By Celeste McLaughlin
Spa Moritz is under new ownership, and the new owners are passionate and excited about their vision for the Tampa Palms spa and salon, located on Commerce Park Blvd. across the street from Freedom High.
Patricia and Martin Anello recently moved to Tampa Palms from Madrid, Spain, where they lived for the past 15 years. Patricia is Spanish, and Martin is Italian. They met when they lived in Argentina, and were married in 1998. Patricia has worked in marketing and public relations, and most recently was a full-time volunteer, teaching self-improvement classes throughout Spain for a nonprofit organization. Martin had worked in the travel industry for the past 25 years.
“We love traveling, we love visiting spas and we have enjoyed five-star spas all over the world,” says Patricia. Their busy lifestyle in Spain – where opposite schedules left them with little time together – led them to consider a move that would allow them a different way of life.
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They came to Tampa to visit a dear friend, and began searching for a business in Tampa that would be a good fit for their professional experience and the things they enjoy. Spa Moritz was the first business they visited and Patricia says that as soon as she walked in, she was amazed.
“This place is really special,” she says. “It’s so beautiful, and very similar to a spa I used to go to in Madrid.” The couple purchased the spa in November, marking the second time Spa Moritz was sold in 2014.
“We love this place,” says Patricia, who explains they are taking the beautiful location and the foundation of the business already in place, and elevating it to the highest standards for a truly world-class spa.
“It has a lot of potential to bring European style to Tampa,” Patricia explains. “As we’ve traveled and visited Madrid, London, Paris, Milan, Rome and other European cities, we can bring the beautiful details we’ve seen and experienced to Tampa Palms.”
Patricia and Martin have plans to offer new and enhanced services, and heighten the level of customer service at Spa Moritz, which offers a complete array of salon and spa services to make anyone feel relaxed and pampered. In the salon, stylists offer cuts, color jobs, manicures, pedicures and other luxurious services. Spa services are plentiful, with many options to make you look and feel your best, from relaxing massages by licensed massage therapists (LMTs) to world-class skin care. Also available are lash extensions, teeth whitening, spray tans and microderm abrasion. (For a complete menu of services, visit SpaMoritz.com.)
“We use great products,” says Patricia. “And, we are currently reviewing new products to ensure that we have only the best in our spa and salon, including our own Spa Moritz line of makeup and skin care products.”
Patricia explains that she and Martin are planning to bring in new services that are currently only available in Europe but will not announce what they are until they are made available for customers to experience. Patricia says they also are planning to carry more organic, all-natural products, including a new nail system that she describes as a healthier alternative to the current acrylic and gel options.
“We’re making every little detail special, offering exceptional treatments with luxurious European style,” Patricia explains, adding that authentic details are important to her, so when she and Martin returned to Spain last month to sell their home and arrange their affairs for the move to Tampa Palms, Patricia picked up the latest fashion magazines from London and Paris, so their guests can enjoy them.
“We expect to travel back and forth to Europe every few months to ensure that our clients continue to have an authentic European spa experience here at Spa Moritz,” she says.
In addition to new services and enhanced European flair, Patricia says that changes at the salon include extensive education. “We’re hiring new staff members and training everyone, bringing in educators from New York, Spain and other places,” she says.
Spa director Robyn Devaux has worked at Spa Moritz since 2007.
“Our new owners are refreshing,” she says. “Patricia has a great vision and extremely high expectations, especially when it comes to offering the highest level of customer service at Spa Moritz. She and Martin are a great fit for our clients and services.”
Sheila Ayres-Schweitzer was just hired as salon manager and artistic director and will be familiar to long-time Spa Moritz clients.
“I’m excited to be back,” says Sheila, who owned Shepré, a hair salon in the Cory Lake Professional Center (located off Cross Creek Blvd.) until 2009, when she and her entire staff moved to Spa Moritz, where she worked until two years ago. Sheila’s primary responsibility is managing and training the salon staff, and of course, being behind the chair taking care of her clients’ hair.
“I really like the new owners,” Sheila says. “They are making positive changes and there is a lot of excitement right now. We all have a similar vision for where we can take this salon. With training and education, we will build a phenomenally talented staff that offers great customer service.”
Dyan and Dennis Piller founded Spa Moritz in 2004 and ran the business until they sold it in early 2014.
“We were surprised when the spa sold again after only nine months,” says Dennis, who says he and his wife have met with the new owners several times. “We are so impressed and excited to see the same passion and determination that we had when we first opened Spa Moritz. Patricia and Martin are extremely professional, genuine and warm-hearted. It is obvious they are striving for excellence.”
Dyan adds, “For us, Spa Moritz is like having a baby who grows up and gets married. You never stop loving or wanting to nurture your child. We have heard of some of the changes coming and we can’t wait to see the plans they have in store for all of us.”
And, while there are new owners and the services may be changing to be more natural, organic and holistic, Robyn says, “We still feel familiar to our clients. We still know your name, and we’ll still greet you with a smile.”
West Meadows resident and long-time Spa Moritz client Vicki Portfolio agrees that Robyn and the entire staff always make her feel special.
“Spa Moritz is the epitome of what a spa should be,” says Vicki. “It’s big and beautiful, and the moment you walk in you know you’re in a luxurious place. I love the way it looks and how quiet the treatment rooms are.”
As new services are rolled out and training is completed throughout the spa and salon, Spa Moritz will hold a Grand Re-Opening to celebrate its new ownership and the future of the spa. The date is not currently set, but Patricia and Martin expect to hold it sometime in March.
Spa Moritz offers packages that are perfect as gifts or to celebrate any occasion. Bachelorette parties, showers, ladies’ days out and many kinds of parties can all be accommodated at the spa. A typical “Day at the Spa” package lasts five hours and can include lunch, so you and your friends can spend all day relaxing in indulgent luxury.
“We want to pamper every client from the time they enter until the time they leave,” says Patricia.
Spa Moritz is located at 17401 Commerce Park Blvd., Suite 103, across the street from Freedom High and is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday. To learn more about the spa and see current specials, which are offered both monthly and weekly, see the ad on pg. 47 or visit SpaMortiz.com. To make an appointment, call 971-4772.
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