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The Sanctuary: Small Business of the Year

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The Sanctuary: A European Day Spa says it takes a team to become the Small Business of the Year.

The entire staff worked on the application for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton

Chamber of Commerce's top award for 2008, and owner Lisa Murphy was joined on stage at the chamber ball last weekend by members of her staff to accept the honor.

That's just how they do things at The Sanctuary. The 14 staff members at the 2,400-square-foot day spa in Park Plaza on Hilton Head are like family, Murphy said. "We all make decisions together. It's very much a team thing."

That wasn't always the case. Murphy was the only person on staff when The Sanctuary opened in 1997 in a 400-square-foot space at the Gallery of Shops, just up Greenwood Drive from the current location.

"I was perfectly happy on my own, I thought," Murphy said.

But soon Murphy was booked constantly six days a week, so the spa and the number of employees grew.

Creating a relaxing, pampering environment is vital for the success of The Sanctuary.

"We understand people don't have to spend money to get a manicure or a facial," Murphy said. "We want to be someplace you go to escape, to retreat."

That attention to customer service is one of the reasons the business earned the award, said Ted Allenbach, a counselor with SCORE who worked with the business. SCORE is a free, small-business counseling organization made up of former corporate executives.

"One of the key factors of the success in this business is the understanding of the customers," he said in a video tribute to the spa at the chamber ball. "That customer is constantly changing here on the island (and is) very discerning and very demanding."

The Sanctuary's dedication to community causes was another reason for its win.

"This business is one of those companies that looks well beyond the bottom line," Bill Miles, chamber president and CEO, said in the tribute. "They look at what they're giving back to the community because they know their success depends on what the community is giving to them."

Even with the island's highest business honor, Murphy and The Sanctuary are looking ahead to new and better things.

In the coming months, the spa will add Infinity Sun tanning services and improved Ionithermie treatments for cellulite, Murphy said. And it is considering building its own 2,800-square-foot spa in the coming year.

Even with a prize in hand and expansion on the horizon, Murphy keeps her hands on the business, spending three days a week offering skin care treatments to clients.

"I'm still in it," she said. "I'm not just running it all the time."

Murphy's husband, Paul, is also an entrepreneur. He owns Murphy's Irish Pub on the island.

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