Meet Kelli Foster | CEO, Bohemia Healing Spa

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelli Foster and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelli, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As a massage therapist I was already providing a service to the community. I am also a spa customer myself. I noticed a disconnect in the high end spas in my community, they were providing the atmosphere and ambiance but the treatment was always lacking. I wanted to fill a need for both. I wanted to provide a balance in a healing treatment as well as an overall indulgent high end experience with atmosphere, ambiance as well as an excellent healing service.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began my career renting a single room at a local massage business. I used a number of methods of advertising, but the one that would always generate the most business was when I would go out into the community and meet people and hand them a flyer with a promotion. I would create promotions for industry specific people such as barbers, nurses, teachers etc and distribute them in person throughout the city. If I did not have a customer on my table I was out in the community meeting people and doing everyting I could to keep my schedule booked. After 1 year of room renting, I had the opportunity to buy a massage business from a friend that was ready to retire. I purchased the business in 2011. Over the years I have had many challenges to overcome, a couple of the hardest challenges were the 2 fires we had just withing a couple of years of each other. The biggest challenge is always myself. I learned that in order to grow as an leader, you have to learn to be vunerable. Vunerable to criticism, vunerable to making mistakes, vunerable to hearing the things about yourself that are hard to hear, and putting in the hard work to be better. I believe that the reason I am where I am today is because I had to learn to keep my ego out of my business, what we do everyday, the experience we offer is not about me or my service providers, it’s about the people we serve. I focus on why what we do everyday is important to our community and I do my very best to lead my team with love and kindness. I am most proud of how great our team is, the outstanding services they provide shows in the feedback we get from our customers. We have built a reputation of excellence when it comes to the Spa experience. I am also proud of the spa treatments and packages we provide. We create services that focus on what we feel our communites needs are, from our Pamper your Sole package that gives you 30 minutes devoted to your feet, our Queen Bee Package where you get a facial and a massage at the same time , or our Soaking Rituals that use aromatherapy & magnesium salts in a whirlpool tub to warm your musles and relax you before your service, there really is a package for everyone, we even offer packages and treatments designed for men. I have been in business now for 14 years, we have expanded our original space to double the size, and we now have a 2nd location, Bohemia Healing & Med Spa where we offer the same amazing services with an emphasis on advanced aesthetics and anti-aging treatments. The biggest lesson I have learned is that if you are passionate about what you do and you are doing it for the right reason, success will usually follow. Stay focused on your purpose and your dreams will come true.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wichita has so much to offer for a small city. Taking a walk by the river and over to see the Keeper of the Plains, we are blessed to have some of the best Vietnamese food, a local Pho restaraunt like Pho Ong 8 or Little Siagon is amazing. Having lunch and a drink on the patio of the Monarch, or the best pizza in Wichita at Picassos. We would catch a movie at the historic Orpheum Theater, or see a band at Barleycorns or Wave Venue. I would definitely take her to a local brewery like Central Standard where they have great outside seating. A visit with my bestie would not be complete without some antique shopping at one of the Paramount antiques stores and shopping at one of the local retail stores like Bungalow 26 or Lucindas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize my bestie Kelsey Metzinger for her love, support and great advice over the years. Also my business coach Lee Gray @ action coaching. She has been my cheerleader for 7 years and has believed in me when I was uncertain.

Image Credits
I paid for the rights to all images