February 26, 2017

Meet Randi Ragan of GreenBliss EcoSpa in Central

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Randi Ragan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story?
I started my company in 2006 at the height of the burgeoning green movement. I first intended to create a mobile spa experience that would address the traffic situation inherent in LA by providing an in-home experience for those wanting to avoid the stress of driving (particularly after experiencing the soothing effects of a great spa treatment!). Then I decided to roll eco awareness into the ethos of the company because I was the mother of a toddler and was personally concerned with creating a home environment that was green for her. In my research to ‘green up” my own life, I realized the deeper connections about all things eco: for cleaning products, clothing, personal care products, transportation and the like, So creating those components for a mobile spa and wellness company just made sense. Over time I’ve also had the pleasure to become a resource for others seeking to educate themselves about how our health, our environment, and our personal habits all connect and feed into the larger community and the world around us. As the years have evolved, so have my ideas about my company and my role as its chief representative. I wrote a book released at the beginning of 2016 which contains many of my ideas about conscious living: “A Year of Living Mindfully: Seasonal Practices to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit”. I now speak and teach about mindful well-being while continuing to run GreenBliss EcoSpa and hope to expand my outreach in whatever way I can to be of service to these ideas.

Has it been a smooth road?
The most challenging aspects of becoming a small business owner were the things I didn’t know I didn’t know!

Huge learning curve in all ways, especially since I came from a creative arts background. Immersing myself in the world of financial spreadsheets, profits and loss, employee hiring practices, contracts, and such was at times overwhelming. I spent money in ways that I now know I should not have and stressed over stuff that ended up not being important. Some of my success was just sheer beginner’s luck and being in the right place at the right time with my idea (a green business in LA in 2006). I do think my ability to research issues and seek out advice from others was useful. I would compare this experience to parenting: You show up every day with as best a plan as you can muster, then learn to be comfortable when it breaks down into chaos! Everything feels hard and impossible to figure out at times, and then you somehow find your way forward. Having a sense of humor definitely, helps.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We provide on-demand, on-location spa and wellness services to individuals in their home for private appointments or group gatherings (parties); as well as for corporate wellness initiatives, and event and convention planners seeking to create spa and wellness ‘time outs’ for their clientele. We are an eco-organic company, meaning all our products, ingredients and supplies are clean, green, and sustainable. We source from small owner-operated vendors and try to partner with other green businesses to advance sustainability as much as possible.

I am most proud of being the first company of its kind in Los Angeles that has also set the standard for what it means to be a ”green spa”, mobile or otherwise.

I think we are set apart by our longevity and our commitment to the sustainability ethos.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is a great place to come up with any iteration of anything to do with wellness, sustainability or eco-consciousness. We are pretty much on the leading edge of these ways of thinking, so there is a built-in audience and clientele for such businesses to thrive. People here are already very educated about these issues and enthusiastic supporters. There is a lot of personal wealth here, and people tend to vote with their dollars, so it can all add up to success.

I think the fact that I did not have the headaches of being a startup with a brick and mortar expense really helped me since rents are so high here.

I took advantage of our city also being one that is used to having all manner of lifestyle components delivered on demand, so any kind of business that tapped into that would also be successful.

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