SEPTEMBER 3, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
The Sanctuary Day Spa—Celebrating 10 Years and 15,000 Clients
Debra Grosswald, co-owner of The Sanctuary Day Spa in Boone, is a graduate of the Swedish Institute College of New York and has 25 years of experience in massage and skincare. She operates the spa with the help of her husband, Ralph, and 15 skilled employees, including six massage therapists and four estheticians. Photo by Patrick Pitzer You need a break.
But in these times of significant financial stress, you need to know that you are getting the best bang for your buck. After all, you shouldn’t have to spend that hard-earned money on a respite that won’t materialize.
If it’s relaxation and rejuvenation you’re after, carve out some time in your busy schedule for a trip to The Sanctuary Day Spa, located at 643 Greenway Road, Suite B, behind Boone Mall. Once inside, your stress will melt away as one of the six skilled and tenured massage therapists and/or three estheticians take care of your every need.
“It’s a respite from stress—the name says it perfectly. Especially in these stressful and difficult times, when people become overshadowed by certain things in their lives, a massage is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health,” said Ralph Grosswald, who co-owns the business with his wife Debra. “We offer relaxation, rejuvenation; it’s a place where you can go and be taken care of. Our staff is very skilled in many different methods.”
The staff’s skills are one of the reasons The Sanctuary has been celebrated by customers for more than a decade. With almost 15,000 happy clients in its history, The Sanctuary takes pride in the quality and diversity of its services, which include: massage and body work, body treatments, waxing, nails, facials and skincare and wedding packages. For all treatments, The Sanctuary staff uses Dermalogica USA products, which are considered to be the best in the world, according to Ralph. The National Day Spa Association voted Dermalogica’s skincare products number one again this year.
A staff of 15 employees under the leadership and guidance of Debra assist spa customers. Debra is a graduate of the Swedish Institute College of New York, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutes for body work and massage therapy in the world, said Ralph. “Debra has 25 years of experience in massage and skincare,” said Ralph. “She’s the one responsible for assembling and overseeing this great group of [employees].”
The Sanctuary’s employees are not only experienced in the aforementioned services, but also specialize in niche services, respectively, such as medical massage, prenatal massage, anti-aging and skin-whitening treatments, body wraps, warm stone massages, Body Talk and energy work.
“Customers may not know of the breadth of services that we offer. We feature a very established and very committed professional staff, and the level of our skincare people are just amazing,” said Ralph. “As people age and are exposed to sun and air pollution, it’s nice to know that you can come here and a treatment professional can help you.”
Anyone from high school students to government officials, from construction workers to nurses to school teachers, frequent The Sanctuary on a regular basis. “It’s really a cross-section of the community,” said Ralph. The spa is open seven days a week and features evening appointments and late hours to accommodate busy work schedules—a business approach that has paid off over the spa’s history.
Sandy Jamison founded The Sanctuary Day Spa in the mid-1990s. After arriving in the High Country in 1996, Debra started frequenting The Sanctuary for treatments and massages and fell in love with the quality of the staff and services. That adoration led Debra to take a therapist position at The Sanctuary, where she learned about the business from Jamison. Years later when Jamison was thinking about selling the business, she approached Debra to see if she would be interested in buying it and taking over the reins.
“A lot of credit goes to Sandy,” said Ralph. “The original concept [of the business] is pretty much still embodied. Sandy used to say, ‘Our business is based on the local community,’ and we feel very strongly about that.”
“We’re trusted,” added Ralph. In fact, The Sanctuary is so trusted and so supported by word of mouth that, despite the economic downturn, “we are ahead of 2007 and 2008 numbers,” said Ralph. “That’s why we’re expanding.”
Debra and Ralph plan to expand the business in the near future, hoping to take on an additional space and lease within the same office complex. “We hope to expand our services, personnel and hours. We would like to increase our retail space and then have room to add new services that we currently can’t offer here,” Ralph explained.
“But we plan to stay in the High Country,” continued Ralph. “We feel like The Sanctuary is part of the High Country.”
The Sanctuary Day Spa is located at 643 Greenway Road, Suite B, behind Boone Mall. The spa is open from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Evening appointments are also available, as well as gift cards in any denomination. For more information, call 828-268-0003, click to www.sanctuaryinboone.com or email sanctuarydayspa@bellsouth.net.
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