Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Akiko Frei. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Akiko, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
I am a single parent of a very ambitious 17-year-old. She has always been my ‘why’ and I have worked tirelessly to provide the best opportunities and life experiences for my daughter. A majority of my work experience has been as a massage therapist.
I have always been a bit ambitious and since finishing my massage therapy training, my goal has always been to create the best massage practice on the island of Oahu. During my time in luxury spas, I was introduced to the work of No Fault (auto accident) and Workman’s Compensation (work injury) through medical practitioner referrals. This gave me a sense of how a practice can gain clientele outside of personal-need massages. Once I gained confidence in my practice, I opened a small massage therapy office in 2019 where I personally worked on an average of 25 clients/week for over two years. As seen in the photo, the office had two massage tables with a curtain to separate – not too much privacy. During this time, a good friend of mine – who knew my dreams and goals – urged me to start putting in the work to expand my business and truly become the best massage practice on the island of Oahu.
It took a bit of thought, but soon enough I was looking for a better and bigger location. Then, I put in the work to make my dream into a reality. I started the leasing process, got a loan from the bank, hired an architect and builders. I finally opened in 2021 with a 10-year lease . . . mid-pandemic. I know . . . I had plenty of friends saying “Akiko?! You’re crazy! Why would you sign a 10 year lease in the middle of a global outbreak?!” Compared to pre-COVID19, I lost about 30% of revenue. I have to admit, it was difficult to build a clientele, but I always believed that people would return if the practice kept the BEST therapists on the island. With the layout of our spa, clients have a better sense of privacy as we have three separate rooms. We strive to provide an overall experience of calm and peace. Seven Senses Spa started with an average of 40 clients/week with three massage therapists to an average of 100 clients/week with a team of eight massage therapists! Gradually, we have gotten new clients through word-of-mouth, high volume of returning clients, and maintained a high-quality service with 5-Star reviews.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was born and raised in Japan where I spent the majority of my adult life as an editor/writer for a travel magazine. When my father was diagnosed with cancer, I started to become interested in the healing and therapy industry. I learned Reflexology and had an opportunity to assist in opening four Reflexology salons in Sapporo, Japan. When my father eventually passed, I delved more into the healing world as I coped with my grief. I came to the Big Island of Hawaii to learn Hawaiian Lomilomi, Hawaiian healing arts, plants, and the culture.
In my training, I learned to oli (chant) and the concept of praying for the receiver’s health and wellness through Lomilomi. My Kumu (teacher) was Native Hawaiian and spoke ‘Olelo Hawai’i. He taught me more than just massage; I learned about Hawaiian plants and there began a spiritual connection with nature. During this time, I had a Japanese translator, but somehow I could communicate with him from our hearts. Hawai’i healed me deeply, so I decided to return to the island of ‘Oahu to study more massage and English by myself. I lived in the Haleiwa, Oahu community where there were no Japanese speakers at that time. I started attending Massage school with local, only English speakers, and learned Anatomy which is not even English (many of the muscle terms are Latin)!. All of my classmates were surprised by my ambition and they’d call me “crazy Japanese!!!”. Learning is a continuous practice and after years of experience, I am still learning!
One of the toughest experiences that built me to become the person I am today was escaping from home and my troubled late husband, with just my 4-year-old child. I didn’t have any assets and had to start a new life with the two of us. I truly believe that a risk-taker has to be tough. If you are overly cautious, you won’t jump from the cliff to better and greater things. I have jumped so many times. I have a few scars, but at the end of the day, it made me the tough entrepreneurial mom I am today.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Our clientele are ~70% from word of mouth, 20% Yelp, 7% Google, and 3 % Others. We have taken care of clientele with our professionalism, warm greetings, and a team of skilled therapists to provide an experience where they WANT to return.
Moreover, Squarespace has great tools, such as email marketing. We have been maintaining a new Add-on menu, introducing new therapists, new techniques, and any specials through this email marketing. The list has grown from 0 to 850 in a little over 2 years. Our clientele has also purchased gift certificates to introduce our service to their friends and families who will become our new clientele. I believe we have built great circulation through our system. I have trained all of our receptionists to connect with our clientele through thoughtful conversations; creating a sense of home and belonging here at Seven Senses Spa.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sevensensesspa.net
- Instagram: sevensessesspahawaii
- Yelp: Seven Senses Spa
Image Credits
“Beyond Massage” is our theme New Spa and Old Office