Early Years
Tardif learned of her mother’s diagnosis
on June 21, 1991, the same day she
signed the lease for her retail and
esthetic center. Then called Body Sense,
the spa occupied a mere 750-square-foot
space.
“The way my mother handled her
fight gave me the inspiration to go forth
and follow my dream, and her strength,
conviction, persistence and faith in me
ignited my vision to become a reality,”
she says.
Tardif wanted to bring much of the
Eastern philosophy she had studied to
the spa world, creating a business that
has blazed a trail in alternative therapy,
nutrition, exercise and meditation. Back
then, few businesses looked at their
clients’ overall wellness, mental as well
as physical health.
“We have developed a true ‘wellness
relationship’ with our clients, many of
whom have been with us since we first
opened our doors,” she says. “We
nourish a professional relationship by
delivering quality care which has
“We all have heard
that ‘the Chinese
symbol for crisis is
composed of two
characters: one for
opportunity, the
other for danger.’”
achieved great client retention, even to
the point that we now treat many of our
original clients’ children and extended
families. No loyalty program can
compete with that.”
Learning from a Mentor
She credits having a great teacher, one
who inspired her to chase her dreams, as
the other reason that motivated her to
open the spa located in Beverly,
Massachusetts. At cosmetology school,
which she attended at least partly to
accompany a friend, Tardif met Gilbert
DAWN TARDIF
President
BodiScience Wellness Center & Spa
Beverly, Masachussetts
Gallant who gave her a deeper understanding of the inner-workings of the spa
industry.
“He would tell me that my approach
to the business of health and beauty was
unique. It was not until I graduated and
heard about spas that I finally put all the
pieces together. Creating a business
based on different business principles is
what Gilbert was trying to tell me,” she
recalls.
Equipped with the knowledge, she
applied all the learnings to her business,
which eventually grew in size. In 2005,
BodiScience moved to a 3,800-squarefoot space that now has a much larger
retail center and seven treatment rooms.
The rooms comprised of a couples/yoga
room, transition room, esthetic/massage
rooms, employee area, nail/chair massage
and a private space for consultations.
The spa went through a rebranding in
2013, introducing a new name and logo
(Bodhi-tree), which signifies a safe and
December 2015
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PULSE 15