Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Cortright.
Angela, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my career in high technology – first working for IBM in Los Angeles, then for personal computer maker AST Research in Orange County. It was a rocket ship to the moon – we worked our butts off but made history while we were at it (this was early on in the personal computer industry). While at AST, I met my husband and in 1989, we started a multimedia company called Graphix Zone. This grew into a producer of CD ROMS (no internet yet!!!) based on such legends as Prince, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Santana, Herbie Hancock, and more. This led to our IPO (initial public offering) on the stock market in 1994.
That was the most stressful period of my life, during which I discovered the benefit of massage. It allowed me to relax, sleep, digest food, think straight, and be more balanced. After the company merged with another in the late 1990s, we were considering our next move and the thought of opening a spa emerged. In those days, there were very few ‘spas’ in existence, but we had experienced a few and I was convinced of their benefit.
In 1998 we opened the first Spa Gregorie’s in Newport Beach and we hit the market window just right. The economy was good, people were getting into fitness and wellness, massage was becoming an accepted wellness practice and our spa was ideally located. Fast forward almost 20 years and we now have two locations, have won many awards and accolades, and boast a loyal staff and customer base.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The first few years were golden. The economy was great, there was NO competition and the community embraced what we did. Opening our second location presented a new set of challenges – from operations, to personnel, to cash flow. But business was good.
Then the recession hit. OUCH. When you don’t have a paycheck, spa is the last thing on your list to spend money on. We hung in there but in the meantime, a whole new crop of competition emerged – from franchise massage operations to hotels and resorts that were building uberspas. The world changed.
We have always relied on our reputation, customer service, quality, and community support to keep our clients coming back. It’s just a little tougher than it was 20 years ago.
Please tell us about Spa Gregorie’s.
We have been a staple in the communities we serve for decades. For many, we are the first spa they ever went to. Many of our staff who were with us when we opened are still with us, as are many of our clients. So we are a family. We know our clients well and embrace them and their life moments as though they were our own.
I am most proud of our community service. Service to others is the rent we pay for our time on earth. We shut our spas down one day a quarter for cancer patients, have been doing that for 12+ years. We have been a supporter of the Susan G. Komen foundation for nearly 20 years. We donate generously to local charities in the form of gift certificates for their live and silent auction fundraisers. We have delivered dog beds to local dog shelters. I love that our staff embraces the value of giving back to the community that supports us.
So we are different from a franchise massage operation, a chain day spa, or a hotel or resort spa in that each member of our team is vested in our company culture – caring for each other, our guests, and our community with passion and integrity.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have structured ownership differently.
Pricing:
- One hour massage is 60 minutes for $109
- Signature facial is 75 minutes for $139
Contact Info:
- Address: 200 Newport Center Drive, Suite 111
30212 Tomas, Suite 150, Rancho Santa Margarita - Website: www.spagregories.com
- Phone: 9496446672
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spagregories/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spa.gregories/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpaGregories
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/spa-gregories-newport-beach-2
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
