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<a href="https://handandstonefranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-four-hand-stone-massage-and-facial-spa-franchisees-are-adjusting-to-the-new-normal-2713531" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Hand &amp; Stone Massage and Facial Spa</a> stands out as a business opportunity thanks to its top-notch marketing practices, focus on health and wellness and membership model that provides recurring revenue for franchisees.The brand, which has more than 470 units open across the United States and Canada, is further proving its mettle today during the COVID-19 pandemic by helping franchisees navigate the challenging economic climate.&nbsp;Four <a href="https://1851franchise.com/handandstone">Hand &amp; Stone Massage and Facial Spa</a> franchisees recently shared their insight on how they’ve navigated COVID-19 and how they are approaching the reopening processes in video interviews with <a href="https://1851franchise.com/handandstone/3-questions-with-hand-stone-massage-and-facial-spa-vice-president-of-development-bob-mcquillan-2711974#brand-latest-stories">Vice President of Franchise Development Bob McQuillan</a>. Here’s what they had to say.Franchisee Elizabeth WhitbyElizabeth Whitby owns and operates three Hand &amp; Stone locations in the Orlando, Florida area. Early on in the beginning phases of COVID-19, she connected with her team members and made sure they were aware of eviction laws as well as local community programs that offered food relief. She noted that she scrutinized every dollar that was being spent in an effort to help employees and make sure they got paid.For Whitby and her team, showing empathy towards employees and clients was crucial in navigating COVID-19. She noted that while everyone was socially distancing, employees and managers took the time to really speak with customers and hear their concerns and struggles.“What used to be a two-minute call turned into a 30-minute call,” she said. “The same thing happened with our team members. We really focused on the larger picture with them and took the time to have the conversation and understand the anxieties.”A good sign of things to come for her is that while some customers might not be ready to come in for a service, they are still using their membership packages to purchase Hand &amp; Stone products. What’s more is that they are comfortable having conversations with employees while in-store and maintaining those relationships with the people they saw on a regular basis prior to COVID-19.“That’s been encouraging,” she said. “The one struggle that I think we do face from a central Florida market perspective is that we are in a largely tourism-dominated economy. A lot of tourism has not returned, so although our businesses have reopened, we have a lot of guests and members who are watching every penny just as we have been doing throughout this entire crisis.”Her advice to fellow Hand &amp; Stone franchisees is to empower their managers. As long as staff members adhere to the minimum safety requirements, managers should feel empowered to make enhancements and changes as they see fit. Also, franchisees should listen to their employees and guests and identify their anxieties. To that end, there have been plenty of conference calls with the managers of her locations to ensure everyone has a chance to share best practices and challenges and talk about any recent decisions they made.“Hand &amp; Stone has been tremendous in ensuring that we had the PPE that we needed and in giving us guidelines and helping us merge those guidelines with state and local guidance so we can successfully reopen and maintain the open status,” she said.Franchisees Debbie and Mike GulledgeFranchisees and married couple Debbie and Mike Gulledge own and operate two Hand &amp; Stone locations in Tampa, Florida. Early on, the franchisees had a sort of impromptu focus group and spoke to massage therapists to get their take on how they were doing and how they felt about working. Taking that time to understand the magnitude of the situation made it easier to close the units.“Failing to take action I think is the biggest mistake someone can make in a circumstance that is this serious,” Debbie said.The Gulledges were further aided by the brand’s regional developers and by the corporate team, who provided guidance on how to navigate the crisis. Debbie noted that she and Mike always looked towards the future, as they knew this wouldn’t last forever. One of the biggest challenges was waiting for the official stay-at-home order from the state of Florida. The Gulledges also discussed finances with staff members and decided to give each and every one of them a $100 Publix gift card.The Gulledges also relied heavily on the Hand &amp; Stone leadership team, whom they credit with providing a great deal of information that helped them focus on their employees.They have reopened their stores on a cluster schedule in which a certain number of employees work between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the rest work from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. Debbie said the employees “understood and appreciated the fact that we were thinking about them and keeping the two teams separated, because if something did happen and someone on one team got infected, we wouldn’t have to shut down the whole business.”All of their hard work has paid off. Their advice to their fellow Hand &amp; Stone franchisees is to listen to the corporate team’s guidance and to prepare for their reopenings as far in advance as possible rather than waiting until their state has officially reopened.“You’re coming back, and you’re going to come back stronger than ever,” Debbie said. “You just need to get busy now to get ready to come back.”Franchisee Rob LuceFranchisee Rob Luce owns and operates four Hand &amp; Stone units in the Raleigh, North Carolina market. His management philosophy during COVID-19 has been all about protecting staff and clients and preserving cash flow. Reopening his stores, he said, was almost as challenging as having to open four new stores simultaneously.He lauded <a href="https://1851franchise.com/handandstone/how-hand-stone-massage-and-facial-spa-is-supporting-both-franchisees-and-massage-therapists-2712920#brand-latest-stories">the leadership team’s commitment to franchisee support</a> and is satisfied with his decision to franchise with Hand &amp; Stone instead of going with another brand or opening a mom-and-pop enterprise.“We are having to take a hard look at all of our expenses and where we’re investing right now just to make sure stores can remain profitable during this time, which we believe they can,” he said. “Other than that, it’s really been fantastic.”He advised his fellow Hand &amp; Stone franchisees to realize that employees are still anxious and worried about COVID-19 and how it might affect them from an employment standpoint.“You’ve got to be patient with your people,” Luce said. “I think you need to be patient with clients. Maybe even as an owner or a manager, take a little bit of a step back and really try and give people some latitude and some ability to get readjusted to the way things happen to be going forward. Just get open as quick as you can. The brand is strong. Clients want to come back. Employees really are excited about getting back.”The total cost to open a Hand &amp; Stone Massage and Facial Spa ranges from $567,626 to $674,476, including the franchise fee. For more information on available franchise opportunities with Hand &amp; Stone Massage and Facial Spa, visit https://handandstonefranchise.com/.

How Four Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa Franchisees Are Adjusting to the New Normal

1851 Franchise

Four franchisees who own and operate a total of nine locations cited leadership support as a major help during difficult economic times. 


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