselves. They bought The Goddard School, which they have been running for the past nine years in Laurel Springs, NJ. Steve also owns a hardscaping business, which he has been doing for about five years.

Ready for their next adventure, Fred and Steve had discovered that the massage industry was booming and looked into their options in franchising within the industry. At first, Fred and Steve researched a competitor of Hand and Stone, but determined that the support would be better with Hand and Stone since the corporate office was virtually in their backyard. It also seemed to Fred and Steve that Hand and Stone was vested in supporting its franchisees more so than the competition.

Fred and Steve became Regional Developers for Hand and Stone…
In February 2008, Fred and Steve opened their first Hand and Stone location in Marlton, NJ. With previous experience in franchise development, they felt that they had the opportunity to build something for their futures with Hand and Stone. Only four months after opening their first location, Fred and Steve became regional developers for Hand and Stone in Central and South Jersey.

In the regional developer role, they work with potential Hand and Stone franchisees in Central and South Jersey including Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterton and Mercer to educate them on the Hand and Stone concept and walk them through the franchise process. Currently, Fred and Steve have three locations within their territory and are in the process of opening seven more this year. Despite the economy, 2010 has been the fastest-growing year in terms of sales and number of locations for Fred and Steve, and within their territory, there is potential for 20-30 more Hand and Stone locations.

This September, Fred and Steve are opening their second location in Vorhees.

Where specifically did Fred and Steve Vicario learn about Hand and Stone?
With Fred’s experience working for Maaco for 20 years and being a franchisee within The Goddard School system, and Steve’s business ownership experience, they were ready for another opportunity in franchising. They did research on the internet and found that the massage industry was booming. They looked first at Massage Envy, but since the headquarters was in Arizona, Fred and Steve felt that they would not as valuable support from the franchisor. They also believed that Massage Envy was just interested in selling locations, not supporting the franchisees.

Hand & Stone Featured in New Jersey Business Journal

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the New Jersey Business Journal in an article titled "NJ-based franchise finds downturn a soothing time to grow" in which Bob McQuillan, VP of Franchise Development, discusses opening 4 Hand & Stone locations in two weeks. He also talks about why holiday season is optimal for growth (great opportunity for gift card sales), and Hand & Stone’s business model of massage – a service that was once considered a luxury, is now affordable and accessible to everyone. A portion of the article is included below and it can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

N.J.-based spa franchise finds downturn a soothing time to grow
By Beth Fitzgerald

Hand & Stone, a New Jersey-based spa franchise targeting customers seeking affordable treatments, is adding four new locations in the next two weeks, bringing the number to 11 in New Jersey and 36 nationwide.

Bob McQuillan, vice president of franchise development, said the pre-holiday season is a key time for new spas to open, with gift cards making up about one-third of the revenue. A new franchise that opens up just before the holidays will get an immediate infusion of cash from the sale of gift cards, he said. Cash flow from gift cards provides working capital “until the business ramps up and revenues increase,” he said. Valentine’s Day, along with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, also are big holidays for spas selling gift cards, he said.

Hand & Stone was founded in Toms River in 2005, and is now based in Hamilton.

McQuillan said Hand & Stone is aimed at customers who want to be pampered with a massage or a facial, but can’t afford the $150 to $200 per session prices at upscale spas; Hand & Stone offers its services at around $50 to $60 — “a beautiful atmosphere, minus the champagne and the robe,” he said.

The four new locations will be in Cherry Hill, Princeton, Voorhees and Delran.

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