NYC entrepreneur

As a Peruvian immigrant, I was fortunate to arrive to the USA, attend college and never faced discrimination ... until months ago. While working as an architect in New York City, I decided to open my own spa business. I truly found happiness by focusing on wellness and helping others with honesty. My employees were treated as family, my clients as friends and spa guests with so much honesty and respect. I heard upsetting stories the staff experienced on a daily basis, such discriminative insults by neighbors on the streets and on subways; however, I never faced a personal situation myself. My team of twenty members stayed at my business for decades. I found my true happiness focusing on Health and Wellness, being honest to my clients and creating a pleasant work environment between my team.

I could have been financially successful, if I had put my business income first. Choosing what was economically better for the spa's future, was not a solution when it included cutting an employee's hours. This employee was the main source of income of a family of five. I couldn’t make decisions that involved thinking about profits over what was morally acceptable for me as a person. A staff member was at the age of retirement. She still came to work twice a week for almost eight years. We enjoyed seeing her and I don’t believe that she needed the money. She literally wanted the friendship she had with the other ladies at the spa.

I never allowed any kind of discrimination between any of the staff members. I saw each and every employee as an individual character and treated them as such. Working with dozen of women was challenging, but I always managed to create a nice and friendly environment. An old employee who worked as a  massage therapist, changed his career to work for the state. He would stop by on Friday nights to bring some of the girls back home to Queens. Other old employees would always show up once in a while just to say hello. We were a large family. Eventually, my business struggled financially. After consulting with possible business partners, I was told that I couldn’t succeed without investors and a new team of employees. It became clear that I was faced to let go old employees to new staff. I chose to close the business over getting rid of what I had built.

I found happiness in making Serenity Spa NYC a place of joy and good energy. We truly enjoyed going to work every day. It feels good to know I made a difference in so many lives: our spa team, clients and spa guests. Our website www.shopserenityspa.com continues the journey to find health and wellness by advising honest opinions on items to shop online. I created memories that will stay in the minds of so many people and provided wellness advice that hopefully helped them to create a healthy lifestyle. 

Today, I run ShopSerenitySpa at home. I am not a spa owner any longer. I worked at an architecture office for six months. There, I had a discriminating experience ... I though. For the first time, I actually fell embarrassment and discriminated by being an employee. Of course, it was not intensional but to my employer/employee standards the following behavior was not acceptable. As we walked into an elevator, I see both partners ( The two owners of the firm) with their lunch boxes in hands: " so, you two also eat together ? " I added. To my surprise, one responded: "Yes, we sit in the back and talk about all the employees mistakes" he added. I though, they wouldn't have said that if I wasn't Spanish. The partners were probably trying to be funny, but I took it so wrong. It took me months to understand that the partner's response was not discriminating. I was being treated as an employee and I got upset after it hit me that I was not an employer any longer.

I found true happiness by giving wellness to others. It doesn't always work both ways. I expected that as I became an employee, I was to be treated as I did with my employees. I always emphasized that they did all the work while I just managed the business. I asked about their family, there was always a cake for their birthdays and at the end of the year there was always a party to thank them for their hard work. They were the business. I always made them feel proud of their work.

Today, I look back and smile at all those memories that will remain with me forever ... and with the Serenity Spa team and hundred of clients who passed through our store.