‘The Well’ Spotlight

Our Founder, David LeVan… With ‘a wing and a prayer’ and several loans, Dave began the process of creating Well Within Spa in September of 1984. Despite a few major obstacles, he and his partner Suzanne persevered and the doors opened on January 11, 1985. From day one, the spa has enjoyed great success in providing a vital service to the community: warmth, relaxation and retreat in a beautiful oasis in downtown Santa Cruz. Dave said he was often poor in order to ensure the success of this business, and in fact is still driving the business truck that he purchased in 1987.
Eleven years after opening Well Within, Dave purchased property near the original location and built what is currently the ‘new’ Well Within Spa. Only one day of business was lost in the transition from the old location. From the first day he opened the doors on Cedar Street, it has been an overwhelmingly successful expansion. With dreams of traveling with his family and semi-retiring, Dave started negotiating for a new owner in 2006. The perfect choice was Eric Heckert, an employee who had already helped him with maintenance, remodeling, gardening and was an exceptional massage therapist to boot. So that year, Eric took over as General Manager and months later signed the papers to become the new owner of Well Within Spa. Their friendship over the years has only been strengthened by this alliance. Dave continues to mentor Eric ensuring that the business can only be as successful as it has always been. We are all grateful for Dave’s vision, integrity and perseverance!