Sproat Lake, Victoria Island BC Canada

Friday 7:15am, the day after Thanksgiving

Couch, coffee, wool blanket, fireplace and a wall of windows:

From the deck, there are steps that disappear steeply down to the lake.  In between the red slabs of wood, there are grey stones neatly inlayed, making order to the overgrown forest and lush ferns.  The pines arc over the steps creating a narrow tunnel, the steps vanish.

The lake is still and grey, the low sky covers the mountains, that in the early morning make the mountain look black. Between the clouds there is a narrow opening which exposes a sliver of snow on the black mountain. In the distance a small mound of an island floats.  It looks like a giant top hat floating in the grey water. The top hat island is sleek in contrast to the low white clouds, which are weighed down, stuck in the crevasses of the black mountain.

The pine trees stand still. Quiet. Finally resting after yesterday’s constant rain.

When I step outside, the scene changes and become alive with sound and movement.  A frigid chill makes me shiver and I am now a part of the scene. I wrap the blanket closer to my neck and squeeze my arms to my chest.  At a closer look down the steep disappearing steps, part of the lake looks like it moving east and another part streams west. They are like a giant basket, weaving together in one lake. White birds fly low along the tree line. With an effortless flow, their wings paint a white trail. A touch of the morning light catches one of the wings’s and flickers a warning light on the dark black lake. Like the steep steps, they too disappear.

A squirrel chirps and scatters, disrupting the peace. Water laps against the stone beach, over and over and over again.

An hour passes and it is no lighter and no darker. The thick canopy of pines and moss makes the morning even darker as the low sky continues to push down towards the lake.

Back inside it is warm, but my blanket is still chilled from being outside. The dog laps water like the lake hitting the stone beach, her nails scrape the floor as she walks to her rug and settles. She licks her wet muzzle and exhales loudly.

It is morning.

She is now quiet, like the house, and the black floating top hat at the end of the lake.

pacem Deus reddidit ~ God restores peace

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/Whats-Your-Workout-Hula-Hoop-131620493.html

“Welcome to Our World” event held on Capitol Hill. The gathering was well attended by Members of Congress and their staff, local vendors and area spas and salons. The elegant Caucus room featured complimentary salon services (manicures, waxing, haircuts & touch-ups, make-up applications and chair massage) hors d’oeuvres, beverages and a sampling bag for every attendee.

The Federation’s mission last night was to create awareness of the professional beauty industry’s key issues: including access to cosmetology education, consumer protection, equitable taxation, fairness in financial aid for our students, and small business support.

Per the Federation’s web-site, the world of beauty is a $60 billion a year industry and touches more than 400 million people.

As 100’s of services were performed last night, which only demonstrated the impact that “the world of beauty” has on our lives… both for the givers and receivers, and this is what the Professional Beauty Federation is all about!

When I asked Eric about the transition from remodel to reopening, he said that “It was important that the members and community feel connected to MINT and that MINT feel equally connected to them.” He spent time, ok, everyday in fact, meeting the members and talking with them through the change of management, concept and brand. “MINT is a community, a home, positive environment and a place to relax and unraveled, we wanted to ensure that the membership base felt all of these during the renovation.” And from the look and feel of it, they did!

As MINT is a membership based “urban retreat” I asked Eric about, group-deals and discounts. Did he… or didn’t he? Well he does, and very successfully I may add, and here is how.

First and foremost, MINT is very committed to keeping the integrity of the brand and going forward with deals, they needed to ensure that neither the front desk operations nor spa therapists got overwhelmed, as well as preserving the class size and its integrity. So Eric used technology to manage group-on deals. (They have used Living Social where offers include: Yoga, express massage, membership, PT and Pilates.) He worked closely with the software vendor, Mind Body, who easily uploaded all purchasing clients into MINT’s database. This allowed them to create a client profile which included the items/offers sold. Each client received a user name and password/login-in, and all booking transactions were done on-line… without the 1000+ participants (who are potential members) calling the front desk with questions and bookings. Each session was booked on-line, keeping the “peace” at the front desk, spa therapist, fitness instructors and … the guest!

My final words with Eric were seemingly simple, until he answered my question with a Zen mindfulness, which reflected Eric’s management style, personal convictions and vision for MINT and WSPA.

I asked, “What are your next steps with the MINT brand, new locations, programs- where are you taking the business and what are your thoughts about the WSPA mission?”

He answered with a grin, “On behalf of MINT, WSPA and myself, I want to do more local outreach. There is a lot more that we can be involved in that will benefit the community. Let’s expose what we “do” to everyone, not just paying members. For example, there are DC students who don’t even have recess time. We must give back to the community and create positive awareness outside of the gym.”

Eric then added, “As part of my new role at MINT, I have the ability to continue my interest in spiritual outreach with the local community. The Breakfast Club is part of the Samaritan Group at Memorial Episcopal Church in Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. This program is geared to foster a greater sense of community for individuals in need. We’ve practiced everything from Qi Gong, meditation, nature walks, and even being offered Zero-balancing treatments from one of the volunteers who happens to be an Acupuncturist. What I am learning is how to understand and deal with life and suffering that is going on around us, and then give back as a lay-person. On a day to day basis, we deal with a lot of disconnected people who are interconnected with the team. My role as the Director of Operations, is to be the “the needle” and signal possibility where it may not seem that obvious to the team. In our business, we have bottom lines, goals, task lists and the need to positively coach our staff. This “giving back” and studying gives me the breath when dealing with the success of this business.”

In regards to programs that MINT is involved in, Eric mentioned, “Yoga for VETS” and hopes WSPA will partner with DC organizations like Infinity Wellness. Which is a program that encourages children to try a wide range of traditional and more progressive activities and exercises (yoga, pilates, meditation) and helps students develop healthy habits and find their favorite way to stay in shape and feel great every day. He added, “We are here in DC with an upscale clientele, how do we integrate and reach out to the younger generations? We have so much to share. They are our future members and community role models.”

As my meeting with Eric ended, we spoke on a professional and personal level~ not just about the success of his business, and role as a Board Member, but more importantly the success of our roles as community members, business leaders and where the kindness comes from when we need to calmly training staff, greet guests and on a rainy day in DC, taking time to talk about it with me.

Thank you Eric!

Susan Gwaltney

Essential Spa Consulting