Today we’d like to introduce you to Ermelinda Cruz.
Hi Ermelinda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
About 5 years ago, one of my best friends discovered she had breast cancer. She had to have a double mastectomy and thank goodness, she is now a breast cancer survivor! One of her doctors recommended that she do infrared sauna weekly to detox toxins which could potentially cause the cancer to recur. She was already looking to pivot out of her tech career and had been researching health and wellness franchises. When she tried infrared sauna, she loved it so much. She looked into franchising and found Perspire Sauna Studios. They are based in Orange County, near where she lives. She updated me throughout the process and suggested that I open one here in the valley. After much discussion with my husband, we decided to take the leap. One of our main interests in doing this was providing an option to our community to help them be healthier and feel good. And, as my husband and I are getting older with young children, we wanted to immerse ourselves in the health and wellness space. That way, we can be healthy and here as long as we can be for them. We opened on March 22nd and we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from the community. We are happily amazed to see our guests leave our saunas feeling relaxed, refreshed, and mentally/physically lighter!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been as smooth as we’d hoped. Little things along the way added up. We signed with the franchise in April of 2021. It took over 6 months to find a location to fit our needs. Once we found the location, they had a changeover with the landlord company, and they just didn’t respond for half a year. Contracting with the landlord for the space took a really long time. We dealt with multiple personnel changes with our franchise’s construction management company overseeing the project. When we finally started our buildout, our general contractor supervisor walked off the job several months in, right before the holidays. He left a mess to clean up, which took some time, and there were the usual issues with city permitting. All of this led to us opening almost 6 months after our initial planned opening.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
PerspIRe combines the centuries-old practice of sauna with the modern science of infrared technology and color light therapy to transform your health and wellness. We offer 40-minute sessions to help each guest get feel better and be a little healthier, both physically and mentally.
WE DO THIS BY:
SCIENCE-BACKED WELLNESS: Infrared sauna and color light therapy invigorates and refreshes the body and mind. The infrared heat cleanses the body of toxins and releases tension. The color light restores balance.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: The Perspire experience includes a private room and personalized treatments and entertainment. Guests choose from an array of color light therapy colors to help with mental balance, premium entertainment options (Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu) on our TVs, which sound is Bluetooth into the sauna and infrared temperature settings.
The above is what sets us apart. We offer all of that in a clean, neutral and relaxing environment. I am most proud of the brand’s ability to make an immediate and visible difference in guests who visit our studio. We see guests walking in with the stress and exhaustion of the day – but walk out feeling refreshed and invigorated, and mentally lighter and happier! The brand’s identity guidelines are beautiful – you walk in and are immediately a little more relaxed.
Perspire offers 40-minute private, custom infrared sauna sessions to help relax and reset and be a little healthier. It’s a little bit of alone time (or you can choose to have a friend or two join your session!) to escape from the stressors of the day. Full towel service is included with each session, and a cold eucalyptus towel awaits the end of the session to refresh.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice is to look to the people whom you admire, who are getting things done! I have been fortunate that in my regular workday, I have a great mentor who helps to break down tasks and things that seem daunting because I tend look at everything in one big piece. He helps me see how to stay organized to properly project manage. And in Perspire, I have my bestie, who has provided advice and guidance throughout our journey to our opening! But I keep looking to others to find mentors who are in spaces and levels that I aim to be, other successful franchisees. Not just of Perspire but other brands as well.
We have done quite a lot of networking in preparation for our studio opening. We joined the local chambers and Kiwanis and have been active in local events. I have joined a Women’s entrepreneurial group in the Valley and have made some great connections as well with B2B partnerships I formed which were aligned with our business. And, in general, having a booth at locations of our B2B partners has been a great way to get the word out, and participating weekly in the local Farmers Market near our location all have been key to what has so far been a successful opening.
Pricing:
- $99 for 4 sessions/month membership
- $159 for 8 sessions/month membership
- $199 for UNLIMITED sessions/month membership
- $49 single session
- $139 for 4 session package
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.perspiresaunastudio.com/ca/porter-ranch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perspireporterranch
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMbRAZTARXSj87CqAke_oaQ/videos
