Life Time Fitness, Chanhassen, has acquired Massage Retreat & Spa, a company founded by former Life Time employee Lee Oberg.
Life Time now has primary ownership and operational responsibility for Massage Retreat & Spa's six locations in Eden Prairie, Edina, Plymouth, Savage, Shoreview and Woodbury. There is one franchised location in Maple Grove.
"We saw an opportunity to further extend our spa business and massage services, specifically, right here in our home (and largest) market by adding these Massage Retreat & Spa locations to our overall portfolio of destinations, brands, products and services," said a Life Time spokesman.
Life Time says they will maintain Massage Retreat & Spa as a separate company within the overall Life Time portfolio. The approximately 130 employees will be subject to Life Time's new hire process and background check but will be retained. Oberg is also expected to remain with the company.
Life Time's existing spa business, LifeSpa, offers full-service haircare, nail care, skin care, massage and medispa services. According to Life Time - LifeSpa is the largest full-service spa-salon operator in North America.There are currently 132 LIfe Time Athletic locations and 113 LifeSpa locations.
At one point Oberg had planned to grow his company by selling more franchise locations. But Massage Retreat hasn't added a new spa location since it opened its Woodbury location in June 2013 and hasn't sold a franchise location since it sold the Maple Grove location, which it opened in 2013, to a franchisee in January 2015.
According to a June 2017 filing with the Minnesota Department of Commerce Massage Retreat's registration as a franchisor was cancelled after failing to file a required annual report by April 30, 2017.
Life Time says Massage Retreat & Spa customers should expect business as usual. Life Time plans to keep the current branding and services and may add additional spa and rejuvenation services at these locations.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
