Minneapolis Day Spa - Ivy Spa Club Stays Strong
Spas in Minnesota / Minneapolis Day Spa / Ivy Spa Club
Exfoliate? In this economy?
A longtime Minneapolis entrepreneur says young professionals and tourists will provide a market for her new, upscale Ivy Spa Club, despite the ongoing economic chill.
Jennifer Cadwell relaxes as esthetician Tina Schaberg applies a 50-minute caviar facial Friday at the new Ivy Spa Club in downtown Minneapolis.
Recession? The only “r” word spoken at the new Ivy Spa Club in downtown Minneapolis is Ritual, as in the Ivy Ritual exfoliation, body wrap, hydrotherapy milk bath and massage treatment - 165 minutes of pure indulgence, yours for $360.
With its caviar facials, fancy fitness center with cable television on every cardio machine and prestigious location within the soon-to-open Ivy Hotel + Residences, the locally owned Ivy Spa Club raised the bar for Twin Cities day spas and health clubs when it opened Friday.
But success is not guaranteed. While monthly massages may be as common on the coasts as haircuts, Minnesotans tend to be more reluctant to treat themselves.
In 2004, the Pagoda spa in Uptown thought its lush setting would support higher prices than locals ever had paid for facials and body treatments. The spa folded within six months. The luxurious Greenhouse Spa, a fixture in other big cities, was short-lived in Edina.
Now, with the economy flailing, jobs disappearing and even the luxury retail sector, including heavyweights such as Tiffany’s and Coach, starting to feel the pinch, is there enough call for pampering to support a 17,000-square-foot spa and fitness center?
Pamela Margolis thinks so. The owner of Ivy Spa Club is new to the spa business, but as a longtime Minneapolis entrepreneur who has owned dozens of retail businesses, including dollar stores and intimate apparel shops, she felt spa services hadn’t kept pace with the Twin Cities’
“There just aren’t that many spas here,” Margolis said. “Most people in the Twin Cities don’t understand unless they’ve been to a destination spa out of town.”
Margolis was careful not to price herself out of the market, as she said Pagoda did. Still, Ivy’s prices tend to be a bit higher than other Minneapolis local spas. Spalon Montage, for example, charges $75 for a 55-minute massage, compared with $85 for 50 minutes at Ivy. At Ivy, however, patrons gain access for the day to the fitness center as well as the coed whirlpool, sauna, posh relaxation areas and state-of-the-art showers with water jets that hit from all angles.
“We’re not about rushing people in and out,” Margolis said.
More than a la carte treatments, Margolis expects club memberships to support her new facility. Prices start at $79 per month and go up to $199 for the premier membership, which includes complimentary yoga and Pilates classes, valet parking, access to the hotel concierge and discounts on spa services. As of opening day, 50 memberships had been sold.
Young downtown professionals are much more apt to indulge than their parents, Margolis said. “My generation might only visit a spa once or twice a year. For my daughter, it’s part of her life - like getting her teeth cleaned.”
That has been the trend, as the number of spas nationwide has tripled in the past seven years. But the most recent report from the International SPA Association shows spa openings are slowing and visits per spa are down slightly.
“For the longest time, the prevailing view was that luxury was golden,” said Stacy Janiak, national retail leader for accounting firm Deloitte in Minneapolis. “Clearly, there’s a cadre of super-rich not impacted by the economy. But aspirational luxury consumers - the ones that have really been driving it - are pulling back, out of necessity or out of a psychological feeling that they should.”
Experts in the hospitality industry think the Ivy Spa Club’s best customers are likely to be tourists and business travelers. The spa has a direct entrance off the skyway that leads to the Minneapolis Convention Center and is across the street from the Hilton Hotel.
“There’s a ton of demand. Businesspeople from New York and California love the idea of a spa treatment between appointments,” said Nicole Leon-Darrell, director of concierge services for the Chambers Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, which does not have a spa. The Chambers calls on individual spa professionals to come to hotel guests, but sometimes visitors who have a free afternoon, or are with a group such as a bridal party, want a destination.
There’s Jewel Spa adjacent to the Graves 601 Hotel, but it has four treatment rooms, compared with Ivy’s 14. Sanctuary Salonspa recently took over and is remodeling the Litespa space in downtown Minneapolis, but it focuses more on neighborhood business. Ivy Spa Club has its own cafe, two couples treatment rooms, a pedicure/manicure room that could accommodate at least seven clients at a time and enough space to offer private areas to groups for lounging or lunch.
Chuck Lennon, spokesman for Explore Minnesota Tourism, said a luxury facility like Ivy Spa Club is essential to the new class of tourist the metro area is drawing because of the high-profile “arts explosion” that includes the new Walker Art Center and Guthrie Theater.
“It’s been a huge story worldwide - we’ve raised the eyebrows of high-end travelers,” Lennon said. “To attract them, you have to offer high-end lodging, dining, retail, and spas are an important component.”
Leon-Darrell of the Chambers agrees that Ivy Spa Club is certain to impress even the most seasoned travelers. Minnesotans, she believes, will be a tougher sell. “It’s definitely going to depend on people coming into town who can afford a day at the spa. Local people, if they go, already have their places.”
Day Spa, Spa Business
