Left to right: Renee and Paul Groshko and Allison and Emily Langenderfer at the opening of Groshko’s second Spavia location.
Raised on a dairy farm in Texas, Paul Groshko literally crossed the ocean on his career journey after a 25-year stint with supermarket chain Safeway. Following several years in Japan where he helped develop Starbucks, anyone else might have considered retirement after a fulfilling career. Not Groshko. Now living in Chicago, he’ll soon open his second Spavia location.
“I’m continuing to work with leaders who care,” said Groshko. “They’re bringing in some great franchisees, and the innovation that we are in and moving towards makes me really excited for the future.”
Founded in 2005 by Allison and Marty Langenderfer, day spa brand Spavia emphasizes the customer experience, such as by having customers fill out a questionnaire before they visit to ensure they receive optimal care. With more than 50 units, the brand has steadily grown while offering a wide range of services, including massages, facials and beauty treatments in a relaxing atmosphere.
Spavia was an attractive franchise for Groshko due to its focus on a client’s personal experience.
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While at Safeway, where he was a district manager with several locations in the Washington, D.C. area, Groshko said the company left on him a “people first” impression through its support of unionized employees and its impact on the community. That service mentality carried Groshko through his career.
After the decades with Safeway, a mentor presented Groshko with an unusual opportunity: to help develop Starbucks in Tokyo. Groshko, “thought for about 20 seconds and said yeah, I’m in.”
His wife, on the other hand, had some reservations.
“She was a resounding, ‘Hell no’,” he said. “Six months later, we woke up in Meguro in the west end and we were there for a number of years.”
Being in Japan, Starbucks took a different approach to customer service, something Groshko took with him when he left the company. He noticed the amount of showmanship that went into making the drinks, as well as the different café experience with more sit-down options. The focus on customer experience was a business aspect Groshko enjoyed, one that later impacted his choice of franchise.
He stayed with Starbucks for three years before returning to the United States to retire. Soon after, Groshko began to get restless. And he knew why.
“I need a purpose,” he said. “I’m the guy that’s got a T-shirt that says, ‘Too many books, too little time,’ the guy that runs the marathons.”
He knew he wanted to make a community impact while focusing on the customer first and decided to research various franchises. Spavia stood out to him because of the brand’s emphasis on the customer experience. After speaking with the Langenderfers, he grew more excited about the brand.
“I was like, ‘This cake isn’t even in the oven yet and they’ve got so many things lined up for this business to be successful that I just want to be a part of it,’” he said.
Even though Spavia was smaller at the time, Groshko saw the numbers the units were producing, which showed a strong and stable brand. Average gross sales for locations open more than 36 months were just over $1 million in 2021, according to the most recent available franchise disclosure document.
Cutting the ribbon in celebration of Groshko’s second location, which opened this year.
He noted the corporate team also had strong ideas and innovations that he didn’t see in other similar concepts.
He opened his first location in 2015 in Chicago’s Lincoln Park and this spring added his second, in the city’s West Loop. With the unit growth, Groshko said he’s looking forward to building his team, something that over his 40-year career he discovered he loves doing.
“I’m thrilled to have an experience within the four walls that’s really customized and creates more of a journey for our guests,” said Groshko. “It’s fun and I have a great time every day.”