Dorger developed a passion for cooking early in life. She graduated high school in 1987 and went on to college in Florida to study culinary arts and hotel restaurant management.
“My mom was a really good cook, and I have always loved being in the kitchen and cooking for other people,” Dorger said.
But surprisingly, Dorger discovered in culinary school that cooking for a living wasn’t for her. She returned home and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in sociology – because the one thing she knew for sure was that she loved people.
“Providing incredible experiences for others turned out to be what I really wanted to do,” Dorger said. “It’s always been a priority to surround myself with good people.”
After college, Dorger ended up building a 25-year career in sales. She realized she didn’t want to sit behind a desk in an office every day and liked calling on businesses and meeting all types of people.
“I loved what I was doing but I just didn’t care for the last company I worked for,” Dorger said. “I quit my job spontaneously after I got remarried in 2013 and my mom passed away.”
Dorger had been married nine years before divorcing and has a daughter, Lucy. She met and married Matt Dorger, who has two sons, Max and Jake. After she left her job, Dorger turned to her first love — cooking — to fill her time.
“One day my husband came home, and I had made two Thanksgiving dinners,” Dorger said. “He and my daughter agreed I needed to find a job.”
Dorger has always enjoyed pampering herself at local spas. From massages to body treatments, she loved them all.
“I had gone to a spa one day and while I was there, I was contemplating my next steps,” Dorger said.
With her brain working and her wheels turning, Dorger imagined herself owning a spa and thinking she could still be in the hospitality field without cooking. Her husband is involved in an entrepreneurial organization and also knew someone who owned another spa franchise.
“When you buy a franchise, you are actually buying a business system,” Dorger said. “I looked at spa franchises myself and the very first one I found was Spavia.”
Dorger found a franchise broker who did a personality assessment to determine what types of businesses would be a good fit for her.
“It was really like serendipity,” Dorger said. “The first thing the broker came up with was Spavia.”
Still living in Cincinnati, Dorger called the company to let them know she was interested. She ended up flying to Denver, Colorado to meet the Spavia founders, Allison and Marty Langenderfer, still knowing very little about franchising.
“I knew there was a Subway on just about every corner,” Dorger said. “I was looking for a business that hadn’t yet saturated the market. I liked that the founders were looking for partners.”
In 2015, Dorger purchased a territory in southern Cincinnati and northern Kentucky and began looking for a good location for her first Spavia. She quickly became frustrated at property availability.
Then her real estate broker brought her up to Austin Landing, still mostly in development with a few stores already open.
“I sat in a Chipotle restaurant for two hours just people watching,” Dorger said. “I ended up buying a space next to Home Goods since I knew those people would be my customer base.”
Dorger opened Spavia in Austin Lending in February of 2016. She knew relatively little about the Dayton area but quickly grew to love the community surrounding her business. She has watched Austin Landing grow and become a popular destination for families and shoppers alike.
“I really like that Spavia is about giving back to the community,” Dorger said. “We go to festivals and do free chair massages and every September we give a percentage of our proceeds to a local charity.”
Dorger has weathered a global pandemic and months long shutdown and came back stronger than before, catering to clients desperate for a “human touch.”
“Part of what we do is helping people transition,” Dorger said. “Whether it’s due to a tragedy or transition. People come in trying to find something and we provide services that help them get back on track.”
Dorger never expected she would grow to love Dayton as much as she has. She saw the location as an opportunity and drove around the area before making her decision.
“I went to lots of community events and got to know the area,” Dorger said. “So much has changed in the nearly ten years I’ve owned Spavia here. We’ve built some great relationships and enjoyed growing our offerings and celebrating successes with our friends and neighbors.”
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