Welcome back to the Club Lamar Star,
March 2008 |
MARCH "HOT DEAL":
SPRING TRAINING: YOUR TICKET TO SPA SAVINGS |
 |
Our March Hot Deal is a home run! The Boys of Summer are back in town and so are their fans! When you come to the spa Mon-Thur and bring a ticket stub from a 2007 Spring Training baseball game, we will take $10 off of any spa treatment, valued $75 or more. Just click on the link above to print the coupon and ask for the March Hot Deal when you book your appointment.
|
 |
The Lamar Everyday Spa was featured as the Mix 96.9 Mega Deal of the week recently, which was especially nice because Chris Parker is one of our favorite spa guests! Mix listeners were able to purchase a limited number of $50 Lamar gift cards on the Mix 96.9 website for just $25. |
LAMAR FEATURED IN SKIN INC MAGAZINE
Face to Face With Heidi Lamar, The Lamar Everyday Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona
By Abby Penning
Abstract: This “accidental spa owner"; has hit it big with her winning attitude and unique spa features. |
 |
Heidi Lamar never intended to own her own spa. "I like to call myself the accidental spa owner," she laughs. Just three years ago, Lamar-who now owns The Lamar Everyday Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona-was a real estate agent in Portland, Oregon, enjoying her job and her life. However, after purchasing a Scottsdale building from an 89-year-old man, all of that changed. "He bought the building so his daughter could have a spa here," Lamar says. "When she passed away, he was left with a spa that he didn't really want to run at 89."
Sensing the facility's promise, Lamar suddenly found herself considering a career change. "I loved the building's location and thought it had a lot of potential, but I knew nothing about the spa business," she says. "It was really the passionate staff that convinced me to take the chance." So she dove in, working to refurbish what would become The Lamar Everyday Spa-in just one week. "We could only afford to be closed seven days. We had the eighth day fully booked, so we had no choice but to get it done," Lamar explains. The quick turnaround time gave her a chance to further connect with her team members, solidifying a bond that would prove integral to the success of the spa.
Lamar initially continued selling houses, traveling back and forth from Portland and relying on her team-and the spa manager, Tarryn, in particular-to guide her through the ins and outs of the business. However, when personal issues caused Tarryn to move to South Africa just four months after the opening, plans had to change. "We went to the International SPA Association (ISPA) conference together and had great plans, but we never got a chance to implement them," Lamar says.
Instead of throwing in the towel, Lamar ran with the opportunity. "I've learned almost everything from my staff," she says. "It's the most enjoyable and most challenging thing about the job. Having worked alone most of my life, suddenly supervising 25 employees was a little terrifying. I thought, ‘How am I going to control all of these women?' Then I realized I couldn't, so I decided to empower them to do their jobs and tried to stay out of their way."
Because of her decision to trust the knowledge of her employees, as well as her cultivation of a niche market, both Lamar and The Lamar Everyday Spa have flourished. "Although Scottsdale has tons of resort spas, there really wasn't a spa for the locals here," she says, "So we chose to focus our marketing on Scottsdale residents instead of trying to compete for the resort crowd. A lot of times, savvy travelers like to go where the locals go anyway." Lamar keeps in touch with what her clients want by interacting with them as much as possible, saying, "There are days it takes me eight hours just to get from the front desk to my office."
The spa has also found a market for group offerings, which the business has become known for. "Some of my friends and family were concerned when I told them we were buying a spa in Scottsdale because there is so much competition," she says. "But we try to find niches with more demand and less competition. Many of the local spas have been referring their larger groups to us, so we added event facilities to make room for them. Our Palm Room is able to host groups of 100 or more with luncheons, team-building activities and spa tastings." Through this type of planning, the spa has welcomed company gatherings for GE and IBM, and recently organized a pre-Super Bowl party for Pepsi/Frito Lay.
And space isn't the only unique characteristic at The Lamar Everyday Spa. A recent expansion added more rooms, including a dance studio. "A local instructor provides lessons in swing, salsa and partner dancing at the studio, and is also available for private lessons," says Lamar. "And during the day we usethe space for things like yoga and Pilates classes."
"I guess not coming from a spa background, there were things I didn't know I couldn't do, so some of our choices might be unorthodox," she explains. "But we have built our spa on three pillars: satisfied clients, happy employees and a profitable business. All three legs are equally important, so when a team member presents an idea to me, I ask them to demonstrate how it supports these three pillars. If it passes the three-pillar test, we usually implement it."
Still, people are a large part of what keeps Lamar engaged and wanting more for her business. "I'm always really excited by the amount of sharing that goes on in the industry," she says. "I have been at a trade show where a spa owner has offered to share a payroll model that she has developed throughout the past 25 years with any spa owner who asks for it. This willingness to share trade secrets to help out the whole industry just doesn't occur anywhere else in the business world."
Clearly, it's Lamar's willingness to learn and develop relationships that has helped her succeed in the industry, and, with this mind-set, it's likely that only good things can continue to happen for her and her "everyday" spa. |
 |
FREE MUSIC: LIVE AT THE LAMAR MARCH 5th 6-9 PM
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Mark Lamm |
|
Our Live At The Lamar concert series continues this month with a guest who has been a Live at The Lamar favorite, but continues to surprise us with new material every time he comes. Admission is free and includes use of the steam room, sauna, swimming pool, whirlpool, robes, lockers & tropical snack bar. You can even get 2-for-1 spa services. What's the catch? You must bring someone who has never been to The Lamar, and free services are limited to 1 per pair. If you would like to spend a quiet evening recuperating from your holiday festivities while enjoying spa services to the soothing acoustic sounds of International recording artist Mark Lamm, this is your chance.
Call (480) 945-7066 to purchase your 2-for-1 spa services while they last! |
   
Relax! It's not too late to send the perfect gift!
You can design, print or e-mail INSTANT GIFT CERTIFICATES on our website in just a few minutes. Choose from a beautiful selection of Anniversary, Birthday or All Occasion templates that can be personalized with your own message. Choose an individual service, spa package or dollar amount for a gift that is guaranteed to fit any body and any budget. Certificates can be printed or e-mailed instantly so you don't have to wait to celebrate. Best of all, there is no delivery charge!
Look for the red heart in the upper right hand corner of our home page or simply click on this link:
CLICK.PRINT.CELEBRATE
|
Dr. Larry c. Leverett (Board certified Plastic Surgeon)
& The Lamar Everyday Spa Present
March Forth into Beautiful :
Body By Leverett
March 4, 2008
Join us for an evening of information, fabulous drawings
and scrumptious hors’ doeuvres. |
|
DOWNTOWN SCOTTSDALE REINVESTMENT APPROACHING $3.3 BILLION
|
Reinvestment in southern Scottsdale and the city's downtown continues to be strong, according to a semi-annual city assessment of economic activity. The total new reinvestment in Scottsdale, south of Chaparral Road, is now approaching $3.3 billion during the past five years. Six months ago, that figure was $3.1 billion, in 2006 it was $2.6 billion, and in 2004 it was $1.5 billion. The latest city assessment of the area also reflected a number of positive trends, evidenced by these findings: In addition to the $3.3 billion in current projects, there are a number of other proposed projects, such as the Waterview and the Entertainment District projects, which are not yet listed since they do not yet have formal development approval. These projects, if they move forward, will add at least another $500 million to the reinvestment figure. This area has seen almost 4,000 new residential units either built, in process, or planned since January 2003. Condo conversions have not been included in this figure. According to a recent ASU study, the 2007 median resale home price for southern Scottsdale was $308,500. This reflects a 50 percent increase from the 2000 median resale home price of $205,000. More findings from the assessment are available at www.scottsdaleaz.gov/News/02_21_2008_news.asp.
A map and description of southern Scottsdale investment activity is available at www.scottsdaleaz.gov/economics.asp.(Scottsdale Update, Feb. 21)
|
PS- Be sure to"steal" one of our Lamar pens when you sign in so you will always have our phone number handy when you need it!
|
|
