A luxury day spa chain based in California will be closing its doors inside the San Francisco Centre.
Burke Williams Day Spa confirmed on February 12 that it would close its San Francisco location after nearly 20 years of operation.
The company, which has touted celebrity customers like Viola Davis and Christy Carlson Romano, is one of multiple chains that decided to leave the San Francisco mall over the past two years.
Burke Williams Day Spa insisted their closure is because the ‘deteriorating’ issues in the area have ‘forced out’ other tenants.
‘This decision is not one we are making lightly. …Instead, it is the culmination of ongoing challenges posed by years of poor policies, neglect and deterioration in the surrounding area,’ company president Bill Amour said.
‘Today, the San Francisco Centre is operating with only a 20% to 30% tenancy factor, leaving the environment around us deeply affected.’
‘While we held on as long as possible, the reality is that we can no longer operate in a location where the city fails to provide for the safety and wellbeing of its people and businesses,’ Amour continued.
The Burke Williams Day Spa’s last day of operation inside the San Francisco Centre will be on April 28.
Burke Williams Day Spa confirmed it would close its San Francisco Centre location on April 28 earlier this week
The spa chain’s co-founder Bill Amour claimed poor policies and public safety concerns were factors behind the closure
The company had noticed a ‘precipitous decline in business’ over the years, especially after stores like Bloomingdales and Nordstrom also closed their locations in the mall.
The area also began increasing public safety concerns, which made Burke Williams decide to take matters into their own hands.
‘We hired our own security company to actually escort our guests from the street through the vacant mall so that they would feel safe,’ Armour told NBC Bay Area.
‘We hired security because we had been broken into several times at night.’
‘We took these steps, we tried marketing campaigns, we tried all sorts of different things,’ Armour continued.
‘We want nothing more than to be part of San Francisco, but I think the cards were so heavily stacked against us.’
The issues became too much, and the alleged ‘myriad of decisions’ made by the city’s mayor and Board of Supervisors and ‘government infrastructure’ was enough to make the spa chain decide to close its San Francisco Centre location.
Burke Williams Day Spa noticed a ‘precipitous decline in business’ over the years
Actresses Viola Davis and Christy Carlson Romano praised Burke Williams Day Spa after visiting one of its California locations
Armour and his wife, Theresa, opened their first Burke Williams Day Spa in 1984.
Its popularity grew, leading the couple to open the fifth-floor San Francisco Centre location in 2006.
The San Francisco location was named the city’s largest day spa after its opening and currently takes up 16,000 square feet.
Today, the spa chain offers a variety of treatments like massages, facials, manicures and access to a wet room.
‘I am constantly impressed with the professionalism of their staff, their attention to detail, and commitment to giving me the best experience every visit,’ Carlson said in 2018.
‘This is why I have been a frequent guest at Burke Williams and enjoyed their amenities and services whenever I could.’
Over the years, the spa chain has seen a high demand for its skin care products, according to a 2024 press release.
The chain has also participated in the Gifting Suits at the Emmy Awards and Golden Globes, and its guests include Alan Cumming, Karamo Brown and Joshua Malina.
Burke Williams Day Spa opened in 1984, and now has several locations in California, one being in Hollywood
The San Francisco Centre began its recent struggles in 2023 after Nordstrom closed its doors in 2023 after 35 years at the mall.
‘Decisions like this are never easy, and this one has been especially difficult,’ CEO Jamie Nordstrom wrote in an email to his employees.
‘But as many of you know, the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.’
Bloomingdales confirmed its plans to close its San Francisco Centre store earlier this year after two decades of being at the location.
Like the other stores, Bloomingdales business declined in the mall.
According to Macy’s, the store will remain open at San Francisco Centre until late spring.
Once it closes, the San Francisco Centre will have no operating anchor tenants.
Other stores that have left the San Francisco Centre include American Eagle, J. Crew, Adidas and Hollister.
