These interviews are part of a series that highlights new hires within the industry. Have you recently started a new role or do you know someone who has? Submit your ideas to kassidy.tarala@tigeroak.com.
Pamela Maes, Ali Nicholson and Alexis Kerrigan were recently hired as spa director, lead therapist and assistant spa director of the Mirbeau Inn & Spa Rhinebeck.
1. What are you looking forward to the most in your new role?
Pamela Maes: I am grateful for the opportunity to incorporate our incredible Mirbeau hospitality in a new setting. Mirbeau Inn and Spa Rhinebeck will be a sanctuary for guests to escape from daily stresses as well as create valuable memories during their visit. I can’t wait to help this vision become reality at another location.
Ali Nicholson: I’m looking forward to bringing a new set of massage therapists, aestheticians & nail technicians into our Mirbeau family! We’re a classic brand that is going to fit perfectly into Rhinebeck’s, already thriving, community. Mirbeau is an amazing company, that takes care of their employees, and I’m excited to show our new spa team exactly what we’re about.
Alexis Kerrigan: I am looking forward to seeing the type of clientele that our property brings in! Getting to know the clientele is one of my favorite parts of this job. I am also very excited to experience a management role and training my staff to feel confident and empowered in their positions.
2. How do you think past experiences have prepared you for this role?
PM: My previous background as an esthetician as well as the Spa Director at Mirbeau Inn and Spa Skaneateles has provided a diverse and in depth background of spa operations and management. It takes a lot of passionate and caring people to make a spa exceptional!
AN: I’ve been a massage therapist for 13 years (a lot of those years were at Mirbeau!) and I have had many experiences at many different spas & resorts. I’ve also taught at a massage school in Syracuse, NY. I’m hoping that my education background, passion for massage therapy and knowledge of other spas will help me lead our team to success.
AK: This new role is a very exciting one for me! I have had experience with high-end med spas and salons which has introduced me to different operations and different types of clientele. When I started at Mirbeau I was able to reflect on my past spa experiences and found that it was a very easy transition because of this. At Mirbeau I started as a spa desk associate, moved to a supervisor role and then very quickly to assistant spa director all in one year! I have truly started at the bottom and worked my way up. I feel as though this growth gives me a lot of perspective while training my staff because not too long ago, I was in their shoes. I am grateful to have been able to work with many different managers throughout the years in this industry. Each manager has given me an idea of how I want to manage someday and now I get the chance to put everything I have learned together to be the best manager I can be for my staff.
3. How did you get into the industry?
PM: I picked up a spa industry magazine in a waiting room and was hooked ever since. I decided that I wanted be more actively involved in beauty and wellness and dedicated my professional development to making a positive effect on people.
AN: I got into this industry soon after I graduated high school. I was reared in a holistic environment, where chiropractic care, energy healing & all things natural, were the norm. As a young athlete, my mom brought me for my first massage when I was 15 or 16, and I fell in love with it. I wanted to be the person who laid their hands on someone & was able to heal & relax them. I’m so happy I had that experience at such a young age, and that I’m still just as passionate about it as when I was in massage school.
AK: Everyone has an idea of what they want to be when they grow up. I was never too sure, but I knew that I wanted to help and make people happy. My mom always tells me that when I was in kindergarten during parent teacher conferences, my teacher said, “Alexis is doing ok in class however she spends a little too much time going around the entire room to each person making sure they’re doing ok”. I love this story because that has stayed with me for my entire life. My love for helping people pushed me to go into the medical field. I received my bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology with hopes to further my education in physical therapy. In addition to being a full time student I was also working at a med spa as a spa desk associate part time, this is where I fell in love with the spa industry. I found myself working more and more hours because I genuinely loved what I was doing. I did leave the spa I was working at to pursue a job in my field, but it only took me one year to realize I needed to get back to the spa because that is what I was good at. Making people happy, helping people who are going through a tough time, making sure every guest feels completely cared for. Without realizing it right away, I finally found where I was meant to be.
4. What are you hoping to achieve in your new role?
PM: I am inspired by the new ideas of environmental responsibility in the spa setting. I am excited to infuse this into our practices to be more efficient and earth friendly.
AN: I‘m looking forward to learning even more about the spa industry! I’d like to be a role model to other therapists & spa workers. It’s an amazing atmosphere to work in, and I look forward to continuing to meet new people, help more guests with self care, to grow as a massage therapist and to, eventually, be a bigger part of Mirbeau.
AK: My focus in this new role is on spreading positive energy not just to our guests but to our staff as well. I want to create a positive space where everyone feels welcome and is ready to come in to work to give their absolute best effort in making sure that our guests receive the upmost care. We are most certainly all going to have bad days, but maintaining a positive environment helps us to push through the moments that may not be ideal.
5. What do you enjoy most about the industry?
PM: The evolution and accessibility. Spa life has evolved to become tangible and local. More people are becoming aware of the benefits of a spa and the need to relax from daily stresses. Now you can also have an amazing spa experience without traveling long distances!
AN: I think what I enjoy most about the spa industry is seeing my guests face after their service. Whether my guest received a massage, a scrub or one of our amazing Kurs, their glowing face, slower pace and their smile at the end of the service is such a warming thing to see. I love to make someone’s day, and there’s no better place to do that, than at the spa.
AK: The spa industry is ever changing and that is one thing I enjoy the most! There are always new treatments, product lines, techniques, retail opportunities, the list goes on! There is also something to say about the therapists you work with along the way. There is something so genuine about massage therapists, nail technicians and estheticians. They truly are healers with an energy unlike anything else, being able to work with these talented people is one of my favorite parts about working in the industry.
