Day Escape Spa Attracting Hundreds of Health Conscious Customers

Entrepreneur Creates Busy Local Connection to Booming Spa Trend

July 15, 2005
By: Dave Rogers

You can get on the SpaFinder Magazine website and find the Day Escape Salon & Spa.

Or you may access the SpaWish website and find information about Judy Bukowski's array of services.

Then again, you may just want to drive to 1311 S.Farragut St., or stop at the Forget-Me-Not Bridal Mall at 711 Washington Ave., both in Bay City, and see for yourself what a spa is like.

While the 1,200 square foot downtown mall location just opened in April, the Farragut Street spa has beenopen nearly six years, said Mrs. Bukowski, tidying up the brochure table at her fastidiously clean 3,000 square foot spa.

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"It's the best kept secret in Bay City," said Mrs. Bukowski, who has taken a 30-year career as a hair stylist into new dimensions. "She describes her staff as "a professional beauty team."

Customers can not onlyget their hair done in the traditional manner, they can get facial treatments, massage, body wrap treatments, manicures and pedicures, nailcare, waxing/hair removal and water therapy.

You may sip a cool health drink at the cafe, take a steam shower, or have a group party on the deck at the Day Escape. Or you may buy hair products or gifts at this multi-faceted local spa.

Illustrating how sophisticated the service menu has become is the fact that the Day Escape offers a "Peppermint Twist" pedicure ($45-very energizing uplifting) or a "Heavenly Paraffin Dip" ($12--with hands or feet massage).

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Body treatmentsinclude those using seaweed, chocolate fondue wrap or salt glow. The latter "gets rid of all the dry skin," remarks Mrs. Bukowski. How about a marguerita pedicure done with limes and hot rocks?

You get the picture, but it's something you have to experience personally to really appreciate.

More and more people are finding the spa, many through the national magazine websites on the Internet. Mrs. Bukowski reports her client base has gone from about 1,000 in 1999 to an estimated 18,000 today. She is gaining about 130 new clients a month, exclaiming: "It keeps building". While the Internet provides about a third of the growth in the customer base, the rest is generated by "word of mouth" advertising, she says.

The driving power is a nationwide trend toward increased use of spa services because of the health benefits of relaxation and "pampering," she says.

The spa attracts "a lot of travelers," observes Mrs. Bukowski, and customers from around the area, like Frankenmuth, Sebewaing, Gladwin, Saginaw and Midland. Most, of course, are women; but there are some men who may get a minicure or get a massage from a male therapist, Dimitry Pruitt, who is a graduate of the BayShire Massage Academy in Bay City.

The local spa participates as an American Cancer Society wig bank. As a community service, the spa gives out two wigs to each cancer patient every two years. She sees about two new cancer patients each week.

The booking of birthday parties and bridal and bachelorette parties is growing, according to Mrs. Bukowski. Corporate groups also are joining in the spa experience.

Contact: Judy Bukowski: www.thedayescape.com or 989-891-0200 on Farragut or 891-0220 in the bridal mall.###