At a time when a new organic juice company seems to pop up almost daily, Endota Spas’ holistic approach to beauty and relaxation mightn’t seem that ground-breaking, let alone revolutionary.
But almost two decades ago, when then 26-year-old entrepreneur Melanie Gleeson decided to open one Endota Spa in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, her “wellbeing-focused” beauty business filled a big, gaping hole in the market – one that the Founder and CEO didn’t even realise she was about to close.
Seventeen years after quitting her job as a spa manager to embark on her own business, Gleeson has grown that single spa into 100 around the country, making it the biggest spa network in Australia.
“It was less about a ‘gap in the market’ and more fuelled by my personal beliefs and what I loved,” Gleeson explained.
“While now the consciousness has changed and people are definitely more accepting of wellness as a movement, it had always been part of my existence so I was just doing more of what I loved and I just wanted people to feel good.”
The fact that Gleeson’s network of spas now turns over around $60 million is glaring proof that people are, in fact, feeling very good about what Endota Spas are providing.
Rewind 17 years and success wasn’t so set in stone for the 42-year-old entrepreneur.