MassageLuXe Opening this Fall in Manchester Highlands

A new MassageLuXe is slated to open in September at 921-931 Brittany Parkway in the Manchester Highlands shopping complex behind . This leaves only three more vacant retail spaces and an undeveloped lot to fill in the shopping center. Manchester's Director of Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Franz Kraintz said that businesses are interested in the remaining spaces and should be moving in before long.

MassageLuXe offers nine types of massage, including Swedish, hot stone, deep tissue and sports therapy. This location will also be the first in the area to offer a facial bar, where customers can receive walk-in facials or make appointments for various skin care services.

Darren and Jane Thomas will operate the Manchester MassageLuXe. They’ve bought a franchise for this location and said that MassageLuXe gave them a right of first refusal for future locations in the South County area. This means the Thomases would be offered the first opportunity to open any more stores in South County. Jane Thomas said that once her first store is open, she hopes to open two or three more. She’s already looking at property in Fenton and around the Highway 270 and Tesson Ferry area.

Thomas is still in the hiring process and is looking for massage technicians, estheticians and salespeople.

She said that MassageLuXe was not the only franchise she and her husband considered.

“We had an eye on that location and didn’t know what to put there,” she said. Thomas said that she flew to Texas to look at another massage franchise. But once she learned that MassageLuXe was local—and who was behind the name--she was sold.

MassageLuXe is a St. Louis-based chain founded by Todd Beckman, the successful entrepreneur who also created The Tan Company.

Beckman and his team have set up MassageLuXe to be a franchise operation from the very beginning, with the company only running a handful of the first stores. All the others locations will be franchises.

Beckman said the Manchester location will be the ninth MassageLuXe to open in the St. Louis area, but more than 400 franchises have been sold nationwide and are expected to open over the five to 10 years. Franchisees can purchase single locations or the right to entire areas.

The company is also in negotiations to take MassageLuXe to Taiwan. Beckman is excited to get into the international market and said that once MassageLuXe has a foothold in Taiwan it could the door to China.

He said that his team worked for two years on the MassageLuXe concept before opening its first store and offering franchise opportunities. MassageLuXe is built on both Beckman’s 20 years of franchise experience and the knowledge of what made his other national chain, The Tan Company, a rapid hit.

One of the key concepts that was borrowed from The Tan Company is memberships. He said that people can buy a $44 monthly membership at MassageLuXe that will be good for two hours of massage and unlimited 15 minute sessions of HydroLuxe dry water massage. The memberships are good at any location. You can also purchase a massage on a pay-as-you-go system.

He decided to branch out when the tanning industry became less popular because of rising health concerns. Beckmen decided to explore massage as a new, healthier business venture. Massage is growing in popularity, and few stores are run by a chain. He also said that massage is a good fit with Tan Company clients and franchise owners. Many of the people who buy a MassageLuXe franchise already own a Tan Company location.

Beckman said he knows how to build a successful franchise operation because he’s seen both sides of the fence. He bought his first franchise from his dad when he was 18. His family ran several franchise hair salons.

“I grew up with that lifestyle. I thought everyone owned their own place,” he said. He said he got his first taste of business when he was 13 and asked for a bike. His mom told him he had to earn the money himself, so he loaded a wagon with paint and stencils and went around his neighborhood offering to paint addresses on curbs. 

He said he planned to take over his parent’s salons after high school. He added tanning beds to his first salon, “…and that’s how it all started.”

He said the success of a good franchise is keeping everyone happy and making money.

“If you’re successful, you’re happy,” he said. He pointed out that his company’s real job is to make his franchisees happy, so a lot of work has gone into building a solid support team for MassageLuXe owners.

“Every time we add 30 more stores, we hire a new person to oversee them. Everything moves like a chess game,” he said.

On the Horizon:

• West County Chamber of Commerce will host a Monte Carlo night on July 23. Tickets are $50 a person, which include gambling “money,” dinner and drinks.
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• Learn how to prepare your business to survive a natural disaster, with help from the U.S. Small Business Administration.