New Spa Strives for 'Affordable Luxury'

Hand and Stone, a spa chain founded in South Jersey, is making its way across Bergen County.

Franchisee Jeff Silbert opened his latest in Franklin Lakes on Monday with his brother Ken, and the owners are hoping to be a regular stop for local customers.

“It’s an affordable luxury for people that live five, ten, 15 miles, away,” Jeff said of the spa, which is located in the shopping center alongside the Franklin Ave. Stop and Shop.

He chose the borough, he said, for the demographics: generally busy people who could use a little “me time” every now and then.

According to the proprietors, Hand and Stone differs from other spas for its membership program, which offers a quick facial or massage every month—giving customers the chance to take regular spa breaks without forking over big bucks or eating away a huge chunk of the day.

“It’s about having ‘me time,’” Silbert  said. “We want that to be something someone can do every month.”

There are over a hundred Hand and Stone nationwide, though the company began in South Jersey. The Silberts previously had locations in Aberdeen and Chatham, but have been expanding northward, recently opening a spa in Emerson and planning one in Allendale.