A Vision For The Future

How Karen Wischmann and Total Woman Gym & Day Spa are Revolutionizing the Way Women View Fitness

Karen Wischmann, president and CEO of Total Woman Gym & Day Spa, is someone who doesn’t shrink from the responsibilities that come with leadership and growth. In fact, one might venture to say that these roles hold a sort of comfort for her. At any rate, it’s clear that Wischmann is someone who believes wholeheartedly in the power of fitness to change lives and knows that great corporations are always built around the people who are responsible for making a collective dream become reality. “I truly believe that physical fitness can positively change everything about a person—the way she looks and feels, her energy and overall health, the list goes on and on,” she says. “I believe everyone should be involved in a fitness program; it’s embedded in my DNA!”

And she should know. Wischmann has spent more than 16 years working with some of the most successful clubs in the fitness industry, including 24 Hour Fitness, where she was one of the first women to hold the title of district manager, and Gold’s Gym International, where she was the vice president of Sales and Operations for more than 40 locations. Over the years, Wischmann has learned a thing or two about best practices, and she’s also figured out how to get things accomplished—even when the going gets tough. This unique set of skills, combined with her passion for changing people’s lives and extensive experience in managing multiple clubs, made her the natural choice to lead Total Woman to new heights when the company was purchased from its founders by a Los Angeles-based private equity firm in 2007.

A RICH HISTORY

The company’s beginnings date back to 1968, when its visionary founder, Art Stone, began his first health club with a single location, called World for Women, in West LA. The idea came to him while he was the owner of 11 successful beauty salons in the Los Angeles area. He discovered that his primarily female clientele continually spoke about wanting the pampering of an exclusive day spa combined with easy access to a regular fitness regimen. In addition, they wanted these facilities to be for women only and to be housed in a neat package under one roof.

Stone’s first location was a women-only fitness club that also offered massage services and a health food café—a combination that proved to be exactly what his clientele had been looking for. In 1983, his wife, Adrienne Stone, joined the team. Together they began expanding the successful concept to incorporate a full-service day spa, eventually changing the name to Total Woman Gym & Day Spa and growing to seven California locations. Today, the Stones serve as board members and continue to provide guidance for the company with their vision.

“Art and Adrienne worked very hard to duplicate the same high standards and unique character that make our gyms unique,” says Wischmann. “Art took his time choosing great locations and finding high quality materials at bargain prices, while Adrienne threw herself into designing every inch of the spectacular look and feel of our clubs and spas.” This intense personal involvement by the founders gave members access to affordable luxury and was key in creating an identity that makes the company stand out from the crowd.

Today, Total Woman Gym & Day Spas have become women-only health boutiques with full-service day spas attached. The facilities are mid-sized at 12,000 square feet and are divided into three unique areas: A health club, a day spa and a boutique. The health club area houses cardio and strength equipment, group fitness rooms, a Pilates room, a kid’s club and an upscale locker room that includes a whirlpool, sauna and steam room. The day spas contain a separate reception area, six to eight treatment rooms and a separate locker room. The boutiques offer retail items that are appealing to women and are located in the lobbies of the clubs, extending into the day spas.

“We have all of the amenities that a woman could want in a fitness center…”

GETTING READY FOR GROWTH

One of the most important tasks in front of Wischmann when she joined the team in late 2007 was to prepare the company for growth. “We were extremely paper heavy at that time and had not been exposed to many of the new technologies that are available to make operating efficiencies more productive,” she says. “We spent the first six months working with our club management software provider, Club Systems, to implement new systems in the areas of member management, accounting and payroll.”

Next, she focused on creating and implementing a sales system that would allow team members to efficiently record, report and follow up on membership, personal training and spa sales. This was necessary to establish a more effective sales environment, allow them to track goals and standardize the systems for all locations. “We also implemented integrity pricing,” Wischmann says. “We know our current monthly rates are worth the value that our members receive, and now we don’t have to worry about our members getting upset if they learn someone else received a better deal!”

On the marketing side, there was an immediate need to strengthen the image of the brand, so Wischmann began working to build a campaign that would truly represent what Total Woman is all about. “Our unique concept is like nothing you have ever seen,” she says. “We have all of the amenities that a woman could want in a fitness center, including the exclusivity of a women-only gym, but our full-service day spas and boutique elements give our gyms the upscale look and feel of a five-star day spa.”  To get this message across to the club’s targeted demographic, which is mainly mature, adult women, Wischmann began including photos of the clubs on every marketing piece and stressed that the first location opened in 1968 to demonstrate longevity. In addition, Wischmann says Total Woman is making it clear that, although the clubs are luxurious, membership is affordable—a message that is supported by its policy of integrity pricing, which she says allows the staff to avoid having to shout a bunch of confusing offers at potential new members.

The design aspect and development side of each new location was the final challenge Wischmann faced in getting the company ready to expand. “I had to create a Design Specifications Guidelines Book that would allow us to reproduce our product efficiently and cost effectively,” she says. “The Stones had done a wonderful job with each location but were very hands-on, so we needed to systematize the process.” To accomplish this, she spent six months working closely with an architect and a designer, who had been handpicked by Adrienne Stone, compiling standards that allow them to easily recreate the Total Woman experience.

TEAMWORK, TEAMWORK, TEAMWORK

When discussing the clubs, Wischmann makes it clear that she truly believes in the value her employees bring to the table. “At the end of the day, the employees are the ones running the everyday details of the company,” she says. “I might be calling the plays, but they are the ones executing them.”  When it comes to being an effective leader to more than 700 women, she says it’s all about fairness, understanding, caring, trust and being clear on what she wants in order to make them all feel valued by the company. “I care about our members and staff, and when I came here I simply asked them to let me prove it,” she says. “That’s my baseline, and I’ve learned that they’ll work even harder once they believe it.”

When opening new locations, Wischmann says, the spirit of the staff is one of the most difficult things to replicate, so the company is actively looking for qualified women to become part of the team for the upcoming expansion. “We have more than 50 employees at every location, so we can’t just grow organically,” she shares. The strong company culture, combined with a bond of sisterhood that develops between members and employees, makes it a popular place to work and helps to explain the company’s low staff turnover rates. To keep the company culture healthy, Total Woman holds a monthly meeting for all managers (currently around 45 women) and also gives out a variety of awards in recognition of hard work. “Our ladies will kill themselves to be No. 1,” she says. “Many people don’t realize how competitive women can be behind the scenes!”

NEW HORIZONS

Total Woman currently has 10 locations, making it the largest full-service women-only gym and day spa in California. The company will soon be moving into new markets that possess a similar psychographic to that which is found in Southern California—a decision that has been partially aided by information from members who have moved away.  “Our members know what we offer and are very loyal and committed to our clubs,” says Wischmann. “So when a long-time former member tells us to take a look at a certain market, we are apt to do so.”

When it comes to the current economy, the company has been staying focused on what made it great to begin with and not panicking or trying to make money only for the short term. Instead, Wischmann says, Total Woman is focused on strengthening core competencies, “I believe that you should always ask three questions if you want to make decisions that are in the best interest of the club: First, is it good for the members? Second, is it good for the employees? And third, is it good for the company?”

KEYS TO SUCCESS:

• REFINE your sales approach to eliminate the hard sell – you don’t need it if you convince people they are making a crucial decision to better their lives by joining your club.

• VALUE your employees. Without them, you couldn’t accomplish anything.

• DECIDE what your club is all about and stick to it. Don’t try new things that could damage your brand’s image without doing due diligence.

• MARKET yourself wisely. Image is everything, so make sure the image you are projecting adequately represents what your clubs are really like.

• CONSIDER implementing integrity pricing. This can help focus your sales team and build trust with members.

• PLAN carefully before opening multiple locations. It is imperative to ensure that your standards will be the same, even down to the smallest details.

• CONSULT with members and non-members from the community and employees. They can tell you how to improve your club, if you’re willing to listen.