Hand And Stone Massage Spa Expands Into Canada

Company Expects to Open 100 Locations Over Next 5 Years

October 03, 2008 // Franchising.com // (Toronto, ON)---Hand and Stone Massage Spa, a spa concept offering convenient, reliable, top-quality massage services at prices everyone can afford, will open its first Canadian franchise in early 2009.

Siblings Brett and Gigi Harding will serve as the master licensees responsible for debuting the Hand and Stone brand in Canada. They are no strangers to entrepreneurship as business is in their blood. As the fourth generation in family business, Gigi and Brett continue to follow their family's entrepreneurial footsteps. They currently own the Master License rights in Canada for Kwik Kopy Design and Print Centres and have over 70 locations. Both Brett and Gigi worked abroad with the brand for a number of years and with their proven track record, the brother-and-sister team was certain they could find success in another industry and began searching for a concept that not only would fill a much-needed niche but also allow them room to grow like they did with Kwik Kopy. When they came across Hand and Stone, Brett and Gigi felt it was exactly what they were looking for.

"We saw a definite need for affordable and available massage services throughout Canada and Hand and Stone was positioned to offer just that in a big way," said Gigi. "With our over 20 years of experience in franchising, Brett and I knew we could apply that experience successfully to the right concept and Hand and Stone was definitely that concept for us."

Founded in 2004 by John Marco, Toms River, New Jersey-based Hand and Stone Massage Spas offers high quality, convenient and affordable massage spa services under one roof. Walk-in visits, scheduled appointments and yearly membership programs allow clients to tailor the experience to their busy schedules and take advantage of the spa's 3,000 available monthly massage hours. By the end of 2008, the company expects to have 100 locations under development. Brett and Gigi will play an integral role in this expansion: The pair hopes to develop a minimum of 100 spas from Newfoundland to Vancouver over the next five years and are currently seeking franchisees to open future spas.

"As the population ages, maintains and even exceeds its high level of activity, people are going to need somewhere where they can go to de-stress without breaking the bank and without compromising quality," said Gigi. "Brett and I are hoping to expand this mentality throughout Canada with Hand and Stone and give local residents an excuse to literally sit back and relax."

###