Hand & Stone featured in The Lehigh Valley Business Journal

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the Lehigh Valley Business Journal in an article entitled, "The Business of Beauty."  Clayton Cox, Hand & Stone franchisee in Easton, was interviewed on the success that Hand & Stone has experienced since opening at the beginning of 2012. Clayton discussed how the company has seen an increase in business because Hand & Stone offers luxury services at an affordable price for all consumers. By offering these services at an affordable price point, Hand & Stone has seen tremendous success when many high end spas have failed.  For the entire article click here or begin below.

The Business of Beauty
By: Katherine Schneider

Hair salons and plastic surgery clinics annually rake in a whopping $70 

billion nationwide. The local landscape is littered with companies looking to cash in on this booming business of beauty. Several new spas have opened in recent weeks and one salon chain expects to place five new franchises in the near future.

As the economy improves – and as Baby Boomers struggle to stay young and competitive in the work force – profits will continue to rise, industry experts say.

On a national level, there were 13.8 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures performed in 2011; that number is up 5 percent from 2010. In addition, 5.5 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed last year – a number that has also grown by 5 percent.

While national numbers for expensive plastic surgery procedures such as breast augmentation and facelifts are rising, Lehigh Valley residents don't seem to be following that trend.

"In the industry as a whole there's a mild downturn especially in big cities, large cities for expensive procedures. People are getting less expensive procedures such as Botox and fillers, and laser skin resurfacing. We continue to grow in low-ticket items. People aren't getting facelifts; instead they're getting Botox," said Dr. Thomas Young, proprietor of Young's Medical Spa in Center Valley.

(Read More)

Alternative Medicine Becomes Mainstream: Spa Franchise Provides Massage For The Masses

Hand & Stone Opens Doors in Mays Landing; To Relax, Rejuvenate Community with Top-Tier Cost Efficient Model

Looking to double its store count nationwide by the end of 2011, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa will open in Mays Landing on January 31 at 4215 Black Horse Pike, bringing its total spa count to eleven in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area.

“We see Mays Landing as a prime market for our brand’s development,” said Todd Leff, CEO and President of Hand & Stone. “We are pleased to have Mitchell Sands join our system and lead our brand with top-tier services and integrity in Mays Landing.”

Proving that massage therapy isn't just for the rich and famous anymore, the new Hand & Stone will erase what once was considered a penchant of the affluent by offering services to all levels of consumers.

Coming from a background in automobiles, motorcycles and insurance, Mitchell Sands has worked in a variety of different industries. Now, he says, he is ready to take a new direction in the massage industry where he has seen firsthand people’s passion for the job. “I look forward to working with people who not only have a passion for their career, but also enjoy bringing pleasure and relaxation to other people,” Sands says.

This will not be the only Hand and Stone location Sands will open. Native to Washington Township, Sands owns the rights to develop multiple Hand & Stone locations in Washington Township and once the May’s Landing location becomes established, he projects to open another in Rio Grande.

Launched in 2005 by John Marco, a physical therapist with 20 years of experience, Hand & Stone’s mission is to bring massage therapy to the masses. Clients enjoy the treatment, but "most aren't just coming for the indulgence," Leff said. "They're coming for stress reduction and pain relief, and many on the suggestion of their doctors."

Under the new provisions of the recently-passed health care bill, alternative medical procedures, including massages from licensed therapists at spas like Hand & Stone, are being taken more seriously by the traditional medical community. According to Leff, about 75 percent of health savings account plans and HMOs will now reimburse patients for massage therapy if their doctor writes a formal prescription. Ailments worthy of that prescription include muscle and joint pain, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (commonly known as TMJ), and stress. According to the 2010 AMTA Industry Report massage use among older Baby Boomers (ages 55-64) has doubled in the past ten years and use among those older than 65 has tripled during that same time.

While the typical massage client used to have to track down a freelance massage therapist, schedule an appointment days in advance, and pay over $100 for a one-hour treatment, most Hand & Stone clients book their appointments on the same day as service and pay 30 percent less than the traditional hourly rate. Better yet, when they sign up for a one-session-per-month plan, they end up paying around $60 per visit.

The average customer isn't a wealthy socialite with nothing better to do; she's a 42-year-old female with an annual household income of $65,000, has children and loves to shop at Target and Kohls. With that busy, overscheduled lifestyle, it’s not surprising that the number one reason clients visit Hand and Stone is for stress reduction. Hand & Stone's clientele is roughly 70 percent female, 30 percent male, with an increasing number of male patrons.

As massage spas become more mainstream in the health care industry, Hand & Stone stays at the top of the game by adding locations and services to keep the brand fresh. That strategy has proven to be successful, as the addition of facials and waxing to the services roster has boosted the average comparable store sales by over 40 percent during this past year, in a very tough economic environment. After awarding a record 40 new franchises in 2010, Leff expects to sign another 50 new franchisees to the Hand & Stone system this year, each one investing a total of around $325,000, including franchise fees, to outfit a suburban, strip-mall location with space for at least 10 massage rooms.

"Twenty-two percent of Americans got a massage in 2009, and that figure is growing. As massage becomes a more integrated part of health care, we see this business achieving even wider-spread growth and longevity," said Leff.

Hand & Stone moves into St. Louis

Hand & Stone has just announced its expansion plans for St. Louis. Check out the St. Louis Business Journal article to find out more about Hand & Stone’s development in St. Louis and throughout the Midwest. The brand’s entrance into the market will be led by a husband and wife entrepreneurial team: Tony and Christy Burke!


Hand & Stone Massage to enter St. Louis market
St. Louis Business Journal - by Kelsey Volkmann

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa plans to enter the St. Louis market this fall when husband-and-wife franchisees open a location in Des Peres.

Christy and Tony Burke plan to open a massage and facial salon in a shopping center in November, with four or five other area locations to follow.

Bob McQuillan, a vice president of franchise development for the Hamilton, N.J.-based company, said Hand & Stone picked St. Louis for its expansion because it wanted to add new time zones and locations in the Midwest. Other targets for expansion are Chicago and Indianapolis, he said.

The company has 32 stores but plans to have 50 by the end of the year, McQuillan said.

Read More


The St. Louis Post-Dispatch also featured a story about this expansion, and you can read it here: Hand & Stone to open first local massage franchise in Des Peres

A similar follow-up on this story was also posted by the St Louis Business Journal, and you can read it here: Franchise Mania in St Louis

Franchisee Spotlight: Christy & Tony Burke, Owner of the first Hand & Stone in Missouri

Each week Hand & Stone will highlight a franchisee. This week Christy and Tony Burke are our spotlight franchisees.

Location: Des Peres, MO
Address TBA—Proposed opening date: 11/1/10

Something Interesting About Christy & Tony Burke’s Story…
For Christy Burke, opening her own franchise is a breath of fresh air. Having worked as a low-level manager for a supermarket chain for the past eight years, Christy is more than ready to take on something that she herself can control. As such, she and her husband Tony are teaming up to open the state of Missouri’s very first Hand & Stone spa, a venture they expect to be challenging but also highly rewarding and a lot of fun. The Burkes will run the franchise as a husband and wife team, and even their four children, whose current ages range from 10 to 16, have expressed some interest in working at Hand & Stone someday, perhaps as a part-time job. The Burkes anticipate a lot of future growth for Hand & Stone throughout Missouri, hoping to eventually open four or five locations.

What Christy & Tony Burke Did Before Hand & Stone…
Christy worked as the manager of a grocery store chain in Missouri for eight years before she decided she was ready to be her own boss. The new Hand & Stone franchise will be Christy’s pet project—she will handle management and day to day operations. Her husband Tony has worked in the aerospace industry for the past 25 years, and will continue his work as an automated specialist, a title he earned three years ago, even as he takes on the financial side of the new Hand & Stone franchise. Notably, Tony will be a valuable member of the team, given his past business experience as owner of a small general contracting company.

Why Christy & Tony Burke are Excited About Becoming Hand & Stone Franchisees…
The Burkes are thrilled about opening up a Hand & Stone because of how much potential the franchise has. They are particularly excited because they will be the first to bring the Hand & Stone franchise to Missouri. While they realize they’re opening their new business in a tough market, the Burkes say they are more than ready for the challenge, and look forward to their first opportunity to work together as a team. Their confidence comes not only from their trust in each other, but also from their enthusiasm for the brand itself. They love the wide variety of services that Hand & Stone offers, from massages to facials to waxing, and they appreciate the spa’s uncommonly reasonable prices and know their customers will too.

Community Involvement…
The Burkes have always been deeply involved in their community, and look forward to running their new franchise with a community-oriented spirit. Already involved at their local church and their children’s schools, the Burkes plan to utilize these local ties for the betterment of both their business and their community. They also plan to team up with the Chamber of Commerce in order to establish strong bonds with other local business owners as well as their inevitably satisfied future customers.

Franchisee Spotlight: Paulina Laskosky, Owner of Hand & Stone in Menomonee Falls

Each week Hand & Stone will highlight a franchisee. This week Paulina Laskosky is our spotlight franchisee.

Franchisee Since: October 2008
Franchise Location/s: Menomonee Falls, WI

How Paulina Laskosky Got Started with Hand and Stone…

Paulina and her family immigrated to America from Canada in 1999. She had worked in the corporate world for a global marketing firm for many years and then became a full-time stay at home mom before becoming a small business owner. She has always been a spa enthusiast. Paulina enjoyed being able to escape to a calm and soothing atmosphere and has had a spa membership for as long as she can remember.

She always wanted to open her own spa business and felt that she had expert knowledge from her passion for the spa industry. When researching spas online, she found that Hand and Stone offered more services to their customers including facials, and was attracted to the franchise support that Hand and Stone offered. Paulina and her husband, Michael, opened their first Hand and Stone location in Menomonee Falls in October of 2008.

Paulina’s location is the only Hand and Stone in the state of Wisconsin and she intends to expand her business in the future to other nearby areas.

What Intrigued Paulina Laskosky about Hand and Stone…

Paulina was attracted to Hand and Stone’s franchise system for many reasons. She was intrigued by the support system set in place by Hand and Stone that allowed her to maintain her business while staying at home with her kids and even having time for personal activities. She was attracted to the franchise concept because she could focus on the customer experience and marketing for her location. Paulina did not have to worry about building a brand from the ground up and knew that Hand and Stone would be a safe investment in that it was continuing to grow in a down economy.

Something Interesting About Paulina Laskosky’s Story…

Paulina is the mother of two children and deeply involved within the community. She participates in many local school fundraisers and is also involved in church events. She also plays in a soccer league of 1800 women which she says has been a great source of customers. She credits word of mouth as a main tool for her marketing efforts and is known as the “Hand and Stone Lady” in the local area.

Paulina is originally from Poland and immigrated to Canada in 1981. Her and her family then moved to America in 1999.

Hand and Stone was recently featured in the Philadelphia Business Journal!

Ex-AAMCO exec shifts gears
Leff waxes upbeat over Hand & Stone spas

Philadelphia Business Journal - by Peter Van Allen Staff Writer

A former top executive at AAMCO Transmissions is getting into a business with a personal touch.

Todd Leff, who led the merger of the Cottman Transmission and AAMCO chains, is now leading the expansion of Hand & Stone, a chain of massage-and-facial spas.

Hand & Stone has four locations in the Philadelphia market and has plans for eight more by year’s end. Overall, it has 30 locations in nine states and Canada — and is growing through both corporate-owned stores and through franchisees.

While different industries, Leff said the retail transmission business and the spa business are not that different. (Read More)