Author: Lindsey Shone, BSU student
Over the past decade, Alyse Baker-Boncaldo, founder and owner of one of the most popular spas in the Quincy area – The Spa at Boncaldo’s, has been reinventing the Spa experience for both women and men!
It all started roughly 10 years ago, when Philip Boncaldo (founder and owner of Boncaldo’s Gentleman’s Barbershop and loving husband to Alyse), came home after a long day’s work at the Barbershop. As they were reflecting amongst themselves how each of their days went, Philip voiced how a lot of his clients were frustrated that they could not have the “Day in the Spa” experience (as most Spas are marketed toward females only, not gender neutral). From that conversation, Alyse had a vision. A vision to create a neighborly, fair priced, experience for both men and women. And it has been all history from there.
I met with Alyse to learn more about her story and the evolution of The Spa at Boncaldo’s.
So tell me about the evolution of your career and business. Specifically, how did you choose Aesthetics?
I started my career at Harvard Pilgrim working in Sales for roughly 25 years. Although, I loved working in Sales, I knew deep down that I didn’t want to stay in this profession forever. My husband owns a Barbershop in Quincy – Boncaldo’s Gentleman’s Barbershop, which is the main reason for choosing this line of business. After talking and listening to a lot of my husband’s clients – I felt there was a market for a Gender-Neutral Day Spas – hence, my vision was born. My vision was to start a spa that would accommodate both men and women. A vision of creating a business where customers feel comfortable, welcome, relaxed, regardless of gender.
What was the toughest thing you went through when opening? What inspired you to keep going as you were getting the business off the ground?
By far, the biggest obstacle I faced when opening The Spa at Boncaldo was getting a Building and Business Permit. As the building is 110 years old, there were a lot of renovations/ housekeeping that needed to take place in order to get everything up to code. It was challenging, but we overcame those challenges. What kept me going was my dream – The Spa at Boncaldo. I believed in my vision, and I was not going to let a few bumps in the road get in the way of that.
What is the toughest part about having a business during 2020 (The Coronavirus Pandemic)?
The toughest part about having a business in 2020 is the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Due of COVID-19, we had to close our doors for a few months. However, we recently reopened on June 23. Business has slowed down due of Covid-19 because we had to change treatment protocols. Though, we are hopeful that things will slowly get back to normal once people feel comfortable returning to their regular daily schedules prior to the pandemic.
I had the opportunity to personally speak with one of Alyse clients, Debra Meade. Debra said that her experience at the Spa was excellent! She highly recommends The Spa at Boncaldo’s to anyone looking for a relaxing Spa day. When I ask Debra how her experience went, she mentioned Boncaldo’s having excellent service!
Debra Meade: “Alyse was an excellent host/owner. Totally focused on the customer experience. She made sure I was happy and relaxed. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.”
I know I am not speaking only for myself when I say I cannot wait to go to The Spa at Boncaldo’s for a day at the Spa.
The Spa at Boncaldo’s is located at 76 Beale Street in Quincy, MA.
You can contact them via:
Phone: 617-471-9515
Email: spaboncaldos@gmail.com
Website: www.boncaldos.com
Facebook @spa.boncaldos