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30 DAYSPA | JUNE 2014 fi rst day spa in Newport Beach in 1998, added the Rancho Santa Margarita location in 2006 and the third about 60 miles south in the small beach city of Del Mar in 2009. A year later, in 2010, the Orange County Chapter of the National Association of Women Busi- ness Owners named Cortright "Business Owner of the Year." The press release announcing her appointment revealed that in 2009, Spa Gregorie's employed 175 people and earned revenues of $6.5 million. "Running three spas doesn't have to be any more diffi cult than running one, if you have the right man- agement structure," Cortright says. "The challenge is the start-up, getting the right managers in place. My spa managers are in charge of all operations for their respective location: hiring, fi ring, motivation, setting standards, and so on. On the corporate level, we handle marketing, fi nancial structure, retail buying and the like. We do allow individual spa managers to weigh in on retail choices. We fi nd that products that fl y off the shelf in one spa sometimes don't sell at all in another, so we often move non-sellers from location to location. Clients tend to see them as new and interest- ing, and they sell right away." Cortright believes every day spa needs a healthy retail component. "I was surprised when the director of the spa certifi cate program at the University of Cali- fornia, Irvine said they were having trouble fi lling their retailing classes. Retailing is critical," she stresses. "It accounts for just under 25% of our gross income, and I make it a priority. Our senior buyer used to work for Federated Department Stores, owners of Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and she really knows her stuff—not only what to buy but how to merchandise the prod- ucts and what to do when things don't sell." When it comes to skin- and haircare products, Cortright is even more adamant. "Not sending clients home with ap- propriate products is underserving them," she insists. "I tell my staff that it's like send- ing a dental patient home without a toothbrush and toothpaste. Having clients come in regularly for their cleaning without offering them a plan for daily care just makes no sense." LONG-TERM BENEFITS Spa Gregorie's seems to have made the move without a hiccup, but that doesn't mean everything is rosy for this spa group. "We're still in the midst of the economic recovery," Cortright admits. "Business is improving but our profi ts are a far cry from where they were in 2007 before the fi nancial crisis hit. The recession has been challenging in many ways, but being a spa owner affords me so much more than just a living. I still enjoy doing what I do every day. As an energetic, creative person, it gives me an outlet for my talents, challenging me to create new services and new marketing programs." Spa Gregorie's menu of services refl ects this creativity, with treatments like Sole Sacrifi ce (60 min./$110; 90 Guests experience guided meditation via spa headphones. SPA GREGORIE'S— RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA Website: spagregories.com Opened: 2006; moved to current facility in 2013 Size: 5,150 square feet Facility: 12 treatment rooms (most are multipurpose massage and facial rooms); wet room; 6 hair stations; mani/ pedi suite; large lounge; separate men's and women's locker rooms with showers and steam Product lines used/retailed: Arcona, B. Kamins, Epicuren, Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionel, MoroccanOil P r o f i l e . i n d d 3 0 Profile.indd 30 5 / 1 / 1 4 3 : 2 6 P M 5/1/14 3:26 PM