Go to a play; get a spa coupon!

Tonight is the opening night of our first full length, erotic play, No More Than Reason. At turns both funny and touching, No More Than Reason is being shown in showcase at the Little Red Studio for four nights only, from November 19th through the 22nd with all shows starting at 8PM. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

As a special treat, anyone who attends the play on any of the four nights it is showing, will receive a gift certificate for a free one hour private rental (a $50 value.) This certificate can be redeemed anytime you purchase and enjoy a regular priced spa session.

Advance Tickets are now available on Brown Paper Tickets or in person at our box office located in the Little Red Bistro during business hours.

Odd combination?

Last night I got to sit in on the LRS Erotic Haunted House: The Dreaming dress rehearsal. Even though there was the occasional "oops" it was so much fun! Not too scary, but definitely very creepy and weird. The sound guy was still fine tuning the music and sound effects so I am excited to see what changes end up being made.

I liked how much like a dream the whole show was. Somehow, even when it was unsettling, the surreal nature kept me grounded. I know that must sound strange, but trust me, when you see it, I bet you will understand what I mean.

As a fun addition, if you come to this Sunday's Couples' Night or Monday's Ladies' Night, you will get $5 off your Erotic Haunted House ticket when you pay for both events. There is a 9:30pm during the run, so it's perfect timing to come to the spa and soak and relax and then take the 5 minute drive over to 750 Harrison St. to see the show. I won't be able to leave on Sunday night, but on Monday I'll be leading anyone who wants to follow me over to the show.

It's going to be so much fun!

Couples' Spa Night - 2nd and 4th Sundays!
7- 10pm
Cost: $40 per couple


Ladies' Spa Night - Every Monday!
Drop In: 6-9pm
Cost: $15

Little Red Day Spa
1506 Franklin Ave. E. Seattle

Web redesign & Art Shows

Instead of writing blog entries, I have been working on the Spa's web site. We're reorganizing it so that, rather than just two pages, all the information about the Little Red Day Spa and our offerings will be spread out over 6 pages. Hopefully, this will make the site a little easier to navigate. We're still adding and editing to it, so make sure to check back periodically to see the changes. There will be information about catered spa sessions, new possible sessions that will correspond with the themed Little Red Studio performances, and a page of testimonials. (If you would like to add your story to the testimonial page, just send an email to me, Sophia at HengstStudio.com)

The other thing I am excited about right now is the Whatcom Artists Studio Tour. This weekend, while all the gentlemen are enjoying Men's Spa Night with Richard Jessup, I will be helping Jim Duvall in Bellingham, WA with his open studio, as part of the Whatcom Artists Studio Tour. From his press release:

This a juried studio tour of several artists studios in Whatcom County. I have been selected to be included. I am pretty honored as there are only 4 photographers allowed in this year. The dates are Oct 4,5 and Oct 11,12 from 10-5 pm. The tour is all over the county but if you are coming to my studio the address is 1208 bay St # 103 Bellingham, WA 98225. The entrance is in the alley.

You have two weekends to see his and many other wonderful artist's work being shown in the place it was created.

If you are planning on being in Seattle, this weekend, then consider the opening of Little Red Studio's newest show, The Saffron Show.
When: Saturday, October 4th @ 9PM
Where: 750 Harrison Street
How Much: $30
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Brown Paper Tickets or reserved by calling (206) 328-4758

Trying something new.

I was contacted by the people at MyMoodMaker.com about becoming a part of their networking site. I am going to be completely honest with you in that I am a little wary of giving them a whole hearted endorsement. However, their goal is admirable: to provide "good info and useful products ranging from spicy to mild, that help women meet the challenge of obtaining a satisfying sex life."

So please consider this a "hey, go check it out, you might find something you like there" type of endorsement. When you sign up, let them know you found out about them through the Little Red Day Spa. Also, let me know what you think of them.

Here's a little more about them.

MyMoodMaker.com is dedicated to supporting busy women as they try to find the time and energy to get in the mood for intimacy. As a female owned and operated organization, Mood Maker recognizes the challenges and distractions women face when attempting to maintain rewarding intimate relationships. We provide fast and easy access to material that will stimulate your mind and encourage your passionate side. Modern women can struggle with balancing work, family and romance. Often there seems to be no time or energy for sexual desire in our relationships.

Vote for us, please!

The Seattle Times is doing its annual People's Picks for various categories around Seattle Life. I have just placed a vote for the Little Red Day Spa (under the Spa category) and Little Red Studio (under the Local Theater Company category) and would encourage you to do the same if you feel like it!

Click here.

Thanks in advance!

I'll now end this shameless plea for attention.

BizX is cool!

Hengst Studio has long been a part of the BizXchange network, a company whose slogan is "Improving business through trade." Recently, we arranged for the Little red Day Spa to become a part of that trading/barter network. This is really exciting for me. I love the idea of being about to use the barter system without having to find the exact person I whose services/products I want who also happens to want what I have to offer.

If you are a BizX member, you will be able to buy gift certificates and pay for spa sessions with BizX. If you plan on doing this please let us know when you are making your appointment so that we can have the appropriate forms on hand.

If you are not a BizX member and have a business, I suggest checking them out. We had all of our marketing materials printed out within the network and are quite satisfied. It's a good company based on a great idea and I am glad the Spa is a part of it.

(Consider this my token endorsement of the month.)

No more Craig's List for me.

For some time, I have posted on Craigslist in the therapeutic services section as a way to advertise the Spa. It kept the phone ringing and was free. Unfortunately, I often ended up taking calls from people looking for more than we offered. I find it very frustrating that while I can accurately describe the lush and relaxing services we offer, there are other postings using the same language to infer that a sexual service will be provided.

As an experiment, I stopped posting on Craigslist just before the holidays. The phone didn't ring as often, but with the holidays, I expected that. Last week, I put the second part of the plan to gauge the impact of Craigslist postings on our call volume. In the two days that followed that new post, I fielded 4 phone calls where the caller was disappointed when I made sure to mention that a "full body massage" did not include the genitals. That settled it for me and I won't be posting there anymore. It's not worth it to waste my time and the caller's time.

I wish there was something similar that would work better for getting the word out about the spa while we finish developing our marketing campaign. I have discovered Biznik and that is a great networking resource. Please let me know about anything else along these lines of internet, grassroots marketing that you use and like. (Not looking for spam, please.)

Holiday Open house and Gift certificate Sale

Little Red Day Spa
1506 Franklin Ave. E.
Sunday, December 9th
3pm - 6pm

Are you curious about the Little Red Day Spa?
Has it been a while since you visited us?
Do you want to give a gift of relaxation that can be shared?

After a summer of renovations and upgrades, the Little Red Day Spa is
very excited to open our doors to visitors. Please join us for
refreshments on Sunday, December 9th to meet and chat with some of the
practitioners who work at the spa, look around and learn how we
incorporate the artistic vision of LRS into our spa treatments.

Gift certificates will be available for purchase during the Open
House. Between the hours of 3 and 6pm, prices for spa sessions with
one practitioner are discounted as follows:
60 minutes - $100 ($110 value)
90 minutes - $125 ($150 value)
120 minutes - $160 ($200 value)

Discounts are also available on Gift Certificates for special sessions
such as the Tandem Bliss and Couple's Massage. Please be sure to ask
Sophia, the Spa Director, for details. We accept cash, checks and
Visa/Mastercard.

For more information, please go to www.LittleRedDaySpa.com or call
(206) 963-0772.

Back up and running again!

The offices of Hengst Studio & Little Red Studio have officially moved out of my waiting room! Despite the phone company's bungling of the transfer of the phone lines, the spa is running smoothly. (Thank goodness for call forwarding.) Even though administrative operations have moved to the Harrison building, Hengst Studio, meaning Jeff's painting business, has not moved. The Little Red Day Spa is still located in Hengst Studio. I am very glad of this. Having the creative energy of the hundreds of Jeff's paintings stored and created in our studio is invaluable for the spa's atmosphere.

Another exciting development is the arrival of our new Spa promotional materials and the impending question; where do we distribute the postcards and info/press releases? some will go into promotional packets along with all of the other Little Red Studio offerings. I am thinking perhaps I should contact the neighborhood hotels, as the spa is a nice treat when traveling. Other than that, I am at a bit of a loss for where else I should place the postcards. Suggestions are most appreciated.