In 2001 when young, inspirational businesswomen Melanie Gleeson and Belinda Fraser were looking for a name for their first day spa, they wanted something that was unique, beauty-oriented and quintessentially Australian. Someone suggested the indigenous Australian word for ‘beautiful’; and so began the ‘endota’ story.
Melanie and Belinda started endota after indentifying a gap in the Australian beauty market. They could see that women wanted to go to the one place for waxing, manis, pedis, spray tanning, facials, massage and body treatments. They wanted a sublime, contemporary, relaxed spa environment. But they also wanted to feel confident that they would walk out with results.
endota spa would fill that gap, and along the way become the largest spa network in Australia. There are now 70 endota spa locations; at least one in every state and territory.
endota uses all natural and certified organic all-Australian ingredients. This helps to protect Australian waterways, Australian land and Australian skins from chemicals and pesticides. 1% of all organic skin care sales are donated to Bush Heritage Australia to help preserve unique Australian land, wildlife and waterways.
endota’s strong environmental philosophy is a direct reflection of Melanie and Belinda’s personal beliefs. The endota founders went to the same high school – a school whose motto was ‘respect for self, respect for others and respect for the environment’.
Driven by this philosophy, Melanie and Belinda were determined that their business would open up opportunities for endota women to determine their own financial destinies. Their first goal was to lift the confidence of therapists; ensuring that they could take pride in their work and experience a fulfilling career. endota now lead the spa industry for training and education; with a comprehensive, in-house training program, and a strong partnership with Elly Lukas Beauty School.
Their next goal was to establish a franchise model that would make it easy for women to own their own businesses, and benefit from the support of a female-oriented network. Today, 77% of endota’s 77 franchisees are women. 72% work in partnerships, allowing them the flexibility to structure their work lives around their family responsibilities.
endota, Melanie and Belinda are strong champions of the local Australian beauty industry. At a time when many local businesses are suffering from the effects of global competition, and an inability to compete with big, global brands, endota is going from strength to strength. Revenue in endota spas climbed 11% over the past year. New endota spas continue to open bi-monthly, and endota therapists are regularly recognised and awarded for their achievements.
In Australia, endota is now THE spa brand to be reckoned with. Melanie and Belinda have absolutely no doubt that this success is a direct result of the faith, time and education they invest in Australian Beauty Industry people. And hundreds of thousands of ahhh-inspired endota clients Australia-wide clearly agree.
