Todd Phillips was the chief operating officer (COO) of a medical practice in Pinellas County when his attention first turned to overall wellness.
The doctor in the office, a young, forward-thinking physician, began focusing on wellness, and the last project he and Todd worked on together was a 10,000-sq.-ft. wellness facility that included a variety of services, including massage therapy.
“When I started to see some of the benefits of a more proactive approach to self care and wellness, it piqued my interest,’’ Todd says. “When my experiences started moving in that direction, that’s when we decided this would be a good move for us.”
Todd’s wife Kelly also was very interested in wellness, from her experience working as a registered nurse (RN) at Tampa Community Hospital in Town & Country. Together, the former New Tampa residents opened Massage Green Spa this summer in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at New Tampa Blvd.
So far, the Phillips’ say the spa has been a hit. They benefit from a great location (its proximity to Publix) and a huge amount of daily traffic, and believe they offer a great product that has created positive word-of-mouth, swelling the membership ranks at Massage Green Spa. Kelly spearheads the spa’s aggressive approach on social media.
“The response we’ve gotten from that (social media) has been amazing,’’ she says. “The biggest thing is that people are coming in. And, when they come in, we make sure they have a good experience.”
The concept is simple, but everyone at Massage Green Spa works hard to perfect it: create a fresh, clean environment and beautifully designed waiting room; while offering quality massages, infrared heat therapy, facials and aromatherapy. The spa also includes options for couples — the couples massage room is warm and inviting — and offer a discounted introductory price to go with membership pricing that includes a number of different, affordable combinations.
“The concept is affordable luxury,’’ Todd says. “For a business to offer these kind of services at a price point more people can afford, and see the benefits of wellness in their lives, I think that’s a great thing. It shouldn’t be an exclusive service.”
“Green” is more than just a word at Massage Green. The spa was built with recycled cellulose drywall and decorated with hand-cultured stone. Part of the Massage Green Spa mantra, in fact, is “Healthy Bodies, Healthy Buildings.”
The equipment, like the Sunlighten infrared sauna, is the highest-rated in terms of efficiency, Phillips says. The products used are all natural. Heck, you can even save a tree by having your receipt emailed to you.
“All organic, no additives,” Phillips says. “We take it seriously. It’s an important part of what we do. We try to leave as small an environmental footprint as we can.”
Massage Green Spa is a membership-based spa, although non-members also are welcome. You’ll get a better price with a membership, with a variety of different combinations to choose from. And, if you’re unsure about joining, the spa offers introductory pricing for your first visit only.
“We think our price points are a little bit better than our competitors,” Todd says. “And, although it is still a subscription-based model, it’s a little less around-the-throat aggressive than some others. It is truly a month-to-month commitment. At other places, if you want to leave after two months, you’re still paying for another 10. Not here.”
Pro tip: I treated my wife to a massage at Massage Green Spa two weeks ago, and she couldn’t stop raving about the work Latoya, a licensed massage therapist (LMT), did on her. And afterwards, she was so relaxed she fell asleep during her infrared therapy session.
Latoya and fellow LMTs Keesha, Devonia, Malik, Nicole, Jose, Lynda and Clifton have all received similar reviews from their clients, Todd says.
About That Infrared Therapy
What Todd says truly sets Massage Green Spa apart from others is its Full Spectrum Infrared Therapy, powered by Sunlighten.
“It’s an amazing adjunct to licensed massage,” Todd says. The benefits of heat therapy have been around forever, in Finnish culture and in Asian culture for literally thousands of years. “Infrared is simply just a more efficient way of delivering the heat. The same technology has been used for a long time in hospitals and neonatal wards to warm babies.”
While the idea of a sauna may not be pleasant to many, due to the stifling heat, the sweating and the boredom, infrared therapy offers a different experience.
“I’m a big guy,” Todd says. “If you put me in a traditional sauna, I’m running for the door in 10 minutes,. I feel like I can’t breathe; it’s almost claustrophobic. Because of the efficiency and the way the way the infrared heats, it doesn’t feel as hot but you’re still getting all of the health benefits.”
Todd says that infrared therapy aids in detoxification and dissolving toxins in the blood, helps with fat loss, chronic fatigue and skin disorders. He notes that 30 minutes of infrared therapy burns 600 calories.
It is also known to lower your blood pressure and increase blood flow — which has a ton of health benefits, including helping to reduce muscle soreness and even arthritis pain.
“The cardiovascular program is proven to lower your blood pressure,” says Kelly, citing a 2005 clinical study at the University of Missouri-Kansas. “Self-care is very important for everyone.”
Todd says the infrared sauna and massage go hand-in-hand many times. Many of Massage Green Spa’s clients use the infrared sauna afterwards to help with some of the residual soreness from a deep-tissue massage. And for those who have trouble relaxing on a massage table, the infrared sauna can be taken before to help with relaxation.
If sitting still for 30 minutes to an hour in the heat is too boring, the saunas are enabled with a wifi-enabled touchscreen, allowing you to pull up Netflix or Pandora or even check your Facebook page. There is even an app that will sync your health device, like a Fitbit, to the computer.
Customers can purchase Infrared Therapy memberships (or come in and try it once at a $19.95 introductory price). In fact, Todd says one client who recently signed up only comes for the sauna.
Massage Green Spa also has two licensed aestheticians on staff, Christina and Katrina, and the offer a number of different European spa facials. A typical one-hour session includes extractions, mask and a neck/shoulder. Massage Green Spa also uses Skin Script, an all natural-enzyme based product line.
The spa does not offer microdermabrasions or peels, but it does offer aromatherapy with doTERRA essential oils, hot stone treatments and if you’re short on time, try a 15-minute chair massage for $15.
Massage Green Spa, which is Michigan-based, has 80 locations nationwide, including one in Jacksonville and four in the Miami area. The New Tampa location is the first of three franchises that Todd and Kelly plan on opening in the Tampa Bay area.
They know the Massage Green Spa CEO, Allie Mallad, through Kelly’s father Keith Sirois — the current CEO of Big Boy in Michigan and former CEO of Tampa-based Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. — who also is a Massage Green franchisee.
But, don’t be fooled by the word “franchise.” Kelly says she and her husband go out of their way to make sure their location always has that hometown feel. One of them is always working behind the counter, and they are active in the community.
Massage Green Spa sponsors teams in the Police Athletic League Pop Warner football and North Tampa Athletic League baseball programs. They sponsor the Freedom High football team, the Freedom PTSA and Clark Elementary PTA, and even offer discounts on Tuesdays to teachers.
“Even though it’s a franchise, we have a real commitment to the community and doing business with other small businesses,’’ Todd says. “That’s the way it should be.”
Massage Green Spa is located at 19040 BBD Blvd., next to the Publix supermarket in the New Tampa Center and is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Massage Green Spa has introductory prices on all of its services, as well as monthly memberships. For more information, visit MassageGreenSpa.com or Facebook/MassageGreenTampa, or call 333-7703.
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