When Aaron Wiley started The Seaside Spa and Salon in 2006 she had five employees, now she has 32. While the expansion has been impressive, the Whidbey-owned business has remained true to the same core values from the very beginning.
There’s no doubt they’re doing something right — the spa was voted Business of the Year and Wiley was voted Business Person of the Year in the 2021 Whidbey’s Best awards. Here are 5 things that help make them so special:
- Ethical partnerships: “We carefully select all of our brand partnerships, many of which are exclusive to Seaside,” Wiley says. The retail boutique at the new North Location features only brands that are either women owned, minority owned, or dedicate a portion of their sales to charitable causes. “When you’re shopping for clothes, gifts and skincare products you can feel really good about where your money is going.”
- Exemplary customer experience: “We take a lot of pride in our level of customer service, and have really high standards for how we engage with our customers.” Wiley and her staff have looked at every aspect of the customer experience, and that includes interactions with staff before they ever walk through the door. “Everyone who works here is fully committed to treating our community well, and they have a really beautiful connection with every customer who visits.”
The Seaside Spa and Salong offers a variety of high quality services including hair design, massage, spa packages, skin care, manicure & pedicure, waxing treatments, lashes & microblading.
- Community support, and supporting community: The pandemic was hard on many small businesses, but Wiley was grateful to have support from neighbours on the Island. “The community stood up and supported us: buying gift certificates, ordering retail through our Facebook page, anything they could do to help. When we fell on hard times they just lifted us up, to the point where we were immediately able to pay it forward and support the Whidbey Health Foundation.” Wiley is always looking for new ways to support the community, whether through charity or by featuring local artists in the spa.
- Nurturing, effective services and products: The Seaside Spa and Salon already has a strong track record of using quality products like Éminence Organic Skin Care. Now, opening their new North Location allows them to expand their product and service selection to include even more state of the art technology. “I’m so excited about the medical grade infrared sauna we’re bringing to Seaside Spa – North. It’s operated by a tablet so clients can choose specific treatment options from muscle recovery to detoxification to skin rejuvenation, and then the sauna will provide the specific mix of infrared light for your needs. Plus it has Spotify and Netflix and all these other features!”
- Environmentally friendly: Seaside Spa creates a welcoming environment, both through their customer service and their beautiful waterfront locations. They’re also committed to the environment — they’re a Certified Sustainable salon company, recycling up to 95 percent of their salon waste with Green Circle Salons. “Reducing our carbon footprint is important to us. We want our beauty business to contribute to making people and the planet beautiful.”
Visit Seaside Spa – Coupeville at 5 NW Front Street, (360)678-0508. Find Seaside Spa – North at 830 SE Bayshore Dr., Oak Harbor, (360)679-4477. Learn more about their wide range of services at seasidespaandsalon.com and keep up to date with the latest news on Facebook and Instagram.
Seaside Spa - North boasts a large retail store featuring brands that are either women owned, minority owned or dedicate a portion of their sales to charitable causes.
