Exceptional and personal culture keeps Urban Spa thriving throughout pandemic

WHILE SOME BUSINESSES CLOSED THEIR DOORS FOR GOOD, URBAN SPA HAS STAYED FULLY BOOKED BY INNOVATING, ADAPTING AND FOCUSING ON INCREDIBLE CLIENT EXPERIENCES

It was a challenging year but Peterborough’s Urban Spa has continued to thrive when so many businesses across the world have shut their doors. Jean-Guy Francoeur, who owns the boutique spa on Rogers Street with his wife Kerri, says 2020 taught him many lessons including the importance of: reliable communication with guests, shopping local, and guests taking “me time” for a massage, manicure, pedicure, or hair styled amidst unparalleled stress.

But perhaps the greatest lesson learned from 2020, he adds, is that Urban Spa’s greatest asset is its exceptional and personal culture.

“We’ve been building that culture for eight years in order that every single guest gets that personal experience and greeted by name so that they feel at home as soon as they walk through our doors,” Francoeur says. “That culture is what sets us apart and what keeps our clients committed, keeps our team working so well together and, quite frankly, is why we’ve been nothing but busy during this unprecedented time.”

Jean-Guy and Kerri had previously owned and managed spas in Ottawa and Toronto but, when looking for a smaller community to settle down in, moved to Peterborough and opened Urban Spa in 2013.

The spa in East City offers massage therapy, hair salon services and esthetics services in a modern and sophisticated setting with curated seasonal experiences and the use of custommade essential-oil blends.

Within two years, Urban Spa reached 10,000 clients and now serves more than 22,000 while employing a team of 25.

“Urban Spa took on a life of its own,” Jean-Guy says. “There was a real need for it in this community.”

Over the years, the company has earned 65 awards, including The Examiner Readers’ Choice Award for favourite spa. To give back to this community, Urban Spa launched its own charity initiative called Urban Paw, which supports the Peterborough Humane Society with donations of money, food, care and materials.

“The Urban Spa team is very passionate about their animals - we have a 2-to-1 animal to human ratio,” Jean Guy says.

It has also supported local organizations such as the YWCA Crossroads Shelter, local sports teams and golf tournaments. Global charities include building schools in Nicaragua and a greenhouse initiative in Jamaica.

With business strong and growing, the pandemic struck in Spring 2020 and Urban Spa was forced to shutter its doors for 65 days.

Unlike some other businesses, Urban Spa did not cancel all appointments and sit and wait for the pandemic to be over. Instead, Kerri kept up that personal experience by contacting each of the 1,486 people who had cancelled appointments to reschedule each time the province announced a projected re-opening.

Each client received up to three personalized communications before Urban Spa was allowed to re-open with proper protocols in place including increased sanitization, social distancing and masks.

“Our services were more important than ever as people’s stress was through the roof,” JeanGuy says. “It was our pleasure to welcome them back and give them a way to leave their cellphone, kids and worries at home for a while.”

Committed to client safety, Urban Spa decided to first serve those who live and work in Peterborough.

When clients arrive, they can check in and safely wait in their vehicle until it’s time to go directly into the treatment room.

For further safety, there’s also express curbside pickup for products and gift cards.

As always, there’s 24/7 online booking and thanks to an innovative technology, existing clients can even book appointments after hours by texting and conversing with “Mia” an artificialintelligence robot.

Now that 2020 is ending, Urban Spa looks ahead to 2021 and beyond with renewed optimism about its industry and its unique space in Peterborough.

“I think pre-COVID, the world was already pushing out an experience economy and postCOVID, that will be even more important than before,” Jean-Guy says. “People are looking to stay closer to home and have unique, local and phenomenal experiences. That’s exactly what we offer.”

The Urban Spa Peterborough is located at 388 Rogers St., in the heart of Peterborough, a 10- to 15-minute walk from downtown (or a two-minute car ride). Call 705-741-1212 or email booknow@urbanspapeterborough.com to learn more or book an appointment.