SPA FRANCHISE SURGES: 30 LAVIDA MASSAGE SPA LOCATIONS CONVERT INTO HAND & STONE MASSAGE AND FACIAL SPAS

With Another Major Conversion Initiative, Industry Leading Spa Franchise Accelerates Its Growth Across Seven States, with More Territories Available in North America

TREVOSE, Pa. -- Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, the nation's leading massage and facial spa franchise, today announced the conversion of 30 LaVida Massage locations across seven states that were rebranded as Hand & Stone franchise spas on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. The expansion located in Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Washington allow Hand & Stone to optimize markets where the brand already operates and to establish a presence in new, priority markets. Notably, Hand & Stone Bentonville is the first location in Arkansas and brings up the total of Hand & Stone locations from 39 to 40. These conversions allow Hand & Stone to optimize markets where the brand already operates and to establish a presence in new, priority markets.

"We've made the deliberate decision to make conversions a core part of our ongoing domestic expansion strategy. Conversions are a win-win for the entire Hand & Stone community, including our clients, our existing franchise owners and their teams, and for the converting operators," said John Teza, President and Chief Executive Officer at Hand & Stone. "Through the addition of the LaVida Massage spas to our system, we're reaching more consumers than ever before, and welcoming talented, experienced franchise business owners, who are already familiar with our sector, into our industry-leading brand. We are excited to partner with our new franchise owners and look forward to continuing our growth journey and exploring new opportunities to expand this strategy."

Key to the conversion, as with every new spa opening, Hand & Stone is supporting incoming conversion franchisees by providing a full week of new owner training sessions at Hand & Stone's headquarters in Trevose, Pennsylvania. The brand is also deploying training staff to provide on-site support for spa associate, massage therapist, and esthetician training for all incoming staff ahead of the conversion. Further, Hand & Stone is making a significant financial investment to support the successful conversion of each spa, as well as ensuring there is a smooth transition into the Hand & Stone system through guidance provided by the brand's dedicated new spa operations leader.

"The former LaVida Massage spa owners are entering our brand with a background in the massage and wellness business, so our priority is to really immerse them into the Hand & Stone system and familiarize them with the wealth of specialized services that make us unique and keep us on the cutting edge," said Jennifer Durham, Chief Development Officer at Hand & Stone. "Joining a brand like Hand & Stone provides these experienced spa owners the opportunity to increase their revenue through the addition of services they weren't previously able to offer and, ultimately, expand their membership base. We share in their excitement as they embark on this new entrepreneurial journey with us."

The converted locations will offer their clients the Hand & Stone lifestyle membership, which includes access to advanced skincare and spa services such as Decompression Therapy massage, Diamond Glow facial, NuFACE microcurrent facial, Percussive Therapy massage and LED Phototherapy facial. These locations will also offer additional enhancements through partnerships with award-winning skincare lines, including DermalogicaŽ (featuring their first-ever professional device, Pro Pen), ClarityRX, and IMAGE Skincare.

As Hand & Stone enters this new phase of growth, many open territories remain available for franchise ownership across the country. For more information on franchising opportunities, please visit handandstone.com/franchise.

ABOUT HAND & STONE MASSAGE AND FACIAL SPA
Hand & Stone is a more than 600-unit massage and facial spa franchise with a mission to bring affordable, luxury spa services to all. Launched in 2004, Hand & Stone now has locations across 40 states and Canada. Each spa features best-in-class skincare treatments highlighting the latest in cosmetic technology. Available for women, men and teens, a wide range of services are tailored to each individual's needs or skin concerns. Hand & Stone facial treatments are performed by licensed estheticians, using top-of-the-line products backed by science including IMAGE Skincare, Dermalogica and ClarityRx Clinical Skin Care. The fastest-growing spa franchise in the country, Hand & Stone has been named No. 1 in the spa category by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2023, 2021 and 2020 and was ranked No. 8 on Forbes' Best Franchises to Buy list in the high investment category.

SOURCE Hand & Stone