Website makes spa visits more affordable

Who couldn't use a little pampering every now and then? Massage, facial, pedicure.

But women are spending less time at their favorite spa these days. Although the number of locations increased last year, spa visits are down, according to the International SPA Association. Consumers also are opting for shorter, less expensive treatments to fit their budget, the association report says.

Kelly Seeley and Tylene Headley want to do something about that. The two Tampa moms joined forces and launched a website to help make spa-ing more affordable.

Spa50.com puts visitors in touch with Bay area spas that offer popular treatments for $50 or less. That's a deal for treatments such as microdermabrasion, deep tissue massage and body scrubs. The specials are offered twice a year by dozens of spas in the Bay area. Visitors to the site also can find DIY at-home spa tips and recipes, once-a-month spa package giveaways and coupons for spa specials.

"We want to keep spa-ing at the forefront of women's health and wellness," says Seeley, 43, a former spa owner and mother of three. "We want to remind people it's important to take care of yourself."

Seeley knows the struggles a spa owner faces; she ran SerenBe Day Spa in Temple Terrace for more than a decade. Last year, she offered $50 specials on the spa's most popular treatments. What started as a three-day special turned into a weeklong event that more than tripled spa business.

"Spa-goers want to relax and de-stress, and they want to save some money," says Seeley, who sold the spa in December. "Even though the special was marketed to our existing clients, word spread and the spa got a lot of new clients."

In addition to helping consumers find spa deals, the Spa50 site also offers spa owners tips from other industry professionals, spa blogs, business resources and advice on how to make $50 specials successful.

"We wanted to give spa owners the information on how to better run their day-to-day business - not just a directory listing" says Headly, 43, a mother of two who spent more than 16 years working as a manager for a claims adjuster. She met Seeley when she had her first massage.

The ladies say they hope to expand the website to include spas around the state.

"Once you experience a spa treatment, you want to make it a regular part of your wellness," Headley says. "We want to introduce women to the world of spas. And we want to help spa owners in the process. Life isn't going to get any less stressful, and a trip to the spa can help everyone."