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Harbour Bay spa to close

By NATARIO McKENZIE


Tribune Business Reporter


nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Harbour Bay-based salt therapy and wellness spa is set to close this weekend after just 18 months in business, as businesss levels are not enough to ensure its continued viability.

The Salt Room (Bahamas), in an e-mail notice to customers, said the business was not generating the necessary customer volume to make it sustainable.
 The Salt Room’s co-owner and general manager, Jonathan Cancino, declined comment on the matter when contacted by Tribune Business.

But a letter sent to the spa’s clients, a copy of which was seen by Tribune Business, said the Harbour Bay Shopping Plaza-based business would close its doors this Saturday, November 2 - a move thought likely to affect some five employees, though that number could not be confirmed.

The Salt Room said: “While we believe in salt therapy and have seen the product work wonders, based on our business model it just did not bring in the volume of the general public to sustain us moving forward.

“We are very proud to have had our dermalogica team and therapists that ran our spa. We know in closing that it will leave many of you upset you cannot get your treatments and products that we feel very strongly is such a great service and product.”
 The Salt Room (Bahamas), described as “a salt therapy wellness spa providing drug-free therapy for respiratory and skin ailments using salt’s natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties”, opened last May, marking the second outlet for the brand, as its first store opened in Orlando, Florida, some five years ago.
 The Salt Room (Bahamas) noted in its letter that while part of its business was gift certificates, heading into the Christmas season it felt it would “not be in good faith to continue and not have the means to fulfill those services many of you would buy as a gift”.
 “That being said there are still some unredeemed gift certificates. While the store will not be open we will be available for a time period of two weeks after closing on - November 2 to November 15 - between the hours 11am - 2pm for you to redeem any outstanding gift certificates for dermalogica product or Salt Therapy,” the letter said.

Comments

john33xyz 11 years, 1 month ago

They know VAT is coming. They are the smart ones. Get out while you can.

john33xyz 11 years, 1 month ago

I always laugh when people mention the "high" taxes in the USA. At least there you have working traffic lights, roads without potholes, entertainment facilities, good food stores, health food stores, gyms, live concerts, jazz bars, and even people (we have very few people here). But I guess they don't have conch salad so that makes putting up with all the crap over here well worth it, eh?

We need to change our national slogan from "Forward, upward, blah blah blah..." to "We Suck and We're Proud of it".

B_I_D___ 11 years, 1 month ago

Along with Best Buy...and Super Value...and Sands Beer Brewery...and countless others. The ship is sinking (FAST)...better learn how to swim pretty darn quick!!

banker 11 years, 1 month ago

It was on the fringe of wellness, with marginal benefits, a fairly high sticker price, considered a luxury item, and a population that doesn't have the disposal income to sustain it. The spa was located off the beaten tourist track, so it is no wonder that it is shutting down.

ThisIsOurs 11 years, 1 month ago

Bad location. I still don't know exactly what they offer. but I don't know why this is news worthy. Fledgling businesses are winding up everyday because they're losing money. If they close after only 18months I say the owners were overly optimistic. To open in a bad economy, offering a non-essential service but not plan for sufficient capital to carry you through time needed to build the business is ...well...optimistic. If Super Value were to wind up on the other hand, now that would be news, it's an established Bahamian business with a large number of employees and clientele. Everyone expects it too succeed.

ohdrap4 11 years, 1 month ago

lol remeber when KFC was closed for a few days? i remember coming home at 10:00 pm and there was a traffic jam at the junction of village road, people could not wait to eat fried chicken.

ThisIsOurs 11 years, 1 month ago

It tastes good. Ice cream vs yogurt

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