The White Door Spa – Sana Dhanani’s Journey of Creating Exceptional Premium Care Experiences
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, dinner table conversations for Sana Dhanani’s family included “finance and business development”. Inheriting this passion for work and the never-say-die attitude from her family, Sana Dhanani was empowered at a young age to start her business venture.
Since her childhood, Sana knew that the business of beauty was her calling. She started her professional journey by interning at a spa in Dubai for 6 months. Then, she studied business management, specializing in the Spa segment at the Les Roches International School in Switzerland. She says, “The education and the experience combined helped me gain the knowledge on how the best spas in the world are managed. So here I am standing with my calling at The White Door and I absolutely love where I am.”
The White Door Spa
Mumbai being the dynamic city that it is, Sana observed that barring the five-star hotels, very few stand-alone properties laid emphasis on true luxury. Having traveled across the world and experiencing the best that this industry has to offer, it was only natural that she wanted to bring these experiences to the city she was born in. The ground work for The White Door Spa started way back in 2016, though the research and finalizations took much longer than anticipated, they finally opened to public in April 2018.
The second time entrepreneur Sana counts her father and brother as her pillars of support. “They gave me the push and the liberty to pursue my dreams. Being an integral part of this journey, with their strong impetus and belief in me I took the first step towards The White Door. All this while, one of my biggest heroes is my uncle, Sajid Dhanani the founder of Barbeque Nation and Sayaji Group of hotels. To reach this pinnacle he didn’t start at the top, he worked his way up from being a server to owning one of the most successful chain of restaurants in India”, she recounts.
The bespoke interiors give a relaxing feel.
While her earlier venture in the commodity business was successful, Sana felt it was a bad marriage that lasted nearly for 8 years. Her calling towards The White Door was growing stronger and she let it go. Though she left that business behind, she says it taught her the art of perseverance, persistence and to be attentive to what’s happening around her. These learnings helped her when things were not panning out to be right. There were times she recollects when compromising on quality seemed like the easier way out. But the past experience compelled me to not abandon my vision for The White Door.
Going into the details, she says The White Door is an experience. The aim is to provide a superior product in the nail and beauty segment backed by a strong corporate DNA of hygiene, luxury and quality. With a strong belief in providing a holistic experience of relaxation, customer satisfaction and hygiene, The White Door is being considered as one of the best nail spas in Mumbai. Their services range from bespoke nail care to luxurious facials and body treatments for everyday issues like acne, skin whitening, anti-aging, detox etc. for both, men and women.
Sana Dhanani
Talking about the challenges in the luxury market, Sana feels based on her experience that although India is an exciting market for the luxury industry, the onus on hygiene in a nascent stage. The biggest challenge The White Door team faced while starting up was finding the right supply chain since the premium products they needed were not easily available. To overcome this issue of funding the right products to meet their standards and requirements they had to expand their search to international vendors.
To build the right team, Sana met and discussed ideas with several people. Finally, she met Sushmaa Yagnik who brought to the table 15 years of spa know-how and marketing expertise in the wellness industry. Sana says, “One year into this association with Sushmaa, she is the best fit to lead team the team while keeping the vision for The White Door in mind. I cannot fathom anyone else filling the position of the Vice President like she does.”
Today, they are a strong team of 20 which is strongly and steadily growing. For Sana, the team aligning with The White Door’s ideologies is vital. While forming the team at The White Door, they were looking for enthusiastic people who shared our ideologies of providing the highest quality of service in the truest form of luxury. The core value of each member is that they provide an essential service to a very discerning clientele. As an institution their values revolve around qualities like trust, loyalty, integrity and the willingness to learn something every day with a warm smile.
Hygiene is given utmost importance at The White Door Spa.
According to Sana, “The key differentiator for The White Door is our bespoke nail care services and our added attention towards expanding the limited options that people had with regards to hand and feet care are our biggest draw and we’ve just crossed the 2000 client milestone a couple of weeks back.
A positive and calming experience at the spa in the middle of a bustling neighborhood like Bandra provides an escape to all our patrons. India’s first ever lacquer library along with international collaborations with the most celebrated names in the industry adds to the traction.”
She continues, “Apart from our DNA and our core values, our exclusive treatments, specialized services, selective products, unbeatable hygiene and value for money pricing is what differentiates us. We are constantly striving to better the experience and our regular collaborations with International experts such as Dr. Benazir Quraishi (Dubai), Cherryl Llaneta (Philippines) and Rashi Chowdhary (Dubai) are helping us set new benchmarks.
Our experienced clients and the expats that frequent us are visibly appreciative of our international hygiene standards and knowledgeable staff. Non-invasive, result-oriented services like the anti-cellulite treatment and anti-ageing facials are two of our most sought after services.”
Elaborating on the future plans, the team is working towards building The White Door to be synonymous with quality and luxury. Within the next 12 months, they are planning to open 3 outlets to spread this experience to other parts of Mumbai. The right location, coupled with the right experience makes The White Door an outstanding player in the beauty industry.
Website = http://thewhitedoor.in/.
