f there’s one common thread tying together Depasquale the Spa’s 25 years in business, it’s this: Evolution. From the very beginning, they have always changed with the times and, in many cases, ahead of the times, says Vice President Dee Deluca Mattos, who has been a part of the company in various roles since 1985. President and CEO Carmen Depasquale first opened the business in 1983 as Depasquale Color and Design, with 4,000 square feet and four treatment rooms offering basic massage and facials. In 1996, they took the big leap, transitioning to Depasquale the Spa. This meant focusing on spa treatments in a big way and doubling the total space from 8,000 to 16,000 square feet. “People were looking for a sanctuary to go to, and we were tracking trends and saw a consumer focus that was wellness-oriented,” says Mattos.

Today, that focus continues and Depasquale the Spa is 26,000 square feet, has 177 employees, and sees an average of 2,200 clients a week. It also includes 25 treatment rooms, locker rooms, a large retail space, manicure and pedicure area and even a cosmetic surgeon on the premises —in addition to a large cutting and coloring floor for hair clients. “We offer different services, from medical to corrective services, all in one environment and we look at it as a staircase. Clients stay with us for a very long time and we need to offer those different levels of services,” says Mattos. “Each one supports the other—if you have liposuction done, you come in and get lymphatic drainage first, then get the liposuction, then come back to us and we work on smoothing out the skin. We work hand in hand.”

The area where the spa is located has changed too. The town—an hour outside of New York City—has more than doubled in population since the early 1980s. “The clientele is very well-traveled, very well-off and they’re demanding because they are exposed to the best of things, so we need to be on top of our game,” says Mattos. This is especially true in tough economic times. “We need to continue showing people added value. Maybe they can’t come in for a full facial, but they could come in for a 20-minute eye treatment. You have to adjust for the times,” she says.

real world research
The 23-year-old Avancé brand has been used at Depasquale the Spa for years, and when it went up for sale in 1998, Carmen Depasquale—who wanted to start manufacturing his own products—decided to buy it. Dee Deluca Mattos was a part of the Depasquale team who then spent the next two years working to “give it a face and make it a recognizable brand.” The core ingredients and efficacy have remained the same, but the branding has become more focused—on products that are curative and corrective, and on skin conditions, not skin types. Having the spa for use as an in-house, real-world testing facility has certainly made development of new products stronger. “Nothing goes out into the market until it goes through a complete, practical test pilot,” says Mattos. That includes as least 12 weeks of blind efficacy testing in the spa. Even marketing plans and pieces of the corporate program that are rolled out to other Avancé spas are tested at Depasquale the Spa first. “It would be foolish not to utilize what we have,” she says.

Therapists: Maria Lomuscio,
senior esthetician and educator for Cures
Spa: Depasquale the Spa in Morris Plains, New Jersey
Products: Cures by Avancé
Snapshot: For clients seeking a more customized facial, this treatment can be modified to offer skin enhancing solutions to a variety of skin types and conditions.
Contraindications: None
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $85-$115
Recommended home care: Morning: Gentle Cleansing Milk, Sea Mist Toner, and Age Defying Moisturizer or Wrinkle Preventor. Evening: Gentle Cleansing Milk, Sea Mist Toner and Age Defying Moisturizer. Once a week: Algae Deep Pore Cleanser.