“DWELL TIME,” airport terminology for the amount of time a passenger spends waiting at the airport before or between flights, has increased significantly since 9/11. In 2007, dwell time for passengers at JFK was a whopping 136 minutes. The silver lining to this phenomenon is that airports are now becoming more like malls, with better food, shopping and personal amenities.
This is great news for entrepreneurs like Marisol Binn—in 2003, she and her husband, Moreton, launched XpresSpa, a chain of 34 airport spas across the United States and around the world. There used to be a Phillip Morris smoking lounge at JFK Terminal One, and after New York State banned smoking in public areas, the Binns leased that smoking lounge and started a trend that “turned unhealthy habits into healthy ones,” explains Marisol. XpresSpa offers massages, manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials, reflexology—the list is endless.
Today, the company continues its growth, with plans to have a total of 40 full-service spas worldwide by December 2011. Some of the newer stores will be co-branded with Regis Corporation, a multibillion-dollar New York Stock Exchange firm. The first XpresSpa/Regis partnership will be in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, offering hair styling, shampoo and blow-outs, plus haircuts and shaving for men. XpresSpa is the award-winning, number-one specialty retail and service brand offered exclusively at airports.
Airports are asking XpresSpa to open two or three locations at a time. Currently New York’s JFK has six; LaGuardia, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol have two; San Francisco is slated to have four; and the list grows.
They carry a wide selection of XpresSpa-branded travel and spa-related products in addition to their branded line of facial and skincare products. All services are given in the Signature Massage Lounger, where customers can recline, relax and enjoy the experience.
XpresSpa is a haven for weary passengers. “In this fast-paced world, people need to recharge,” says Moreton. XpresSpa’s most popular treatment is the foot massage, which is offered in increments of 10 to 45 minutes. “If you get a good foot massage, it has an effect on your whole body,” says Marisol.
In fact, it might be too good. Clients sometimes doze off and need a gentle reminder that the treatment is over and their plane is boarding.
