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Spa Owner

Spa: Bella Fontana Spa, Sherman, TX
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Do you want to be a Spa Owner?

Is the spa your favorite escape from the world? Do you look forward to turning off the hubbub (and your cell phone) for some peaceful hours of blissful relaxation? If you catch yourself noticing brands of fluffy robes, titles of soothing music CD’s, soft lighting fixtures and are more than a little curious about day-spa ownership, then here is your chance.

Create a new career based on your favorite escape! But before taking the career change plunge, first test-drive your dream job on a spa owner VocationVacation® with Ruth Cox of Bella Fontana Spa in Sherman, Texas (only about an hour north of Dallas).

“Our specialty is to provide clients with world-class service in a hometown atmosphere,” says owner Ruth Cox. “People love that we’re right here in the heart of America and we provide the same sorts of services and state-of-the-art equipment usually found at exclusive destination spas.”

The 6,400-square foot Bella Fontana facility is complete with fountains, artwork and trompe l’oeil murals and offers 25 private rooms with a plethora of inspired treatments. The spa opened in 2005 and has enjoyed tremendous growth and success. The spa initially offered clients the opportunity to choose from a long list of options including massage, hydrotherapy, hair design and make-up, nail services, specialty skincare and shopping in the spa’s retail area. In 2007, this list increased when Bella Fontana acquired a local medical spa and its full range of services. These additional services address an even broader spectrum of needs and complement and enhance the client experience.

High standards, attentive personal service, and wonderful results are what set Bella Fontana Spa apart – exactly the goals Ruth Cox set out to accomplish.

Having no prior spa experience but a strong business background, Cox, a former telecom senior director and government analyst guru, performed her own due diligence. “I’m a workaholic who for years after every business trip or on a vacation, went to the spa to relax,” recalls Ruth. “Half because it made me feel good, and half because I thought it could be a great business. In today’s world, people need to find a way to disconnect from work and their cell phones, laptops and fax machines. My way to disconnect was to go to the spa. I took the best ideas from my travels and wanted to create those experiences for others.”

Even before leaving her job, Ruth started feeling the pull of wanting to run her own business. “You work hard and generate results, but you don’t have a stake, and I wanted to directly see rewards for my efforts.”  And soon thereafter, Bella Fontana was born. Unique for the industry, Ruth eschews hiring independent contractors as spa technicians and, instead, hires direct employees with benefits. She believes in training and develops close supplier relationships to keep current. Those things, she insists, reduce turnover and help the business grow. “When I see happy customers, it’s because of happy employees,” states Cox.  In order to help accelerate overall quality within the spa industry across the country, she has been appointed to the national Day Spa Association Advisory Board and will chair the Legislative Committee.

A daughter of two teachers, Ruth has a master’s degree in political economy from the University of Texas-Dallas and has always understood the importance of continued learning in one’s work and in life. She also loves to give back as a mentor. Hence, she has been a long-time mentor to her alma mater, Austin College (where her father was a professor) and the Children’s Advocacy and Grayson Crisis centers. Ruth believes one should always live life to its fullest and in that spirit, she created The Pat Nuckols Community Room at Bella Fontana as a special place dedicated to the memory of her mother who passed away from breast cancer.

What advice does Ruth have for others? “To me, life has an analogy to sailing. Getting from point A to B is never a straight line. You need to adapt, tack and trim your sails. That’s how you make progress,” says Ruth.

Here's what a recent Vocationer has to say about their VocationVacation:

“I never would have gotten hands-on experience and so much detailed information on my own.  I learned so much from Ruth and confirmed my passion for spa ownership.  I am already making decisions about what my spa will look like.”
Bernita Barnett, Greensboro, NC

During your Spa Owner VocationVacations® dream job holiday, Ruth Cox of Bella Fontana Spa will lead you through some or all of the following Spa Owner activities:
  • Start Up: structure, financial requirements, facility set up (selecting a contractor) and necessary licenses
  • Menu of Services: how to develop and maintain service offerings, create and implement a new spa ritual
  • Customer Care: front desk, during service delivery and after care, as well as scheduling of spa days, and managing customer follow-up (calls and thank you notes)
  • Information Technology: software and visibility into the business
  • Workforce Development: independent contractors vs. employees, what to look for in an employee, handling turnover issues
  • Operations Management: day-to-day operations from front desk to back office, work scheduling, purchasing, laundry
  • Training: importance of in-shop or offsite training, credentials your employees will need, how to learn from vendors
  • Vendor selection and relationships: layering in the product lines
  • Business Development : marketing and advertising – soup to nuts, along with brand development, how to identify your target market, deliver your message, measure response, and create a marketing initiative
  • Cash Flow: the real reality of the business!
  • Sanitation and Housekeeping: the many rules and requirements
  • Outsource vs. doing in-house: keeping your options open while managing your business

The Spa Owner VocationVacations® dream job holiday includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a Spa Owner
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coachA pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: Based on mentor's availability

Price: $949 Per Person

Book This Career Mentorship



Suggested Accommodations

Comfort Suites

Inn of Many Faces
(Not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:

Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:

Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd.