Born from the NorCal SPA Alliance, the new Pacific Spa Alliance sets a higher standard for connection, inclusion, and conscious leadership across the West Coast spa community. We spoke with co-founder Karen Ray to learn more.
What gap did you see in the West Coast spa community that led you to create the Pacific Spa Alliance?
After five years of growing NorCal SPA Alliance, we saw that a strong sense of community is vital to the success of a regional alliance. We felt that the West Coast needed a formalized alliance that could bring together spa professionals and vendors in a meaningful way. We created PSA to offer events, speakers and most importantly, a sense of connection, belonging, and community.
Was there a pivotal moment or conversation that catalyzed the formation of the Alliance?
Karen Ray
About four years into building NorCal SPA, the original founders (Tara Grodjesk, Alison Abbott, and myself) began discussing the next evolution for the volunteer organization. At that point, I was the only one who felt they could commit the time and energy to growing a new business. I reached out to Kimberly DiVico, a long time NorCal member, to join me. Kimberly and I are completely aligned in our philosophies of community, and complement each other’s skills very well.
You speak about fostering a sense of belonging—what does that look like in practice, and why is it so vital in today’s spa landscape?
Whether in the spa industry, or in your local community, a sense of belonging is what connects and inspires us to be part of something bigger. In today’s spa landscape, knowing that there are colleagues who can relate to the day-to-day operational challenges of running a spa, provides reassurance and a supportive network. We’re already seeing how much members value being part of the alliance—their feedback continues to affirm our mission of building community.
“I’d like to see more focus on how spa professionals can practice and prioritize self-care, and encourage their teams to do the same.”
How do you ensure the Alliance remains inclusive and accessible to professionals at all levels of the industry—from seasoned spa directors to emerging therapists?
We’ve intentionally designed three levels of membership—Elite, Premier, and Classic—to include professionals at all stages of their journey. Elite Membership is for day spas, resort spas, hotel spas, and destination spas. Premier Membership includes massage therapists and estheticians with one or two treatment room studios. Classic Membership is for spa and wellness enthusiasts. We feel strongly that massage therapists and estheticians who own small studios will greatly benefit from our community, and we want to offer them an opportunity to share in the wealth of our collective knowledge and support.
You both bring richly varied backgrounds to the table—how do your different experiences shape your leadership approach within the Alliance?
Kimberly has a strong background in marketing, sales, and advertising, as well as spa management, consulting with luxury properties, and being a massage therapist, herself. My career includes 15-plus years of leadership in luxury hospitality and nine years of spa consulting. Kimberly’s experience in marketing is a great asset, and my experience in growing NorCal has been important for a well-rounded perspective. Our leadership style is to get it done, whatever it takes!
What does conscious leadership mean to you in the context of spa and wellness? How are you integrating that into the fabric of the Alliance?
Kimberly DiVico
Conscious leadership is deeply important and especially close to Kimberly’s heart as a massage therapist and energy worker. We believe that forming empathetic, personal connections through genuine care and simple kindness builds trust, morale, and lasting loyalty. As business partners, this shapes the way we lead together.
In what ways do you hope the Alliance will help shift or influence the broader spa industry on a regional or national level?
We strive to become a strong West Coast alliance that encourages broader communication in the spa industry. We’re convinced that year-round community building between spa members and vendor partners will prove to be successful for everyone.
What kinds of conversations or innovations do you feel are missing—or not being amplified enough—in spa circles right now?
I’d like to see more focus on how spa professionals can practice and prioritize self-care, and encourage their teams to do the same. We see healing and transformation occur every day with guests, and it’s important to find time and space to make it happen for ourselves. Our community and collaboration is an important component of this self-care.
How are you staying attuned to what spa professionals most need today—and tomorrow—in terms of education, mentorship, and sustainability?
We stay closely connected and listen, ask questions, conduct surveys, create open channels for feedback, and stay attuned to the needs and wants of our membership. This is our responsibility as stewards of this community and co-founders of PSA.
What does success look like for the Pacific Spa Alliance three years from now?
In three years our success will be to achieve our goal of growing the membership into Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, and creating amazing networking events in the northwest and on one of the islands. We are so excited to achieve this!
Mary Bemis
Mary Bemis is Founder & Editorial Director of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. An advocate for all things spa, Mary forged a vocabulary for spa reportage that is widely used by those who cover the issues today. Recently honored as a Top 30 Influential Voice Transforming Wellness by Medika Life, Mary is an inaugural honoree of Folio’s Top Women in Media Award. Her spa media roots run deep—in 1997, she launched American Spa magazine, in 2007, she co-founded Organic Spa magazine, and in between serving on the ISPA and NYSPA Board of Directors, she was on the launch teams of Luxury SpaFinder and New Beauty magazines. Named a "Wonder Woman of Wellness" by American Spa magazine, Mary was honored by the International Spa Association with the distinguished ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award. She is a special advisor to the non-profit Global Wellness Day.
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