Hand & Stone Featured in Star-Ledger

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the Star-Ledger in an article titled, "Three questions: His job is to help other people relax."  This article profiles Hand & Stone CEO, Todd Leff, who shared a bit of his entrepreneurial journey from federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice in Philadelphia, being the president of Cottman Transmission and AAMCO, taking a short retirement and then being seated as CEO with Hand & Stone. What intrigued Leff about the massage industry was how Hand & Stone was really revolutionizing the industry with its monthly membership price, accessibility and affordable cost bring massage to the masses. Hand & Stone offered Leff a new project to help the concept grow throughout the United States and in just under two years, the franchise system doubled the number of units and has over 70 locations.  Click here for the entire article or begin below.

Three Questions: His job is to help other people relax

By:  Sarah Schillaci

Todd Leff may not have been ready for a life of leisure, but he’s been able to put his business knowledge to work in the relaxation industry.

After a short-lived retirement in 2009, the Warrington, Pa., resident re-entered the workplace to serve as president and CEO of Hand & Stone, a Hamilton Township-based chain of day spas offering massage, facials, and waxing. Leff, leading the marketing, franchise development, and finance side of the company, has seen the number of spa locations nearly double in the past two years, to more than 70 nationwide.

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Hand & Stone Featured in the Northwest Herald

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the Northwest Herald in an article titled, "Maintaining healthy skin goes beyond sunscreen, moisturizer."  The article is an extensive feature focusing on how to protect the skin during the summer. Some of the skin dangers of the summer come from the heat, humidity, age, hormones and also stress according to skincare expert and Hand & Stone franchisee Paulina Laskosky. For the entire article click here or begin below.

Maintaining healthy skin goes beyond sunscreen, moisturizer
By: Jami Kunzer

Don’t like the heat? Neither does your skin. Winter’s not the only time to pay attention and take care of your skin, area dermatologists say.The heat, humidity and penetrating sun can damage the skin, along with age, hormones and stress, said Paulina Laskosky, owner of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa in 

Algonquin.

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Hand & Stone featured in the Daily Herald

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the Daily Herald, entitled “New venture for Algonquin spa owner.” The article discusses the recent opening of Hand & Stone’s first location in the state of Illinois, as well as Heather Kinsley’s entrepreneurial story. The article also discusses the benefits of opening a Hand & Stone location. Click here to read the full article.

New venture for Algonquin spa owner

By: Elena Ferrarin

After 21 years spent working in human resources consulting, Heather Kinsley was laid off in the fall of 2009.

Less than two years later, the Algonquin woman has reinvented herself by opening a spa, venturing into a new business and different lifestyle.

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa opened July 25 in the Woods Creek Commons shopping center on Randall Road. Kinsley, as owner and manager, oversees the day-to-day operations of its 14 full- and part-time employees, including aestheticians and massage therapists.

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Hand & Stone featured in the McHenry County Business Journal

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the McHenry County Business Journal, titled “Hand and Stone makes debut.” The article discusses the recent opening of Hand & Stone’s first location in the state of Illinois, as well as the benefits of joining the Hand & Stone franchise. The article also discusses several services Hand & Stone provides, including massage and skin care services, waxing, facials, microdermabrasion and peels. Click here to view the entire article.

Hand & Stone makes debut

By: CHRIS FREEMAN

ALGONQUIN – When it came time for Heather Kinsley to find a new career, she looked for something to help people feel better. After working in corporate public relations for two decades, Kinsley knew first-hand how precious time away from the office was, and she wanted to find a business that could help others get away from the grind.

This week, she opened the doors at Hand and Stone, a franchise massage and facial spa located in 12 states and Canada. Her Algonquin store is the first in Illinois.

“More than anything else, I was looking for a business to provide services to people that had health benefits, but would bring more happiness, comfort, and relaxation to people at a reasonable price,” she said.

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Franchsiee Profile: Heather Kinsley of Algonquin, IL

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How Heather Kinsley Got Started With Hand & Stone…

Hand & Stone is a breath of fresh air for Heather Kinsley. For the past 20 years, she’s been climbing the corporate ladder and has had a very successful career in Human Resources consulting. She led workforce administration and benefits administration projects for clients who had outsourced their Human Resources responsibilities. But, when the economy took a turn for the worse, Heather’s position was eliminated.

She asked herself several life questions at that time, “Is this the life I want?” “Do I buy into the corporate America decision-making process?” “Do I want to spend all of my time away from home and in airports?” What she determined was that she wanted to help people rather than help corporations make money. She also wanted greater flexibility in how she managed her life and time. She was a partner at the first firm she worked at for 19 years and there, she loved making the decisions; she liked managing the process; she loved working with people.

With an idea of independent business ownership in her mind, Heather did her research. She found that 70% of businesses that are still in existence after 5 years are franchises, and digging further, she determined that she wanted to make the trade off of spending money to be a part of a larger system and use the knowledge and expertise of the executive team.

Heather truly believes in the benefits of massage. She has been into massages, facials and skin care for much of her adult life. In fact, she used to sell Mary Kay products. The choice to become involved in the health and wellness industry was a no brainer and joining with Hand & Stone was a shoe in. Hand & Stone offers a breadth of heath-related services like massages, facials and waxing, whereas the other concepts only offer one service, massage.

In her 40’s and back in her hometown of Chicago, this is Heather’s new career path, one that she is excited about and ready to make an impact on people, not on a company’s bottom line. Heather has signed an agreement with Hand & Stone to bring two locations to the area, and for the first time too; no Hand & Stone locations are yet developed in Illinois.

What intrigued Heather Kinsley about Hand & Stone …

Maybe the most intriguing part about opening Hand & Stone for Heather is how it will transform her life. This is the first time in many years where she is doing exactly what she wants to do when she wants to do it.

While Heather is just ready to get her Hand & Stone locations up and running, she is most excited about bringing massage and facial services to the area that is in the mid-market price range. She’s always been an avid believer in taking care of yourself and now she will be able to help others do so. She is also enthusiastic to find the right people to help her build up her location.

Something Interesting About Heather Kinsley’s Story…

In Heather’s free time, she loves to travel, read, work out, and be with friends and family. Her two brothers and father also live in Chicago.