Mimi’s Sun Spa
Treasure Of The Pacific Northwest
by Wendy Craft
 Port Townsend, Wash., is home to Mimi’s Sun Spa, where
guests can enjoy a variety of spa treatments in a delightful environment. The
downtown spa features modern decor and showcases artwork, in addition to selling
one-of-a-kind jewelry, designer knitwear and accessories. The spa offers guests
1,700 square feet of pampering, tanning, sauna, natural skincare and relaxation,
and goes the extra mile for customers’ service.
Port Townsend is a Victorian seaport with a population of
8,800, located northwest of Seattle, says Mimi Rosenberg, owner of Mimi’s Sun
Spa along with husband David. “It’s an enchanted forest on the ocean,” she
says. “It’s beautiful.”
Mimi’s Sun Spa opened December 2002 in the business district
on Water Street. At the end of Water Street is the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a
natural border between the United States and Canada. The spa is right across the
street from the Washington state ferry dock.
Part of the spa’s charm not only is the surrounding scenery,
but its unique entryway. The spa has a glass front and features a 9-foot-wide
hallway inside, where art is displayed. Rosenberg sometimes invites guests for
hors d’oeuvres and punch and to enjoy the art. “You get a whole different
crowd in to see what your business is all about,” she says.
Spa Greetings
When spa guests enter Mimi’s Sun Spa, they are met by a very
relaxing atmosphere, complete with soothing music and the aroma of natural soy
essential-oil candles. The decor’s light sea-foam tones, grays and sand colors
reflect the outside beauty. There are nine treatment rooms and the retail area.
Rosenberg utilizes her own line of skincare products for men
and women that are naturally- and botanically-based. The products are infused
with essential oils and consist of body scrubs, hand lotions, moisturizers and
natural ingredient-based soaps. Treatments also feature John Abaté
International™ products.
The staff consists of one manager and two sales consultants.
Seven licensed massage therapists and two licensed estheticians round out the
staff.
Rosenberg ensures that the facility always is very clean. “It’s
artfully relaxing but immaculately clean,” she says. “Everything is cleaned with
LUCASOL, a hospital-grade disinfectant.”
Mimi’s Sun Spa guests hail from several different places
including Canada, California, Oregon and eastern Washington. Men, women and
young adults make up the bulk of spa guests. “We’re open seven days a week for our customers’
convenience,” she says.
Guests are greeted and offered a tour of the facility, and
then can decide which treatments to experience.
Massage And Sauna
Several different types of massage are featured, including
deep tissue, hot stone and Swedish. Table massages are available in increments
of 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Uplifting or relaxing aromatherapy can be incorporated with
all types of massage. Guests can choose from among citrus, eucalyptus or lavender
aromatherapy fragrances, to name a few.
Guests can enjoy a 20-minute wet or dry session in the
Finlandia® sauna. The sauna can be effective to open pores, remove toxins or
open sinuses, Rosenberg says.
The sauna includes the choice of uplifting or relaxing
essential-oil aromatherapy. Sessions are $10 for 20 minutes, and guests don’t
have to use all of the minutes at once.
“The sauna has been magnificent with the business,” she
says.
Wraps To Wax
The menu at Mimi’s Sun Spa showcases many types of spa
treatments and includes body wraps, facials, glycolic peels, masks, paraffin,
non-invasive photo rejuvenation and all types of waxing. Rosenberg utilizes Dermalogica® and John Abaté products for
facial treatments. Guests can choose rejuvenating enzyme, Dead Sea and
detoxifying masks, as well as body wraps including detoxifying, inch-loss
exfoliation, mineral and aloe, and reflexology.
The reflexology therapy consists of botanical scrubs placed on
hands and feet, followed by the application of shea butter, goat milk or jojoba
moisturizers mixed with essential oils. The guest is wrapped with hot mitts
and/or hot booties, and technicians massage pressure points in the hands and
feet.
A popular body wrap, the Detoxifying Inch-loss Signature Body
Wrap (75 minutes, $70) is for cleansing, detoxifying, refining and relaxing. The
wrap utilizes 100-percent natural aloe vera and specially selected blended
herbs. Guests also can choose the Cellulite Body Wrap Seaweed Treatment (75
minutes, $85) and the Signature Body Wrap (75 minutes $70).
Heat And Rejuvenate
Mimi’s Sun Spa guests do have spa menu favorites. Some of
the more popular facial treatments include the Signature Deluxe Mimi Spa Facial
and Dead Sea Mud and Aloe Facial.
The Signature Deluxe Mimi Spa Facial (90 minutes, $70) is for
complete rejuvenation. The facial features a steam; essential- and botanical-oil aromatherapy; a deep cleanse; citrus exfoliation; a skin analysis; a mask
suited to the guest’s particular skin type; a massage of the head,
décolleté, hands, arms and face; moisturizers for the guest’s particular skin type, and a
nutritive eye-cream treatment. The facial finishes with a burst of natural fragrant moisture
spritz.
The Dead Sea Mud and Aloe Facial (75 minutes, $80) is for
rejuvenating and detoxifying. The facial penetrates magnesium, calcium and
potassium deep into the skin. Micronized algae paste and Dead Sea mud minerals
are incorporated into the treatment, which ends with a moisturizing facial
massage.
The Collagen Facial (75 minutes, $85) is featured for
plumping, smoothing and firming. For deep, therapeutic heat, guests can choose
the Paraffin Facial (75 minutes, $85). The photo-rejuvenation packages are so
popular that they have replaced the glycolic peels at the spa. “They’re so
excited about it because it’s non-invasive, nonsurgical and there are
absolutely no side effects to it at all, except looking younger and feeling
younger,” Rosenberg says.
Tanning Ease
In addition to the spa treatments, Mimi’s Sun Spa also
offers tanning services. The spa showcases both high-pressure and low-pressure
state-of-the-art TanAmerica beds, in booth and bed models.
Prior to tanning, guests are offered an education about UVA
and UVB, the two lengths of ultraviolet light used in the tanning process. Care
is taken to ensure safeguards and regulations are in place so tanners can
minimize their risks of overexposure.
People who have arthritis, bursitis, lupus, multiple
sclerosis, psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and light-deficiency syndrome are
referred by doctors to Rosenberg’s spa for tanning, she says.
All tanning rooms include a bottle of water, thirsty robes and
towels. Prior to tanning, guests can alleviate impurities by utilizing the
makeup bar, which is complete with makeup remover and a magnifying mirror.
Contactlens wearers are offered a case and lens solution. Private showers are
available, complete with complimentary John Abaté body wash, shampoo and
conditioner.
Tanning guests are welcome to leave all of their lotions and
amenities at the spa for safekeeping—so they don’t have to take their
lotions home, bring them back or forget them in the car.
Customers First
Customer service is a big part of Mimi’s Sun Spa. Rosenberg
makes it a point to ask guests what their needs are, to better accommodate them.
“It’s so important in a consultative sales process to find
out why the customer comes through the door,” she says. For instance,
estheticians at Mimi’s Sun Spa also conduct before-and after-facial
consultations to help guests with their objectives and homecare.
“Educated clients are the best clients, and educated
consultants are the best way to go,” she says. “You can’t sell what you
don’t understand.”
Part of the ease of running Mimi’s Sun Spa is due in part to
the computer system Rosenberg uses, called SalonTouch. “It enables me to have
all the reports I need for my business, helps me have a handle on what I need,
and lets me set up the packages I want to set up,” she says.
Mimi’s Sun Spa presents guests a multitude of spa treatments
done in an esthetically pleasing environment. Rosenberg, her manager and her
team serve the spa guests by offering treatment education and asking questions.
State-of-the-art equipment and computer software help her run the spa with ease,
allowing her to keep a clear focus on the clients’ needs.
“We want them to have a rejuvenating experience: to relax, restore and
rejuvenate.”
|
