Riversong Spa rubs its clients the right way

When Frances and Greg Vadner opened Riversong Spa and Salon in Jefferson City in 1998, it was the area’s only day spa.

Today, it is one of several spas — including a new Riversong Spa in Columbia — but one thing hasn’t changed.

“I’m still a hands-on, touchy/feely kind of person who hasn’t completely embraced the computer world,” Frances Vadner said, explaining her handwritten business profile submitted as Riversong’s nomination for Small Business of the Year.

Riversong is one of four finalists in the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual competition.

After spending 14 years in hospital social work, Vadner opened Riversong in 1998. As the Riversong Web site notes, Vadner wanted to be more involved in wellness than illness.

Since Riversong’s opening, the number of people receiving spa services has skyrocketed — including men. When Riversong first opened, only 1 percent of its customers were men. Today, the figure is 7 percent, compared with the national average of 31 percent, according to the 2006 Consumer Trends Report of the International Spa Association.

The increase in the number of men receiving spa services illustrates how Riversong has been getting the message out that spa treatments such as massages, wraps and dips are a good thing for both women and men.
“We have made ‘massage,’ ‘facial’ and ‘pedicure’ household words,” Vadner said.

The company has grown as a result, going from three employees when the Jefferson City spa opened to a staff of 16 today. In Columbia, after opening in May 2005, the Forum Boulevard spa now has a staff of 13.

“We’ve brought a whole new service to the area and we’ve done well financially. The Jefferson City community has embraced us,” Vadner said.
Riversong offers a myriad of services including seven different kinds of massages, in addition to more typical salon fare such as hairstyling. The list of spa services includes facials, pedicures, manicures, wraps and glows, as well as a number of offerings under the heading of chocolate paradise with a chocolate wrap, buff, pedicure, manicure, dip and massage.
“Chocolate-scented services are a special indulgence, special pampering that’s over the top,” Vadner said.

Riversong’s clients range in age from 6 to 86 and are from many different backgrounds, Vadner said. In 2005, Vadner remodeled the Jefferson City spa and added a couple’s room, so a husband and wife can get services such as massages on separate tables but in the same room. Because of the popularity of the couple’s room in Jefferson City, when Riversong opened the Columbia location it included a couple’s room there as well.

And that’s the key to the spa experience versus a salon — privacy and relaxation. As Vadner put it, a salon is high energy, bustling and blow dryers. In contrast, she said, “We’re located in a century-old German home with stained glass windows and beautiful antiques that create a homey feeling that everyone loves.” The result is a sense of serenity, peace and privacy, as Vadner puts it, a healthy, relaxing atmosphere.

In short, that’s why Vadner says Riversong qualifies for the title of Small Business of the Year: “We make Jefferson City feel good.”

Riversong Spa & Salon (573) 447-9772
2100 Forum, Suite C, Columbia, MO 65203
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.