How Much Does the Woodhouse Day Spa Franchise Cost?

The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates $1,336,897–$2,022,969 to open one Woodhouse Spa in the United States. That range is for a single, typically leased spa; it includes the disclosed payments to the franchisor and working capital for the first three months, but excludes a property purchase, certain public approvals, borrowing costs, and other location-dependent charges.

Capital snapshot

Sources: FDD Items 5–7, pp. 7–17; the franchisor's official financial qualification page, checked July 19, 2026.

The 2026 disclosure uses one integrated range for a single leased location. It does not provide separate totals for a conversion, resale, freestanding site, or nontraditional format.

Contract, site, and premises costs

Spa fit-out, inventory, and operating systems

Training, launch, professional costs, and working capital

Source: FDD Item 7, pp. 13–17. The final row is already included in the official total.

The disclosed range is not a ceiling. Premises assumptions, excluded charges, supplier rules, and reimbursement timing can increase the cash needed before opening.

Typical FDD premises

Most franchised Spas are described as 5,000 to 7,000 square feet in commercial in-line shopping-center buildings. A location above 7,000 square feet is expected to cost more than the high end.

Real estate

The estimate assumes a lease. The franchisor cannot estimate the cost of purchasing the building or underlying real estate.

Building and utility charges

The table lists $7,500–$12,500 for permits, but the total-investment note separately states that building permits are excluded. Impact or tap fees are also excluded; the FDD estimates $0 to $100,000 and warns that actual charges may be higher. Confirm which approvals the Permits line covers before relying on the total.

Financing and freight

Financing costs are excluded. The Fixtures, Furniture and Equipment range excludes taxes and shipping, which can vary by location and order size.

Required sources

Approved or designated sources apply to construction management, architecture, furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, technology, marketing materials, uniforms, and multiple operating products and services.

The franchisor's official spa-design page describes an approximately 4,500 to 6,000 square-foot location, while the 2026 FDD cost notes describe most franchised Spas as 5,000 to 7,000 square feet. Because the public page and FDD use different size descriptions, a buyer should obtain a written site-specific space program before treating either description as the basis for a construction budget.

Source: FDD Item 7, pp. 14–17, and Item 8, pp. 17–21.

Cash is required in stages: at signing, while securing the site, during construction, before opening, and through the first operating period.

1. Receive the current FDD before paying. Federal rules generally require delivery at least 14 calendar days before signing a binding agreement or paying the franchisor or an affiliate. The FTC franchise buying guide explains this disclosure period.
2. Sign the contracts. The entry charge is due with the single-location contract. A multi-unit buyer also pays the applicable development charge when the related contract is executed.
3. Evaluate and secure the site. Evaluation work precedes the lease; deposits, rent, design work, legal work, and other premises costs begin as the site is secured.
4. Fund construction and launch. The launch-campaign charge is due before construction; approvals, buildout, signs, equipment, systems, and opening stock are paid as invoiced or arranged.
5. Complete training and opening preparations. Training, personnel travel and wages, coverage, the opening promotion, and final purchases must be funded before or around opening.
6. Carry the initial operating period. The working-capital allowance is already inside the disclosed total. The document does not expressly state that owner compensation or personal living expenses are included.

The official Woodhouse ownership-process page provides general process context, but the Franchise Agreement, Development Agreement, invoices, lease, construction contract, and supplier terms control the actual payment calendar.

Sources: FDD Items 5 and 7, pp. 7–17; FTC disclosure guidance.

For the 2026 offer, the optional multi-unit contract adds $60,000–$340,000 at signing. That amount is outside the single-location total. The first location also carries the standard entry charge; later locations covered by the same award do not.

The franchisor sets the schedule. The first location generally must open within 14 months, followed by another 12 months for each later opening. An extension request is discretionary and applies only to the affected deadline.

The continuing cost structure combines weekly sales-based charges, quarterly local marketing spending, monthly technology charges, and event-driven amounts. The table gives the current bases and timing; percentage obligations should not be converted into yearly dollars without actual results.

Sources: FDD Item 6, pp. 9–12, and Item 11, pp. 28–29. The percentage base includes most receipts connected to the location, subject to stated exclusions.

Which charges arise only when an event occurs?

• Training and assistanceAdditional Opening Assistance is the then-current fee plus travel and living costs; Additional Training may be charged at a reasonable cost-based fee; On-site Remedial Training is currently $250 per day plus costs.
• Convention and merchandiseThe Annual Convention may cost up to $1,000 per person, or up to $1,000 per Spa for nonattendance. System Merchandise for Resale varies.
• Late payment and complianceLate Payments may trigger $100 per day plus 18% annual interest or the maximum lawful rate. A Non-compliance Fee may be $50 per day after notice while a violation remains uncured.
• Audit, insurance, and enforcementThe franchisee may owe audit costs when an audit finds an understatement of 3% or more, insurance procurement charges after a coverage failure, and the franchisor's Enforcement Costs.
• Ownership changesThe Transfer Fee is $10,000 for a transferee who is already a Woodhouse Spa franchisee or $15,000 for another transferee, plus reasonable transfer, training, legal, and accounting costs. A Securities Offering Fee is $3,000 plus review costs.
• Renewal and supplier reviewThe Renewal Fee is $12,750. Inspection and Testing costs may apply when a proposed supplier or product is evaluated.
• Schedule extensionA six-month Extension Fee is $5,000 if the franchisor approves a requested extension of an opening date or development schedule deadline.
• Expiration or terminationGift Card Liabilities equal 50% of the outstanding balance of Spa-issued coupons, gift cards, certificates, and vouchers. Indemnification, Liquidated Damages, and other amounts may also apply according to the loss or contractual formula.

Source: FDD Item 6, pp. 9–12, with contract-event context in Item 17, pp. 37–43.

The official franchise website requires at least $700,000 of liquid assets and $1,000,000 of net worth. These screening thresholds do not replace the opening-cost range. The second measure includes non-cash assets and therefore does not establish cash available for construction, deposits, payroll, or early operations.

The disclosure does not state a separate minimum for non-borrowed money. It requires designated owners to sign a personal guaranty, and its cover states that a spouse must sign a document creating liability for all financial obligations under the contract.

The franchisor provides no direct or indirect financing and guarantees no note, lease, or obligation. Its official investment page says it may offer guidance and connections to funding solutions; approval is not assured, and borrowing costs remain excluded from the disclosed total.

Sources: official qualification and investment pages, checked July 19, 2026; FDD cover and Items 10 and 15, pp. 24 and 35–36.

Public franchise pages contain figures that do not match the document issued April 30, 2026. Use the current single-location disclosure unless the franchisor delivers a later amendment or replacement document.

Advertising language also differs. The disclosure gives a current national rate of 1.75% and a 2% ceiling, while the public FAQ summarizes the contribution as 2%. Keep the current rate and maximum distinct.

Sources: 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 13; official pages checked on the data-basis date above. The arithmetic comparison is a derived calculation, not a franchisor estimate.

The most useful next-stage work is to convert the national disclosure range into documented, site-specific obligations without replacing the FDD with unsupported local estimates.

• Confirm the controlling document and state status. Request the latest complete FDD, all amendments, the applicable state addendum, and the effective date for the state where the offer will be made. Wisconsin's official active franchise registration listing is an example of a government filing record, not a substitute for the FDD.
• Reconcile the website figures. Ask The Woodhouse SPAS, LLC to identify in writing which public investment range applies and whether the optional multi-unit charge has been combined with the single-location total.
• Document the site assumptions. Obtain the final square footage, lease economics, tenant improvement allowance amount and payment timing, construction scope, building-permit costs, and local impact or tap fees before relying on the Leasehold Improvements range.
• Refresh supplier quotes. Confirm taxes, freight, installation, approved-vendor pricing, initial inventory quantities, required IT services, and any technology changes made after April 30, 2026.
• Separate business working capital from personal liquidity. The disclosed working-capital allowance does not expressly include owner compensation or personal living expenses.
• Review every contingent fee in the agreements. The Renewal Fee, Transfer Fee, Gift Card Liabilities, Liquidated Damages, audit costs, extension charges, and required upgrades can become material after opening. The FTC's FDD review guidance explains why Items 8 and 17 deserve separate attention.