Franchise News

Leading Massage Franchise Welcomes Tyra Dungan as VP of Marketing and Elena Villaseñor Sullivan as General Counsel

Massage Heights, a U.S. and Canadian spa franchise brand, offering high-quality massage, skincare and wellness services, announced two new appointments to its growing executive team, including Tyra Dungan as Vice President of Marketing and Elena Villaseñor Sullivan, J.D. and CCEP as General Counsel. With extensive experience in their respective fields, both women aim to further support the brand's mission to help others achieve a life of wellness that inspires, transforms, and renews.

Dungan, who holds more than 25 years of experience within the spa, salon, beauty, and hospitality industries, previously served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the technology application Spa Space. Her career also includes roles such as Senior Director of Brand Management as XpresSpa, Assistant Vice President of L'OREAL, and Vice President of Operations at Premier Salons Inc. Dungan is credited with creating Hilton's first branded spa concept and served as sales lead of Hilton Spa's franchise business.

"While attending college, I became inspired by the beauty category, and earned my esthetician and massage therapist licenses," Dungan said. "I soon realized I could make a larger impact by being on the business leadership side of the industry. For over 20 years, I built my career on advocating for global wellness. I am looking forward to applying my skills and industry expertise to further the Massage Heights mission." 

Sullivan, who comes to Massage Heights with nearly 20 years' experience as an attorney, has provided legal guidance to executive leadership teams on all aspects of business. Before joining Massage Heights, she served as Senior Attorney and Executive Director of Compliance at USAA, advising the company on the legal and regulatory risks associated with its business and led a team through transformational change to enhance its compliance risk management programs. Sullivan also was a partner at a large regional law firm where she handled commercial litigation cases primarily involving contractual disputes, real estate, intellectual property and environmental cases. As General Counsel of Massage Heights, Sullivan oversees the Legal Department, providing legal advice on all aspects of the business, including corporate governance, franchise development and administration, compliance risk management, litigation, and third-party vendor relationships. With extensive experience serving nonprofits, Sullivan also manages the internal charitable arm of Massage Heights.

"By protecting the company's interests and mitigating its risks, I will help Massage Heights fulfill its vision of encouraging people to live a culture of elevated wellness that inspires, transforms, and renews lives," Sullivan said.

Susan Boresow, President and CEO of Massage Heights, said the addition of Dungan and Sullivan will further strengthen the support for franchisees, ultimately setting up all Massage Heights stakeholders for success.

"I am proud to add two strong female leaders to our corporate support team who both have a proven track record of creating positive change throughout their careers," Boresow added. "I am confident our franchisees and existing leadership team will appreciate and benefit from their guidance and expertise."

The massage franchise started in 2004 and has grown to more than 120 Retreats throughout North America by providing personalized wellness treatment options through therapeutic massage and skincare services. Massage Heights is a family-owned massage and wellness franchise dedicated to elevating the lives of others by providing Members and Guests with professional, affordable and resort-quality massage, skincare and wellness services. For more information about Massage Heights and its franchise opportunities, please visit MassageHeightsFranchise.com.