Bill and Theresa Armour, the owners of Burke Williams, first crossed paths in their teenage years. They went through several phases of dating and breaking up. However, when Bill told Theresa that he was ending their relationship for the final time, she realized it was time to return to Southern California to be with the man she knew she wanted to marry.
Early on in their marriage, work and vacations gave them opportunities to travel and enjoy luxury resorts around the world. In the mid-1980’s, they had three children and described themselves as an "overworked businessman and over-wrought stay-at-home mom." They no longer had the luxury of time to get away on vacations. Bill came home from work one day and asked Theresa how her day was. She responded, “If only I could get away for the day! I want to go somewhere where someone takes care of me. Where I can get away, eat and relax.”
It was in that moment, they reflected back on their travels, when life felt simpler and more enjoyable, that they decided to bring the luxury spa to California. A place where people can escape for an hour, or for however long they could get away. Bill and Theresa were the first to, in fact, coin the phrase “Day Spa.”
Like every good love story, the hero needs to take on challenges to win the heroine’s love and affection. Bill, too, would encounter unforeseen obstacles in his quest to bring Theresa's dream escape to life. You see, back in the 1980’s, the massage industry was very much a part of the “entertainment industry.” These challenges didn’t scare Bill away. He dropped his briefcase and enrolled in massage school.
Once Bill started looking for a space to establish his spa, he began to understand the depth of his challenges. He saw over 20 available locations when the landlord would decide the location was no longer available once Bill and Theresa shared with them their vision: to create a spa, which would include massage, in their community. It was a stroke of luck, when a data entry business pulled out of a parking garage in Brentwood. The landlord called Bill and the first Burke Williams found its home.
It was important to show the community that this spa was a clean, beautiful and refreshing place to escape and relax. They even named the company after Bourke, their first born son, and Bill’s full name. Their other children, Savannah and Hunter, are also featured in the names of various treatments and products offered at Burke Williams, such as the wet room treatments "Savannah’s Surrender" and "Hunter’s Retreat," as well as the H2V product line.
Over the next two years, Bill and Theresa educated the VICE, law enforcement, landlords and the community on their vision of bringing the luxury spa to California. A space opened up in Santa Monica and Burke Williams was able to move out of the parking garage to a prominent flagship location. Within a couple of years they expanded to Hollywood, Pasadena, and Orange. There are now ten spas throughout California and one Simply Massage location.
In order to grow the company, Bill and Theresa told their team, “If you take care of our guests, we’ll take care of you.” By providing high end pay, benefits including regular wellness services, medical/vision/dental insurance, 401K, paid training and a tuition reimbursement program, staff are able to come to work and focus on what they love doing; connecting and serving each of our guests and each other.
The teams at each location feel like a tight family who like to hike, go to the beach, watch movies, and picnic together. When they are at work, they support each other by mentoring each other and helping each other out if they see one of their teammates having a rough time.
It has now been nearly 40 years since Bill and Theresa Armour first manifested their vision to help busy and stressed out people escape and rejuvenate. In all of that time, their love for each other didn’t just create a successful company, it created a family within their community.
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