No frills pampering

MANILA, Philippines - Once upon a time, a group of friends enjoyed having massages but realized the high price one has to pay for it. One day sometime in October 2005, they all agreed that in order to be pampered, the only thing one needed really was the massage itself.  Those four friends, now only in their mid-30s, decided to put up Big Apple Express Spa.

“That’s when we created a new category which is the Express Spa,” shares marketing director Roselin G. Pagunsan. “It is like fast food, but it is a spa.  We cater to clients who want to get pampered but without the frills of a sauna, jacuzzi or a shower room,” says Pagunsan.

“We are a budget spa. We cater to budget-conscious clients. We thought that one could enjoy the benefits of massage in a clean and conducive environment with professionally-trained therapists, without the exorbitant cost associated with high-end full-service spas. Our service pricing is targeted to provide our customers with the same value and service they get there at extremely affordable prices. Our massage services start from P49 (yes, you read it right!) up to P599,” says Pagunsan. “The Manhattan Express  – one of Big Apple’s signature therapies priced at P299 – was a big hit.  It became our traffic driver and to this day, it is one of our customers' favorites in our service menu,” adds Pagunsan.

“We maintain strict standards and protocol for our entire system of (both company-owned and franchise) stores.  Prior to deployment, all our therapists have to successfully complete our training program right in our own training facility. All our service-related supplies are also sourced from our own supply center. We check and audit our stores regularly to ensure that quality is maintained,” Pagunsan says.

“We generate labor because we train and teach massage to people who want to learn, thus, they earn and help their families; this also helps our economy,” she says.

“Our ideal franchisees are those who are committed and believe in the brand.  They have to have a genuine passion and interest in the spa and massage services. We currently have 20 branches system-wide. Four are company-owned and 16 are franchised. We see the brand growing not just locally but globally,” says Pagunsan.

“Our franchise package – which is good for five years – is very competitive and accessible to most first-time business owners. Owing to our ‘Express spa’ concept, we only require a minimum space of 20 sq.m. to 50 sq.m. (vis-à-vis that of 150 sq.m. for other spa franchises).  This minimizes the capital investment required and maximizes ROI and speeds up the payback period, which is within 1.5 to 2 years.”

The franchise fee is very affordable at P100,000 for a space of 20 sq.m. to 25 sq.m; and for a 26 sq.m. to 50 sq.m. of space, the franchise fee is P200,000.

“All in all, the total investment is anywhere from  P495,000 up to P1.5 million which includes franchise fees, store construction, initial equipment and supplies, staff training, and marketing support. They also provide complete franchise support services from marketing, operations, on-site technical consultation to help franchisees in their day-to-day operations. This is very affordable compared to high-end spas that require a minimum capitalization of P5 million (with space requirements of 150 sq.m) and up,” says Pagunsan.