MassageLuXe engaged IDealogic® to develop solutions for several growing pains. MassageLuXe faced significant competition, as (based on revenue) the U.S. is the largest spa market in the world. The company planned to do more than compete, so the brand needed the proper tools to dominate the industry franchise space. Though the franchise provides a greater number of luxury services, its inconsistent, unexciting brand identity did little to communicate its strengths and appeal to the target demographic. To stand out in a crowded industry, MassageLuXe hired IDealogic® for a complete rebrand that would appeal to the target audience’s lifestyle and position the brand as an industry leader.

With its incredibly strong foundational beginning, MassageLuXe was poised for major growth and success. However, the brand struggled with a disconnect between its services, visual communications, and messaging that made it difficult to capture and engage its target audience. We knew that the brand would need a unique identity, superior to that of its competitors, in order for the brand to compete at the highest level.

Our strategy was to redesign the company’s identity with two goals in mind: 1) to raise the brand’s perceived value, and 2) strategically engineer the brand to effectively appeal to and communicate with its target audience, which includes the consumer as well as the franchisee. The new brand identity must convey tranquility and luxury that is both attainable and affordable; resonate with the audience from a lifestyle, desires, and aspirations perspective; and promote the exclusive benefits and advantages of the membership-based business model.

With this in mind, we began our focus with the creation of a new corporate identity. We developed a logo that would make a strategically powerful statement of brand strength within the company’s competitive space—as well as become a sophisticated brand icon that would appeal to the discerning tastes of the brand’s target audience.

According to the International SPA Association, the average female spa customer is in her 30s or 40s, a college graduate, and earns between $50,000 and $150,000 per year. The average male customer is between 25 and 44, earns more than $50,000 per year, and holds a management-level position or higher.

This demographic’s discretionary income allows for monthly spa services to be part of their wellness and lifestyle regimen; but the brand’s existing identity fell short in attracting or engaging them. As such, the first steps in developing the new brand identity were to elevate the brand’s perceived value and give the audience the ability to feel part of a designer brand. We began by placing emphasis on the word “LuXe” in order to help the brand clearly and effectively communicate luxury and quality. The logo essentially became larger than LuXe when we designed the letter “X” as the company’s signature symbol, which we then incorporated throughout the entire brand. We then integrated the “X” into the floor design, the feature wall design with custom printed wall murals, and the custom counter design, as well as all other aesthetics from the location interiors to outbound engagement (such as billboards, direct mail, print ads, and socials).

In addition to appealing to the primary audience segment (whom we refer to as influencers and early adopters), the brand also needed to reach a secondary expansion demographic: non-spa-goers looking for ways to soothe sore joints and muscles and/or relieve stress. One of the biggest impediments to the growth of spas may be public perception by non-spa-goers. The health benefits of spas are often misunderstood, as services are commonly offered alongside personal appearance products and services. High-end resort spas may advertise pampering services rather than health benefits, turning off potential customers who perceive such services as an impractical luxury. As this is a more budget conscious segment, the brand’s affordable price point is of higher importance than designer aesthetics. Considering stress relief and joint and muscle pain are the two most common reasons for visiting a spa, it is important that the brand not alienate this audience. The brand must be welcoming and inviting to this demographic so that they, too, want to adopt MassageLuXe as their brand of choice.

The commonality these segments share is their desire to benefit from rejuvenating spa experiences that lead to better quality of life. We infused life into the brand and each of its locations using a distinctive color scheme of teal and orange hues, that, while vibrant and energizing, communicate elegance and promote a reassuring atmosphere that complements the company’s spa services. With cohesive brand theme and style, we transformed the uninspiring interiors to a modern, unforgettable oasis of calm. With its new brand identity, MassageLuXe captures its primary audience with designer brand aesthetics that appeal to their lifestyle, while simultaneously communicating a message of affordable luxury to its expansion demographic.

• U.S. spa industry revenue is steadily increasing, $12.3B in 2009 to $16.8B in 2016.

• The number of US spa facilities increased more than 45% from 2007 to 2016, according to the International SPA Association.

• 33% of massage customers use the service for relaxation and stress reductions.

• Companies are starting to understand the benefits of a relaxed, healthy staff. Corporate wellness revenue is projected to increase to $11B in 2021, nearly double the revenue from 2011.

• 34.1% of millennials used massage services to treat back pain, more than any other generation.