2002 Arizona Spa Girls Founded
Arizona Spa Girls (AZSpaGirls.com) was launched as Arizona’s first-ever guide to the spas that dotted the landscape at the time. The idea came to the founder when she visited a spa for the very first time and was struck square on the forehead by a light bulb (ahhh, enlightenment!). She realized that the typical view of spas being for the wealthy and self-indulgent was completely false and that instead, it was a place where “normal” hard-working career women, full-time moms and even men (yes, men!) could de-stress.
2003 Spa Deals Take Off
In keeping with the mission of making the spa experience more accessible to the general public, Arizona Spa Girls launched “Red Hot Specials,” a new section completely dedicated to mining out the best salon and spa deals across Arizona.
2004 National Media Take Notice
Dubbed a “chatty, informal guide to Arizona spas,” The Wall Street Journal featured the site as a top resource for scouting out relaxation spots. Arizona Spa Girls was also featured in bizAZ, Scottsdale Life and the Phoenix Business Journal as fun, new informational guide to beauty and wellness.
2005 Spa Message Takes Flight
2006 Summer Spaaah Series Launched
With another slow, sleepy summer around the corner, the founder teamed up with a local women’s networking group to launch a series of “spa parties” that brought business to local spas and salons while supporting her mission to educate area residents on the health benefits of the spa experience and support a local charity. More at SummerSpaSeries.com.
2007 Summer Spaaah Wins Event of the Year
The Summer Spaaah Series named the 2007 Event of the Year by International Festivals and Events Association-endorsed APS AzTEC Awards (for events under 20K participants). The series was also honored by the Phoenix New Times as the “Best Way to Get Pampered For a Good Cause” and has since racked up accolades with numerous press outlets. Read all about it!
Arizona Spa Girls celebrates five years as Arizona’s insider source to all things beauty and wellness with spa industry professionals and media.
2008 Featured Phoenix Magazine Cool Issue
The founder was honored along with other Valley area innovators as one of the coolest people in Phoenix for her work as the “Spastress” in Phoenix Magazine.
2009 Girlfriend Getaways Book Published
Arizona Spa Girls founder commissioned to write The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Girlfriend Getaways for the Penguin Group. At the heart of the book is the message to inspire busy women to plan that long overdue vacation with their friends. Not surprisingly, the book has one very big fat spa chapter.
The 2009 Summer Spaah season brought another series of APS AzTec awards including Outstanding Partner (Whole Foods Market), Outstanding Media Partner (Phoenix Magazine) and Best Color Print Ad.
Arizona Spa Girls produces their first-ever print project, the SpaBound Summer Passport. Part glossy, part coupon book, the SpaBound Summer Passport was an upscale print product with exclusive clip-and-go special offers from luxury spas and salons throughout greater Phoenix and Scottsdale. Sprinkled with entertaining and informative spa lifestyle articles, each page of the coffee table quality book paints an enticing picture of the rich spa and salon landscape that defines the Valley of the Sun.
2010 National News Media Features
Arizona Spa Girls founder interviewed by ABC News Marysol Castro on “How to Spa” on location at the Golden Door Spa in Carefree, AZ.
Founder interviewed by Martha Stewart Living Radio host Betsy Karetnick and guest host Sunny Anderson on spa etiquette.
2011 Summer Spaaah Celebrates 5 Years
Since 2006, the AZ Spa Girls team has coordinated close to 50 Summer Spaaah Series events throughout the hottest months of the summer to keep the industry alive and raised more than $50,000 for Fresh Start Women’s Foundation.
Arizona Spa Girls was also featured in Women’s Day as a spa guide to the “best of the West” in a girlfriend getaways feature story.