Derived from ‘caress’ meaning ‘gentle touch’, Caressaa Day Spa is not just a luxury day spa – it’s also an innovative marketing tool for its owners!
Caressaa Spa, a joint venture by Heera & JCKRC Spaline Pvt. Ltd., was launched about a year ago in April 2011. Spearheaded by partner Rekha Chaudhari, who brings 20 years of experience as a marketer of premium beauty brands to the table, Caressaa also serves as a showcase for the Company’s spa solutions.
The transition from distributor to spa owner was part of the business plan for the Company. Chaudhari needed a platform to showcase her products and equipment range to her clients where they could experience it. “I offer hi-tech equipment and advanced products,” she explains, “When I’m trying to sell a product to my clients, I’ve seen that there’s a greater chance of them buying my product if they can see and feel it“.
Promising Exclusivity
Its purpose as a showcase does take away from its functionality as a world-class spa. Apart from regular treatments like paraffin mani-pedis, Swedish massages and reflexology, Caressaa offers its customers exclusivity with patented treatments and technologies. To promise exclusivity is a tall order butChaudhari was one of the first to understand the advantage of patenting her therapies. Way back in 2006, she patented her first treatment – Geo ThermoTherapy – where alternate use of Basalt (hot stone) and Marble (cold stone) results in an instant oxygenation and detoxification action. “It wasn’t easy,” she says, “at that time no one was offering full body or spa treatments. It took a lot of convincing to sell it to people“. Now she has also patented ‘The Novel Rope Massage’, a modern interpretation of a traditional massage therapy. By patenting her signature treatments she gives her customers a very compelling reason to come visit – you just can’t get ‘that’ treatment anywhere else. Her strategy has shown results – “It’s a very popular treatment here,” Chaudhari says, “Out of ten massages in a day, eight are rope massages”.
Patented INNOVATIONS
The treatments offered at Caressaa are a blend of nature, tradition and technology. Its extensive spa menu comprises of specialized therapies, indulging spa rituals, body massages, body exfoliation, body wraps, facials and a quick zone.
Through JCKRC, Chaudhariwas the first to introduce the Alpha and Derma capsulesto the Indian spa industry –. The Alpha Capsule uses colour therapy, hamam and oxygen therapy to help clients lose weight and offer pain relief. The Derma capsule offers treatment through water massage and aromatherapy.
The exclusive spa rituals use supermodel Adriana Karembeu’s brand Silicium+. With organic Silicium as their base the rituals have heady combinations of Citrus & Green Tea, Cardamom & Cocoa, and Bigarade Orange and Poppy.
The most exotic among the spas and facials is the Glacier Moor/Black Mask using Remy Laure’s Moorthérapie, an effective solution to environmental aesthetic concerns. It’s loaded with plant extracts, organic and inorganic substances, is rich in Humic Acid and has more than 380 minerals and trace elements.
Caressaaalso offers facials and treatments that harness the benefits of marine cosmetic technology using products from the renowned brand Phytomer. Recognized around the world for its quality and quantity of innovation, Phytomeris a world-leader in the field of marine cosmetics.
In partnership with the Hakim’s Aalim Salon situated on the ground floor, Caressaa endeavours to offer head-to-toe beauty solutions to its clients. The reasoning – “I wanted to offer a complete service package to my customers,” says Chaudhari, “this ensures that they get everything under one roof, they don’t have to go running around anywhere else for other services.”
Prime Location
Chaudhari’s first spa launched in 2005 in Navi Mumbai (on the outskirts of Mumbai), was a concept too early for its time. “I could not do much there because people were not aware and were not ready to spend money in a spa”, she says. When she decided to open another spa, she decided on Juhu, an upscale area in Mumbai, after a lot of deliberation. “I wanted to be in a place where people have spending capacity and where I could introduce a lot of new techniques,” she explains, “the people in this area are more aware, more exposed to international trends and open to the spa culture”.
Customer Insights
Surrounded by hotels, celebrities, professionals and the nouveau riche, Chaudhari has invested in understanding in-depth what her customers want and need. The layout of the spa is designed accordingly. Caressaa is divided into two clear sections: the Quick Zone area, straight ahead from the lobby and the treatment rooms, behind closed doors.
Read the full article on www.emag.spamantra.in (Issue3 page 46)
Writer: Jerusha Chande
Tags: Caressa Day Spa, Indian spa, JCKRC, Juhu spas, Mumbai spa, Rekha Chaudhari
