Brilliant Massage & Skin: A Growing Wellness Brand | An Interview with Jolita Brilliant Sakmanaite

Behind every growing business is a story of determination, learning, and taking a chance on an idea.

For Jolita Brilliant Sakmanaite, Founder and CEO of Brilliant Massage & Skin, that journey began after moving to the United States from Lithuania at 19 years old. What started with two suitcases and a willingness to build a new life eventually led to the creation of a growing wellness brand.

In this interview, Jolita shares her journey from immigrant and massage therapist to entrepreneur and founder, along with the lessons that shaped Brilliant Massage & Skin and her vision for its future.

Immigration story

I came to the United States from Lithuania when I was 19 years old with two suitcases. I didn’t come from a business background, and I certainly didn’t arrive with some master plan to build a franchise company.

I originally studied music. I was young, in a completely different country, speaking a different language and learning a different culture. There were a lot of adjustments—financially, socially and professionally. I had to learn how things worked here and, more importantly, learn to depend on myself.

But one of the things I came to appreciate about the United States is the amount of opportunity available if you’re willing to work, learn and take responsibility for your future.

I think being an immigrant shaped the way I approach business. You become resourceful. You don’t expect everything to be easy. When something doesn’t work, you figure out another way.

I didn’t come to America knowing I would become an entrepreneur. I think America taught me that entrepreneurship was possible.

Why become a business owner?

I don’t think I woke up one morning and said, ‘I’m going to be an entrepreneur.’ It happened gradually.

I realized pretty quickly that I liked independence. I liked solving problems. I liked being responsible for the outcome. And I had a hard time accepting the idea that my income or opportunities should always be determined by somebody else.

Brilliant was my first real business. In the beginning, I wasn’t thinking about building a large company or a franchise. I was thinking about getting clients, doing great work and paying my bills.

But once I started, I became obsessed with improving things—how do we attract more clients? How do we retain them? How do we create a better experience? How do we hire great therapists? How do we build systems so everything doesn’t depend on me?

That’s really where the entrepreneur in me developed.

Why massage?

I went to massage school in 2016, and massage appealed to me because it was something very tangible. You can actually make somebody feel better in an hour.

But I also started noticing opportunities in the business model.

Massage is very personal and difficult to replace with technology. Clients develop relationships with their providers. And when you provide a great service, it’s naturally recurring—people don’t need one massage for the rest of their lives.

As Brilliant developed, we expanded beyond massage into skincare and other complementary wellness services. But massage remained the foundation.

The franchise today is positioned as a specialty wellness spa primarily offering massage therapy, skincare, waxing and teeth whitening. Brilliant Massage

Opening the first Brilliant

I started very small. There wasn’t some giant grand opening with a huge staff and hundreds of thousands of dollars behind me. It was me building a clientele one person at a time.

There were absolutely times when I questioned whether it would work.

When you’re a small-business owner, everything becomes your responsibility. If the phone isn’t ringing, that’s your problem. If somebody calls out, that’s your problem. If marketing isn’t working, that’s your problem. If there’s not enough money, nobody is coming to rescue you.

But that’s also where I learned the most.

Instead of asking, ‘Why isn’t this working?’ I learned to ask, ‘What can I change?’

Eventually I went from being the person doing the service to hiring people, building a team, opening additional locations and developing systems.

And that experience ultimately became the foundation of the franchise.

Advice to somebody considering business ownership

First, don’t wait until you feel completely ready. You probably never will.

Second, learn your numbers. Revenue can make you feel successful while your bank account tells a completely different story. Understand labor, marketing, rent, margins and cash flow.

Third, stay in the game. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to have bad hires, marketing that doesn’t work, unexpected expenses and days when you question yourself. The people who succeed aren’t necessarily the people who never make mistakes. They’re often the people who learn faster and keep going.”

Explain the Brilliant business model and expansion

Brilliant Massage & Skin is a massage and skincare concept built around customization, recurring clientele and a lean operating model.

One thing that differentiates us is that we’re not saying every franchisee needs to start with a massive, expensive spa.

We actually have two models.

Our Pop-Up model can start with one or two treatment rooms and is particularly attractive for a practitioner or owner-operator who wants to start lean.

Then we have our Standard model, which is a larger, multi-treatment-room operation with a team of massage therapists and other providers.

We want to expand into additional markets with owners who understand their communities. We’re especially interested in markets where there is demand for massage and skincare but where we don’t necessarily need expensive Main Street real estate to succeed.

We’ve also worked to remove some traditional spa overhead. For example, our system includes centralized receptionist/call-center support rather than requiring every location to build its model around an in-person front desk.”

The current FDD states that centralized receptionist services are provided at $2.75 per serviced client appointment, including appointment calls and scheduling support.

Ideal candidate + financial qualifications

Our ideal franchisee isn’t simply somebody with money.

We’re looking for somebody who wants to build a business and be involved in its success.

For the Pop-Up model, a massage therapist or esthetician who wants to transition from practitioner to business owner can be an excellent candidate.

For the Standard model, we’re looking for somebody with leadership ability—someone comfortable hiring people, developing a team, following systems, marketing locally and managing the business.

You don’t necessarily have to personally provide services, but you do need strong management.

The FDD does not require the franchise owner personally to operate the business, although it recommends participation. It requires a Principal Executive with at least 10% ownership, and the general manager must complete the training program. Brilliant Massage FDD V5252026.pdf

“We evaluate financial qualifications based partly on which model you’re pursuing. The investment is significantly different between our Pop-Up and Standard concepts, so our franchise development team will go through financial qualifications with each candidate.”

How Brilliant supports franchisees

One of the biggest reasons I decided to franchise was that I remember how difficult it was figuring everything out myself.

I don’t want a franchisee to receive a logo and an operations manual and then hear, ‘Good luck.’

We help with site evaluation, recommended floor plans and specifications, staffing guidelines, hiring and training systems, technology setup, business planning, launch marketing and operational training.

“Before opening, the franchisee receives training, and we provide a week of onsite opening training and assistance. After opening, we continue providing operational advice and support.”

“We also manage franchisees’ digital advertising campaigns without an additional agency management fee. The franchisee funds the required local advertising spend, but they don’t have to go find and manage an outside marketing agency themselves.”

Item 7 + Training + Item 19

Item 7

“Our FDD provides two very different entry points.

The estimated initial investment for the Pop-Up model is $26,500 to $54,800.

The estimated initial investment for the Standard model is $120,767 to $255,000.

And for someone pursuing a two-to-five-unit development agreement, the estimated initial investment is $148,017 to $365,000.”

Those are the disclosed Item 7 ranges. Brilliant Massage FDD V5252026.pdf

Item 7 incorporates things like the franchise fee, lease/deposit, improvements, equipment, technology, insurance, signage, inventory, professional fees, training travel and additional working funds. For example, the Standard model includes an estimated $25,000–$50,000 of additional funds for the first three months.

Training

“Our goal is to teach somebody not simply how to operate a spa, but how to operate the Brilliant system.

Training includes pre-opening readiness, technology, management, operations, HR, hiring, performance management, advertising and marketing.”

The FDD’s training table specifically includes build-out readiness and technology, business-management systems, operations, HR/hiring/performance management, and advertising/marketing.

Item 19

“I also encourage candidates to study Item 19 because we disclose the actual 2025 financial performance of our two company-owned Vermont locations.

Our six-treatment-room Burlington location reported $587,354.95 in total income for 2025. Its adjusted net income, after including estimated 6% royalty and 1% Brand Fund fees as though it were a franchise, was $117,170.10.”

“Our five-treatment-room South Burlington location reported $564,321.43 in total income, with $113,540.13 in adjusted net income after those estimated franchise fees.”

“Those are historical results, not projections or guarantees of what another franchisee will earn. Individual results will vary.”

That qualification is important because Item 19 explicitly states the figures are historical, not projections, and there is no assurance a franchisee will achieve the same results. It also notes that COGS includes staff and massage therapists but does not include owner compensation.

Closing

“What excites me most is finding the right people to grow Brilliant with us. We’re still an emerging brand, which means there’s an opportunity for the right owners to come in early and help us build something significant. But we’re not looking for just anybody who can write a check. We’re looking for people who believe in great service, strong teams, accountability and building a business for the long term.

If that sounds like you, the next step isn’t to make a decision—it’s simply to learn more, review the FDD, understand the numbers and see whether Brilliant is the right fit for you.”

“If you’d like to learn more, connect with me for a Brilliant Massage & Skin brand presentation, and from there I’ll introduce qualified candidates directly to Jolita and her team.”

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the founder of Brilliant Massage & Skin?

Jolita Brilliant Sakmanaite is the Founder and CEO of Brilliant Massage & Skin.

When was Brilliant Massage & Skin founded?

Brilliant Massage & Skin began in 2017 in Burlington, Vermont, starting with a single treatment room.

What inspired Jolita to start Brilliant Massage & Skin?

Jolita wanted to create a meaningful wellness business focused on helping people feel better while providing exceptional, personalized care.

Does Brilliant Massage & Skin offer franchise opportunities?

Yes. Brilliant Massage & Skin is expanding its franchise opportunities for qualified entrepreneurs interested in building a wellness business.

Do franchise owners need previous spa experience?

Previous spa experience is not necessarily required. The franchise model is designed to provide training, systems, marketing support, coaching, and operational guidance.