Naturopathica is doubling down on physical expansion and its signature treatments, specifically those for oncology relief.
Through the rest of the year, the brand, which just opened its TriBeCa spa at the Nexus Club in New York City, is launching a residency spa at The Colony Hotel Palm Beach, highlighting its signature oncology services and inking a treatment partnership with Mount Sinai.
The high octane, botanical-infused brand, which was founded in 1995 by Barbara Close, has always been focused on its physical presence, as it started with a treatment-centric outpost in East Hampton. Early on, Martha Stewart ran a piece on the brand, leading the business to accelerate. Since then, Naturopathica has expanded nationwide.
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“We now are in around 400 locations,” said Cathy O’Brien, who was appointed chief executive officer in August 2022. “We train them on our protocols, the mission and message of Naturopathica, which is the healing power of touch.”
With this history in mind upon joining the team, O’Brien knew continued physical expansion would be key for the brand’s overall growth. She started by revamping Naturopathica’s Chelsea flagship, and new locations are on the horizon, too, including a recently opened TriBeCa outpost at the Nexus Club, which will also act as a flagship of sorts.
“We have Chelsea and East Hampton and you can test things there. People can go from place to place,” O’Brien said. “Now, we’ve added TriBeCa, so we have a triangle of a space where our therapists can go where they’re needed.”
In terms of broader expansion, Naturopathica is looking to spa partnerships. This November, it will hold a residency at The Colony Palm Beach. “It’s easier when you’ve got a base of more than one location,” O’Brien said, noting the brand is planning to expand in southeastern Florida with one or two spas. “To start we’ll do partnerships and once we see that we’ve built something for ourselves that makes sense, we’ll do a flagship….The smart way to develop slow and steady is to nurture the community and the marketplace first to make sure that people are ready.”
Geographically, O’Brien envisions a West Coast outpost in the future, and is also looking at Texas, particularly for spa partnerships.
With this physical expansion, establishing signature treatments is top of mind.Under O’Brien, Naturopathica has been revamping its service menu to highlight treatments that were previously more need-to-know or weren’t explicitly marketed.
“We’re focusing on how we came to be, which is in our treatments,” said the executive. “Our service menu and our treatment menus have expanded to focus on and include all of these things that we do, we’ve always done, but people haven’t thought about it or talked about it.”
These menu additions include treatments around specific skin concerns like eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis. The brand is also highlighting its oncology services. With the healing power of touch driving the brand’s mission, oncology services have became a key part of Naturopathica’s business.
“It was a natural extension,” O’Brien said. “The business was not conceived around it, but it’s a natural evolution.”
While in the past such services weren’t necessarily highlighted, as the brand doubles down on its signature treatments, oncology relief is a key differentiator. Naturopathica’s menu now includes an array of services created with wellness providers certified in medical massage and lymphatic care for patients undergoing or recovering from treatments. Services include Oncology Relief: Body Restore Ritual, $150; Oncology Relief: Complexion Protection Facial, $150; Oncology Relief: Tension Release Scalp Massage, $50; Oncology Relief: The Helping Hands Massage, $50, and Oncology Relief: Soothing Sole Ritual, $50.
To expand the accessibility of these services, Naturopathica hosts training programs biannually for its spa partners, after which they can become certified in oncology treatments from a third party. Furthermore, the brand is currently working on a treatment partnership with Mount Sinai’s oncology department, which will roll out later this year.
For O’Brien, this is a strategy that will put Naturopathica’s products on the map.
“When awareness happens, things start to move, product starts to move in a different kind of way,” she said. “I see the product piece of this business outpacing over time. It would be natural and healthy for the product aspect of the business to outpace the service.”
According to industry sources, the brand’s current revenue is estimated at $25 million to $30 million annually, and has been experiencing double digit growth this year.