Closing Our Doors For Covid19 a Third Time - We Need Your Help

My husband and I own a body contouring spa in Henderson, Nevada. Our dream to own a spa didn’t come about the usual way. Neither of us had owned a business that was brick and mortar - client services. Though my background has been in beauty and his in many other aspects of business, we had worked for many years in areas that spoke to some other of our strengths.

When we decided to take the plunge, we both believed we had enough expertise between us to take that first step. And we have surrounded ourselves with people who have helped us get to here.

But we never imagined what would happen next.

That the best time to own a body contouring spa would so very quickly become the worst time to own a body contouring spa.

We need your help.

When Covid19 hit, we were poised for greatness. Absolute winning technology, a strong support staff, and clients who were (still are) dedicated to reaching certain body goals. And we were hitting their goals, changing lives, and building a business that would sustain us, our amazing employees, and…very simply, make people happy.

My husband and I both are people pleasers.

I remember the first time I slapped down a before and after picture set in front of him (with permission, of course) and showed him what we could do. He had been skeptical initially, cautiously optimistic going forward, and after viewing those photos, excited for how we could help others succeed in their contouring goals.

Blood, sweat, and tears brought us to mid March 2020. We were poised for greatness, I said.

And then Covid19 hit.

Like so many other businesses, small and large, we were deemed non-essential and were then made to close our doors.

A 10 month old company, on the precipice of (at the very least) sustainability and with good intentions toward a common goal. Help people feel and look better.

Throughout the spring and summer we struggled.

Struggled to continue paying vendors and debt collectors. Struggled with how to make things right with our clients when we did get to reopen. Struggled to wake up each day not knowing when it would end and how we would recover.

We were one of the lucky ones that got approved for PPP. We had crunched the hard numbers and knew that what we were given would probably not be enough to carry us if everything didn’t align perfectly.

But we were determined to make this work.

And when we were given the green light to reopen, we did so under the assumption that even though we had to implement some extra health and safety measures, we were dedicated to helping our clients, caring for our employees, taking care of our financial obligations, and the continuation of realizing our dream.

We reopened in late June.

And we re-shut in early July.

Our second shut down, this time due to a single case of Covid19 coming through our doors and being shared with one single employee.

We were once again devastated. But still determined to get through and come out the other side with our business intact and the ultimate goal to care for all of us.

For that go around, we were shut for 3 weeks. The bulk of that came from waiting for test results. But we also had to ensure that whomever graced our doors going forward, would be protected.

We took all those safety measures. We believe we chose correctly in regard to how to protect us all.

And when we reopened in late July, we were once again cautiously optimistic that we would make this work for all.

Our PPP was dwindling, but we were determined. We hired two new employees, got them trained and ready to go, and forged ahead with our team and our dream.

When we reopened, I made the decision not to raise our treatment prices. We had done our homework and found that lots of spas and salons in the area were doing just that.

And THAT was not something I wanted to do. We had ALL suffered through this pandemic and I felt that we were all on equal footing in regard to getting our lives back, feeling better about ourselves, and moving past this crazy spring and summer.

So we reopened with an amazing BOGO sale and were fortunate that many folks responded. We weren’t killing it, but we were meeting obligations on all sides and felt confident that we could survive.

I will pause here to mention that I was the one who believed we re-opened too soon. That we weren’t prepared for what was to come. And that without more clients and/or more revenue, we would not make it.

I often hate being right. I don't want to be right, here. Because is means that hopes and dreams are dashed and we find ourselves in a situation such as this.

Closed again. Our third time. This time due to two things. Another case of Covid19 and the loss of one of our lead technicians.

(The hiring of two employees was more than cautiously optimistic, as we lost one within the second month of reopening, and the other just this week.)

We need your help.

I am thankful to all who have read to here. I knew this would be long, I am flow writing, and I appreciate your taking the time to hear our story. I’m trying to keep it concise, but will admit, it’s extremely emotional.

Plus the fact that I am publicly pleading for help - it’s not something we do…under normal circumstances.

What is normal these days, though, right?

We are asking for your help.

Please rest assured that you are under no obligation to do anything more than read our story; and our appreciation of that is immeasurable.

If you’ve gotten to here, you are helping. Thank you.

In light of the Covid19 case (please pray for this person, she is not doing well and while we are hopeful for a full recovery, we are devastated that we may lose someone who did not deserve to get sick)…

Please note: No one is deserving of this virus. Including the president - no matter your side of the aisle.

So in light of the latest - covid19 AND losing one of our best techs - we made the awful decision to once again shut down.

Third time is a charm?

Potentially a curse.

And we need your help.

My husband and I have not slept in what feels like months. I lay my head down and try to shut it all down, desperate for sleep, for rest, for a short time to tuck away all the stress - and it does not come.

We are a family business and this coronavirus pandemic has affected our entire family, including our clients and employees. All of whom we hold very dear.

We have been over and over and OVER again all the different ways we can survive this and stay the course.

Our goal - our DREAM - to help others achieve their goals, provide a safe and happy work environment, and provide for our family - is slipping away.

And we need your help.

I have barely begun to tell you all the itty bitty details of how we got to here. I’ve tried to be clear throughout the above. I know that words matter. That I promised myself I wouldn’t ramble. But flow writing means just getting it out. Every emotion I am feeling at this moment is wrapped up in the words I type upon the page.

After the painful task of canceling clients AGAIN, and preparing to work from home, we are simply exhausted.

So many. I’ll repeat. SO MANY of our clients understand the situation and are patient and kind. We have a few who are just as frustrated as we are.

And some who still believe this virus is a hoax and we should simply stop giving in to the lies.

We can’t do that. We must be careful how we navigate these next steps to ensure health and safety for all.

We are in danger of having to close our doors forever.

And we are absolute in our thinking that we do not want to do that.

We are people pleasers. I said.

So. To make a long story just a tad longer, I am asking for your help.

You are so very kindly already doing something to help, just by reading this post. Your eyes upon this page will help keep us afloat personally. It’s pennies, comparatively, but every bit helps.

Thank you for that.

But I am asking for a little more. An alternative crowd funding plea.

If you have found that our story (I’d be more than happy to share more..) has touched you in any way, will you take the extra moment to let me know with a tip?

Posters here to Vocal have the option to receive tips for the work they do and it is much appreciated.

I hate asking for help. We rarely share our difficulties. This is mad and sad and my husband has made it clear that he does not like this avenue. This begging.

I don’t blame him. I am, we are, doers - not askers.

But we have done what we could and have no control over what happens next considering what we’ve endured due to this pandemic.

We know we aren’t alone. If we do have to shut for good, we are not the only ones having to do so.

That knowledge makes it no less painful to consider, given what we’ve put in to realize our dream this far.

So while pleading is not our go-to, I wanted to share a bit about our plight, and ask that if you relate in any way, please take a moment to let me know. Your generosity will not be forgotten and your kindness will allow us to continue paying it forward, as well.

And part of that paying it forward will be in the form of more posts here. Every view counts and I miss writing. Sharing my experiences to enrich the lives of others is part of why I am compelled to put fingers to keyboard.

This post is not the only thing you can expect here from me. If I know my audience, I will write till my fingers are bloody, to please you, to keep us afloat, and to save our brick and mortar business.

The bottom line is this: We need help. We want to continue realizing our dream. We want to help others reach goals. We believe in what we are doing for ALL of us.

Your donation will allow us to continue.

I know this isn’t a typical crowd funding source.

But I can’t just ask for money. I have to give something back.

I’ve got a whole slew of posts that I’ll be sharing over the course of our shut down. Helpful, meaningful, silly, and (definitely a tad or more) shorter posts that will (hopefully) encourage all of us to do better, be better, and most simply, just be u.s.

I’m going to try to wrap this up now (you are welcome). I’m a bit queasy in my tummy from the asking and I need to get on to writing some other fabulous-ness.

Thank you sincerely for taking the time to get to here. Thank you in advance for any further help you may be able to provide.

And if I could ask just one more thing. I have never wanted to be famous. But I would like, if just this once, to be heard.

If you have found anything in this post that compels you to share it, I ask that you do.

Make it go viral like Kim Kardashian’s famous sex tape.

Share it like your life (and ours) depends on it.

And I promise to keep bringing the words. I thank you for your eyes upon them.

Sincerely and humbly,

Sandra Lynn

Please note: if you are a current client reading this, thank you. We are reaching out to clients, vendors, debtors, as we can, to reassure and assess. We will be in touch. If you are interested in body contouring, please find your way to me. Even if you aren’t close by, I will consult with you and help you find a smart technology contouring place near you. And if you just want to know more about our story, please don’t hesitate to ask - in this moment, I am full of wanting to share, especially if it means we get to keep doing what we love for even one more day.

Cheers.