Uptown or downtown? Dr. Barbara Sturm is betting on both.
The brand founder has opened two new spas in New York, one uptown on Madison Avenue and one downtown in SoHo. According to Sturm, it’s a natural evolution of pre-coronavirus pop-up spas and the brand’s ongoing focus on education.
“Before COVID[-19] we created pop-up spas, which we held sometimes 18 times a year,” Sturm told WWD in an email. “We started a lot of online platforms to communicate with our patients and provide them with education. That now translates to our spas and boutiques, educational treatment centers where the Sturm world can be experienced, because after COVID[-19] everybody wants to experience in-person interactions — digital is fantastic, but it’s not a replacement for real life. You can’t get a facial online.”
Each location is tailored to different types of consumers. The SoHo spa “blends into the hectic life of SoHo, the client has less time to spend with you so they are looking for quick treatments and express results,” Sturm said, while the Madison Avenue site “has the look and feel of going to see the doctor” given the clinical scope of that location’s offerings.
The treatment menus have also expanded to include Sturm’s new professional range, the Exosometic Collection. “I’ve been researching exosomes for over 20 years,” she said. “They are shortcuts to healthy cell duplication and help with the signaling between cells, encouraging regeneration for healthy, youthful and firmer skin.”