Spas to blossom in Punjab

LIFESTYLE: Beauty specialist Blossom Kochhar to roll out 200 spas to pamper the Indian middle class.

India's nascent spa industry is attracting new players. After spas for the well-heeled "" such as Ananda in the Himalayas (at Narendranagar in Uttarakhand), Amatra in Delhi and Kaya Kalp in Agra among others "" it is time for spa facilities to target the great Indian middle class. Little surprise, then, that veteran beauty specialist Blossom Kochhar is getting ready to pamper the middle class consumer by rolling out 200 spas across the country in the next two years.

To be named after her, the first outlet, a day spa, will open in Panchkula shortly. The chain will then enter Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Pathankot. "We will consolidate our operations in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal before going pan India," said Blossom Kochhar. Opening luxury spas is also on the radar, though these will be restricted to the tier one towns.

The new spa chain is an offshoot of Kochhar's beauty management business including manufacturing and export of herbal cosmetics through she will tap tier two and tier three towns. The spa chain will have three categories "" day spas (the economy version), spa lounge (with more services than the economy spa) and the luxury spas, which will come up in resorts and shopping malls.

The day spas will offer no frills services to unwind the mind and body through massages, wraps, packs and scrubs. Rejuvenation services at these will range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. Kochhar will open these spas in rented accommodations to keep costs under control.

Kochhar said that while a day spa would require an investment of Rs 30 lakh, a luxury spa outlet would require Rs 75 lakh to Rs 80 lakh to set up. Her business plan includes expanding the chain via the franchise model.

The beautician is also firm on expanding her education business and will open the Blossam Kochhar College of Creative Arts in Chandigarh shortly. Besides, she is ready to upgrade her manufacturing facility in Baddi, where she makes her "aroma therapy" beauty products. The plan is to convert the facility into fully automative plant to speed up operations.

Kochhar said that her overseas expansion in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Malaysia was underway.