Our latest Beauty Boss is Lisa Michaelis, Founder and CEO of Live Love Spa—the premier community for spa professionals to connect, discover, and learn about new trends, products, experiences, and emerging insights in the wellness space. Their events are uniquely set up to provide the ideal opportunity to meet with many different properties and their unique event format saves time, money (in multiple travel costs), and shortens the sales cycle.

In addition to hosting industry events across the country, every year for Wellness Month in August, Live Love Spa encourages others to take an active step towards pursuing wellness and prioritize their health by participating in a series of unique events, exclusive deals, and more. They also curate and share the best skin care, body care, spa gifts, and wellness products directly from prestige spa brands.

In 2020, Live Love Spa launched the Wellness Month Virtual Pro Summit, a free three-day event designed to help spa professionals level up sales, marketing, and social media skills and strategies. Participants enjoyed a power-packed, curated line-up of the industry’s most respected educators and mentors who shared their top tools for success.

We chatted with Michaelis, who shared the inspiration behind Live Love Spa, secrets for success, wellness tips, favorite beauty products, and much more.

When was Live Love Spa founded? What’s the meaning behind the name?

2012. The name was based on making spa more of mantra versus just a company name.

What inspired the creation of Live Love Spa?

I started as a Brand Partner with my own company selling clothing, gift, and jewelry items, as well as working as a brand representative with others. Live Love Spa truly was born out of my experiences and wanting to create a solution for bringing spa leaders and brand partners together in a fun, time-efficient, and budget-friendly way.

Can you tell us about the events you organize and who they’re for?

Live Love Spa is a community for spa professionals to connect, discover, and learn about new trends, products, experiences, and emerging insights in the wellness space. We facilitate connection through 20+ B2B experiential events around the country to provide solutions to Spa Buyers from the top brands in the spa and wellness industry. We also support spa corporate partners including Marriott International spas, Hilton spas, and Four Seasons spas.

How often do you host events and where?

20+ regional B2B Experiential Events across the U.S. and one leaders summit in Cancun Mexico.

During COVID-19, how did you keep the spa and wellness community connected?

We facilitated discovery and connection online through our discovery ShopLiveLoveSpa.com, virtual pro events, and a brand new wholesale ordering platform. Our mission is to foster growth and support the Spa Industry, as well as spreading the overall message that self-care isn’t a selfish act but a bigger part of overall wellness.

What products are available on Live Love Spa’s website? What are your favorite products at the moment?

The products on ShopLiveLoveSpa.com are dedicated to the discovery of all things self-care. We curate and share the best skin care, body care, spa gifts, and wellness products directly from prestige spa brands. Some of my favorite products include CBD products from Well CBD, Body Blur from Vita Liberata, and all kinds of face masks.

What other services does Live Love Spa offer?

We love to offer ways to keep the community connected and thriving. The Live Love Spa’s Pro-Insider Membership is for spa industry professionals to access pro-only education and content, and the inside connection to special launches, perks and discounts.

We’re also proud of our Wellness Ambassador Program created during Covid to empower all professionals and spa businesses to recommend quality products to guide their clients, customers, and followers and earn a generous affiliate commission (20%) by doing what they always do—help their customers with great wellness advice. And last but not least, our once-a-year consumer-facing initiative called Wellness Month. 

Future plans?

Continuing to foster community, connection, and commerce leveraging new digital technologies. Coming soon: more virtual events and education series.

What inspires you?

My husband, Scott. He is steadfast, strong, loyal, and wise.

Secret to success?

Always be the best.

Beauty secrets?

Always use sunscreen and hydrate!

Wellness tips?

It’s important! Honor yourself and add it into your life in whatever form works best for you. Even if it’s a quick stretch or a simple act of adding more water into your day, small acts of self-care lead to a lifetime of wellness.

Best advice?

When considering a task at hand, always ask “what’s the objective?” It helps save so much time and confusion and getting off track. If you know what the objective is, it’s easier to get to it.

How do you like to relax?

Deep tissue massages, working out with my friend Stephanie, spa days with my friends, and having the occasional Sprinkles cupcake.

For more information, visit livelovespa.com and follow on Instagram: @livelovespa

[Images courtesy of Live Love Spa]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk