Hot Off The Stone is Hand & Stone’s monthly franchisee spotlight series. Each month we feature one of our franchisees, sharing the journey behind their ownership, their community and what drives them to show up every day for their teams and clients.
Our network is made up of some of the most diverse owners in franchising, from veterans and military operators to IT engineers, lawyers, architects, doctors and even massage therapists and estheticians who built a career in wellness and never looked back. What unites them is a commitment to bringing accessible luxury to the communities they serve. Behind every spa, there’s a story.
Franchisee Nick Marco on Building a Business That Puts People First
Meet Nick Marco, a Hand & Stone franchise owner and Regional Developer who owns 12 spas and supports another 25 across New Jersey and Ohio. The son of Hand & Stone founder John Marco, Nick has been part of the brand since the very beginning and has since built one of the most respected portfolios in the Hand & Stone system, generating more than $25 million in annual revenue and employing approximately 600 people. He also serves as Chairman of the 2026 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference, one of franchising’s most prominent leadership roles.
Beyond the numbers and accolades, Nick is known across the system for a leadership style rooted in something simple – the belief that when people feel cared for, everything else follows. Below, he shares the family story behind the brand, what it takes to succeed as a Hand & Stone franchisee, and why he believes inclusive ownership makes for stronger communities and more successful businesses.
H&S: Take us back to the beginning. How did you end up a Hand & Stone franchisee?
Nick: It’s really a complete family story. My father founded Hand & Stone, and I grew up in the business. I was working at the very first location in high school, my sister Tara managed that spa for seven years, and honestly the brand was always part of our conversations at home. It was my dad who was always talking about hot stone massage as the signature differentiator, and one night when I was 14, I suggested the name “Hand & Stone.” It clicked for him instantly and he registered it in the middle of the night.
Later, I was in nursing school in Philadelphia on the path to ultimately become a nurse anesthetist when my dad called about a franchise opportunity near Toms River that had fallen through for another candidate. My sister and I opened a brand new location from scratch together. It opened the same week I started my first nursing job in the ICU. It was a lot all at once, especially when my sister had twins shortly after opening and had to go on bed rest, but we supported each other and made it work. I kept picking up ICU shifts for a while, but once I saw what it took to scale the business, I knew franchising was where my passion was. I made the decision to go all-in, and grew from one location to 12, most of it through acquisitions.
H&S: Skincare is now nearly a third of Hand & Stone’s business. How did your family help make it such a core part of the brand?
Nick: That’s really my mother’s story. She was obsessed with skincare and pushed hard for esthetics to be part of the Hand & Stone model from the very beginning.
At the time, New Jersey had no standalone esthetics license, so the business had to set up a hair chair – tucked in a closet – purely to pass inspection. The chair was never actually used and existed only to satisfy the inspection. The facial room had to pass its own separate inspection.
That early push for skincare has become one of the most important parts of our business. Today, facials and skincare services represent approximately one-third of Hand & Stone’s systemwide sales, and we’re the world’s largest provider of facials. What started in a closet is now a cornerstone of the brand, and honestly, a big reason we’ve been able to differentiate ourselves in the wellness space.
H&S: You’ve spoken openly about a personal experience that shaped who you are as a leader. Can you share that?
Nick: I came out as gay to my family during my junior year of college. I remember breaking down at the kitchen table, and it just so happened that my dad and sister walked in at the same time. My dad didn’t flinch. He took me for a drive, and we sat together in a parking lot and just talked about unconditional love.
That conversation changed everything for me. It was the launching point for who I am today. When you have your whole family standing behind you like that, celebrating you instead of just tolerating you, it gives you a level of confidence that doesn’t go away. I carry that with me into every part of my life, including how I run my business.
H&S: How does that experience show up in how you lead your businesses daily?
Nick: It’s had a direct influence. As a franchise owner, I want every employee and every client who walks into one of our spas to feel seen and supported. That’s very personal to me.
Our massage therapists and estheticians spend their entire day behind closed doors absorbing whatever their clients are carrying, which can include stress, grief, pain and exhaustion. By the end of a shift, their cup is empty. So, a manager’s job isn’t just scheduling and operations – it’s about refilling that cup. It’s checking in, noticing when someone’s running low, and making sure they feel as cared for as they make our clients feel. If you take care of your people that way, they take care of everyone who walks through the door.
H&S: You’re a vocal advocate for inclusive franchise ownership. Why is that so important to you?
Nick: Clients feel it when the ownership behind a brand reflects the community it serves. A diverse group of franchisees isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s also good business, because people can tell when a brand’s culture is genuine versus performative.
I also think we don’t talk enough about how franchise owners are truly community leaders. A single massage franchise location can have more than 50 employees and thousands of members, and it’s open seven days a week. That’s a real part of people’s lives, week after week. With that kind of reach, owners have a responsibility to set an example for their spa teams, clients and communities.
H&S: How has that played out in your own communities?
Nick: Our spas have shown up for local Pride events and supported organizations like the Trevor Project, because those causes matter to our teams and to the people we serve.
It’s part of the same idea I shared earlier. If you want to build a business that lasts, you build one that’s genuinely woven into the community around it, and not one that just operates inside it.
H&S: What would you tell someone considering becoming a Hand & Stone franchisee?
Nick: This is a business for people that truly value their employees and clients. Our product is our people, and that includes the front desk, massage therapists, estheticians, managers and clients we service. If you’re not willing to invest in your people to build the best environment possible, it’s very hard to be successful.
The owners who do best are people-first and business-minded. Retention is everything in this industry. If you can build a culture where people want to stay – and where clients can feel that the moment they walk in – you’ve got something that’s very hard to replicate.
Owning Hand & Stone franchises has been one of the most rewarding decisions of my life. If you’re willing to put in the work and truly invest in your people, it can be that for you too.
Ready to bring accessible luxury wellness to your community? Visit https://handandstone.com/franchise and begin your franchising journey today.
