South Africa may be a beautiful nation with people who truly embody the spirit of perseverance.
It is also a stressful place to live for everyone. Granted paying bills and adulting might be where people feel this the most but being an adult doesn’t mean the strains of our society are solely reserved for you.
The youth experience stress all the time, and perhaps they’re younger and more malleable or resistant but even they can feel the pressure as life begins to take a toll.
Everyone could use a release and means to unwind.
A couple from Ekurhuleni have started an intriguing business venture aimed at youngsters from infants to children in their late teens. The idea is to promote wellness, awareness around hygiene and a means for relaxation through a spa and beauty parlour.
Raymond Mpala is businessman who has devoted his time and talents to aiding the youth by doing a series of motivational talks at schools around the country.
“I have been in business since 2017 and have faced a lot of ups and downs in establishing myself as a businessman. This has never deterred me as my love for business stems way back to when I was in school. I was fortunate enough to have studied at Cambridge International College in Melbourne, Australia and graduated in the year 2012.”
Raymond graduated with a Diploma in Frontline Management and a Diploma in Business Management. He also achieved a bachelor’s degree in leadership from Logos University in Chicago USA. These have laid a strong foundation in horning his business skills and the love thereof.
“I have also worked with different charity foundations in this time to give back to the community. We toured different schools advocating against crime, alcohol and substance abuse, early teenage pregnancy, bullying etc.”
When Raymond got married in 2021, he and his wife Thandeka opened a business called Kallz Kids Spa, which is a massage spa focused solely on children between the ages of 12 months all the way to 18 years of age.
“This business has grown over the past two years and has allowed us to be able to look into franchising the business as one of our future endevours. Our vision is to have a national footprint as we believe this industry has a lot of potential,” the man from Lambton in Germiston explains.
Because of their love of giving back, they also established the Kallz Kids Foundation that seeks to assist children and teach them about hygiene. They believe that the basics of personal hygiene are the first steps every pre-teen must take, especially the girl child and how it affects their self-esteem.
“Not only do we focus on hygiene, but we advocate against crime in schools, alcohol and substance abuse, early teenage pregnancy and bullying.”
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So far, they have done talks at Thuto Pele Secondary school and Fumana High School about donating sanitary pads to young girls that are in need. They also assist orphanages around the Germiston area with various things pertaining to personal hygiene.
Outside of his work Raymond is a man who loves to spend most of his time with his wife and daughter, "travelling and seeing new places".
"We believe that this opens our minds to how other people live and the opportunities available as businesspeople. It is through this that our idea to open a kids only spa came about. Because we love our daughter so much, we would take her to spas and most of them only focus on adult facilities."
“Hence, we saw a gap in opening one that would focus solely on kids, from massage to pedicures and manicures, facials and a jacuzzi as well. If our child loves being pampered, we believe there must be other kids out there that love being pampered.”
Just like any other business, this venture has its ups and downs and requires a lot of work to get the word out there. Luckily with the advent of 4IR and the digital era, social media has been their biggest tool in marketing the business.
“We also use the traditional way of going out to malls for brand activations and have people interact with the brand and our products. We also go out to different schools to sell our ideas, especially for kids’ birthday parties. This is challenging as it requires a lot of time and travelling, which for a small business might not have the budget to do as much as it would be required to achieve our goal.”
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Raymond is of the notion that as black people living in South Africa, it is very important for us to come together and support each other’s businesses, “as this is the only way to uplift each other. Supporting local businesses helps to boost our local economy and to create job opportunities. With the state of our economy, people hardly have any money left over for luxury which is why we focus mostly on creating value for money from our products.”
They have tried to break the cycle and belief that spas are for the rich and wealthy and that the average black person in the working class cannot afford such amenities.
“We are looking to bring this product to everyone both in the suburbs and townships and prove that spas are not for a select few but for everyone. It’s good for the growth of our children and to help them learn about personal hygiene.”
Watching mothers with their little ones come into their spa and get massages, spend time in the jacuzzi and just unwinding is a priceless feeling for Raymond and his wife.
“Because we grew up only ever seeing this on TV, we thought this was only reserved for white people or rich people only for that matter, it’s fulfilling to see. This is the impact we believe we have in the community and our vision is to have a national footprint to spread smiles all over the country. With the cost of living rising higher every day, everyone deserves a break to spoil themselves with their children occasionally.”
