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Looking to double its store count nationwide by the end of 2011, Hand & Stone is the first membership-based massage and facial services franchise to tap into locations that have typically been reserved for high-end spa experiences. Recently, Hand & Stone announced it is opening a location at The Club at Morristown, an exclusive fitness club located at Headquarters Plaza in Morristown, New Jersey. Headquarters Plaza is a multi-function commercial complex featuring the newly renovated Hyatt Morristown full service hotel, three office towers with over 600,000 sq ft of office space and the exclusive The Club fitness club.

“Over the past two years, we’ve been focused on educating consumers on the health benefits of massage which lead to more consistent massage use,” said Todd Leff, CEO of Hand & Stone. “We believe our new location at Headquarters Plaza will be a tremendous benefit to The Club, the Hyatt and Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa as we will attract business and leisure guests staying at the hotel as well as members of the fitness club so that it will become a destination for a larger audience who wishes to utilize massage and facial services consistently for its health benefits.”

Alain Goulet, the new franchisee of the Morristown location, is optimistic that the opening will produce wonderful results. “This location creates a new direction for Hand & Stone,” said Leff. “We’ve got our traditional retail locations and newer options for nontraditional locations like this.”

As large scale expansion plans are under way, Hand & Stone looks to mirror this projected success. “As we continue to discover new ways to grow, we have our eye on ways we can expand the business opportunities to new Hand & Stone franchisees,” said Leff. “We expect to see business professionals stopping in on their lunch hour for a Swedish massage; and at the same time vacationing couples looking to for that great spa getaway experience.”

Proving that spa services aren’t just for the rich and famous anymore, the new Hand & Stone locations will erase what once was considered a penchant of the affluent by offering services to all levels of consumers.

While the typical massage client used to have to track down a freelance massage therapist, schedule an appointment days in advance, and pay over $100 for a one-hour treatment, most Hand & Stone clients book their appointments on the same day as service and pay 30 percent less than the traditional hourly rate. Better yet, when they sign up for a one-session-per-month plan, they end up paying around $60 per visit.

As massage spas become more mainstream in the health care industry, Hand & Stone stays at the top of the game by adding locations and services to keep the brand fresh. That strategy has proven to be successful, as the addition of facials and waxing to the services roster has boosted the average comparable store sales by over 40 percent during this past year, in a very tough economic environment. After awarding a record 40 new franchises in 2010, Leff expects to sign another 50 new franchisees to the Hand & Stone system this year, each one investing a total of around $325,000.