Small, indie brands are having their moment—and savvy spa directors are catching on
By : Mary Bemis
Founder & Editorial Director at InsidersGuidetoSpas.com
“The first time they dropped off stuff, I didn’t even want to look at it. I gave it to my staff,” shares Michael Conte, spa director at Meadowood Napa Valley. Conte is reminiscing about the first time Kim Borio, founder of Glycelene, and her husband, Eric a biologist and cosmetic chemist and Glycelene’s Chief Technology Officer, brought Conte their luxury, plant-based skincare line to test. But when the couple returned a month later, Conte changed his tune after he met them in person. “They’re such a great couple,” he enthuses. “I have to say, the partnership I have with Kim and Eric has been extraordinary. When you’re working with a luxury property and spa, you want to have something unique that you won’t find elsewhere.”