Urban spa franchise firm, Body and Sole, is holding off the planned expansion in the Visayas and Mindanao provinces to focus on its Metro Manila operations.

The Cebu-based company, started in 2002 by businessman Johnnie Lim, has linked with a Manila partner to create a turnkey concept, which will establish a Body and Sole outlets in key areas then sell these to investors. Their first outlet is set to open in Ortigas and they plan to open six more within the year.

“We are shifting towards selling the business, not operating it,” Lim told the BusinessMirror. Body and Sole has more than 40 outlets nationwide but only a handful in Luzon. With the new company Body and Sole Express, investors can operate their ready-to-own spa for about P1 million to P2 million.

“We can have investors look around the place, the staff and equipment and the customers. And they can operate it the minute they pay for it,” Lim said. “We continue to believe Filipinos deserve value for their money both in spa services and in starting their businesses.”

Although the present number of outlets has dwindled with the closure of many franchises because of the present economic difficulties, Lim noted that many of his former franchisees have opened their own spa brands. He also believed that wellness has already become a regular item in the budget of the modern urban dweller.

“They may cut down their frequency of visits, but our customers always come back,” Lim said. “People are now ready to allocate budget to feel good.”

Body and Sole targets the middle-class market with full body massage priced at P250, foot massage at P150 and a full-service diamond peel at P750.

Less a decade into its operations, Lim has ventured into establishing a mainstream market for the traditional Filipino “hilot” with his Alibyo brand.

With the market now riding on the traditional “hilot” concept of massage therapy, Lim is ready to franchise his Alibyo brand, whose concept he created with help from a graduate student who made a thesis chronicling the different “hilot” procedures in the country.

Lim said the country’s rich culture and “hilot” can easily outmatch more establish massage therapies like Thai and Swedish, if only the quality can be set.

“Wellness is a service industry. You have to know why you’re here—to serve and make people feel good,” he said. “Many of those who closed down entered the industry to make money and when the difficult times came, they were the first to fold.”
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