By J. Elaine Spear

This article first appeared in Day Spa Magazine

Gaia Day Spa is nestled in the heart of La Jolla, California, an elite enclave where wealth, charm, and diverse lifestyles converge on the Pacific shore at the edge of bustling San Diego. "Gaia", the Greek Goddess of Earth and the name used to describe earth as a conscious entity, clearly defines the healing bent of this day retreat that caters to La Jolla’s health-conscious culture. Founder Rhana Pytell has taken her spa down a road less traveled that physically, mentally, and spiritually mirrors her mission to provide complete spa experiences for her guests.

The concept of Gaia Day Spa began forming fifteen years ago when Pytell suffered a major health crisis. "When traditional medicine wasn't helping my condition, I embarked on a journey, looking for a different way to create a better physical outcome," says Pytell. "This led me to enroll in a professional health education program at the University of California at San Diego, followed by eight years of studying nutrition, homeopathy, energy, healing, herbs, and aromatherapy."

While taking an aromatherapy course in 1995, Pytell ran across a humble, three room spa in the basement of a building in Colorado. "I was blown away," she recalls. "Up to that point, the only spa-related therapies in the La Jolla area were offered by health clubs and full-service salons where many different energies were going on under one roof. I saw this tiny spa as very specific, extremely clear about what it was meant to do in a natural way." Two years later Pytell and financial partner Ann Griffith Ash, a financier dedicated to investing in businesses that enhance people’s lives, opened Gaia Day Spa in the elite La Jolla "Village".

Powerful Vision
Despite being discouraged by consultants who focused on the bottom line, Pytell forged ahead with her spa vision, creating intimate, private spaces, full service treatment rooms where each guest could enjoy a complete spa experience in a single spot. "I want each of our rooms to share its own message of ‘spa’ in terms of relaxation and healing," says Pytell. "At Gaia, our clients change in their treatment rooms to avoid interacting with other guests. They’re carefully booked so that a single room can accommodate all their services. People are desperate for relaxation and renewal, yet they rarely have more than three hours to heal and de-stress. When treatments are broken up between rooms or their focus is disrupted by chitchat, the total experience is compromised."

Pytell says, "Our design isn’t as financially productive as a series of small, dark rooms, but it’s ideal for our clients who are well traveled and have already experienced the best of the best spas around the world. Although I didn’t envision this when I opened Gaia in 1997, our spa design has become an important factor in differentiating us from the many ‘wannabe’ businesses and the growing number of luxury hotel and resort spas in our area."

Economic Reality
Pytell admits that business has become tougher in recent years. "In many areas of San Diego, including La Jolla, tourism and business travel account for a hefty percentage of local commerce, an economic bade that has been undermined by a weak economy and the September 11th tragedy," she says. "From 1997 to 2000, we experienced a 40% growth rate every year. It was thrilling, to say the least. But this year we’ve had to work much harder to grow our business. I’ve come to terms with the need to adjust my strategies to account for this new economic climate, as well as to tap into a whole new vein of qualified clients."

Part of Pytell’s adjustment is growing her skincare business, something she has not emphasized in the past because she perceived such a great need for healing body therapies. "My goal is to immediately raise my retail ratio to 25%," she says. "To do this, I’ve had to come to terms my early error of not making skincare services a much bigger part of my business. Fortunately, we have a private label skincare line called Gaia Spa Collection that allows us to generously compensate our staff for selling retail, hence creating a bigger incentive to sell. We’ve also added Eminence to our mix of products, a line that perfectly mirrors out philosophy of health and wellness."

Looking Ahead
Pytell believes the industry is at a crossroads in terms of conceptualizing the "spa" business. "Because of the increasingly crowded marketplace, I believe it is becoming more important to make every effort to clarify who we are and what we’re about, and then deliver on that concept consistently," says Pytell. "In our case, over the past five years Gaia has gone from being a unique business to being one of many similar businesses. We now use every available opportunity to distinguish our day spa from those around us. One of the ways we’re doing this is by creating a sterling management team." Pytell reports that she is currently putting her management staff through initial two-month leadership training with a consultant/trainer who has a degree and work-related experience teaching staffs to talk and walk a common language and to work together toward a common product. "We all have great ideas; in fact I’ve had zillions of them," says Pytell. But implementing these ideas is always the challenge. Spa owners and managers start out OK but their goals fall short because they lack support or something else takes precedence. There needs to be a crucial amount of energy and support that doesn’t allow this to happen. The added benefit of teaching leadership is retaining you staff because it makes people feel that they’re important, not just cogs in the wheel of a well-oiled business.

"As nice as that might sound though, I realize that creating a true leadership team, as opposed to having a group of people, is challenging for all spas," says Pytell. "In our case, our employees are primarily women and their backgrounds are seriously diverse. Their ages range from 20-something to 50-something, and their educational backgrounds run the gamut from trade school to a college degree. How do you take this group of people and give them a common language that they can confidently speak to help you on your current business mission? I am beginning to do this with our leadership course. It’s a huge process, but I also find that it’s the most exciting part of my business.

"We as owners can spend a lot of time on marketing, finances, and operations, but we still have to invest an equal if not greater amount of time in developing our personnel so they can feel fulfilled in our industry," concluded Pytell. "That way, our own businesses will continue to thrive."