What’s moving into the old Massage Envy spot in Uptown Gig Harbor? Here’s what we know
Serenity Spa is expanding across the Narrows Bridge.
Its newest location will open in Uptown Gig Harbor at Point Fosdick Square, where Massage Envy used to be at 4641 Point Fosdick Dr., Suite 300.
The name should sound familiar. Serenity Spa has two other Pierce County locations in downtown Tacoma and at The Village at Chambers Bay in University Place.
The Uptown space is currently under construction. They hope to open this spring, owner Megan Douglas told the Gateway Friday, Feb. 16.
Opening a third location in Gig Harbor was an easy decision for Douglas.
“I love Gig Harbor,” Douglas said. “It feels like you’re on a vacation every time you go there.”
The Gig Harbor location is 2,200 square feet, which is bigger than the downtown Tacoma spa (1,300 square feet) and smaller than the one in University Place (2,700 square feet).
It will have five rooms, (two for esthetician work and three for massage work), and an infrared sauna. It will also offer something that the other two locations do not have, an experiential shower, Douglas said.
Inside the shower customers will walk into a room with calming music, subtle LED lights, six jets, and a waterfall feature, Douglas said.
“Sometimes people want to spend some time relaxing on their own,” Douglas said.
She said many of her clients drive across the bridge for the services in Tacoma and University Place. She’s excited for those west of the Narrows to have a closer Serenity Spa location.
Hours haven’t been finalized yet, but Douglas said the spa will probably start with a Tuesday through Saturday schedule, then work up to being open seven days a week.
Weekdays are considered their “long days,” when they are open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Weekends are their “shorter days,” when they’re typically open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Customers can visit Serenity Spa on Instagram, @serenityspa.pnw, for updates on a Gig Harbor grand opening date.
Serenity Spa treatments in Gig Harbor
Douglas has been “obsessed” with spa-like treatments since she was a little girl reading spa magazines, she said. She used to give herself at-home spa treatments and discovered she had a passion for it.
She took that passion and went to massage school at Ashmead College in Fife. Directly after graduating she opened her first massage practice, Serenity Massage, formerly located in North Tacoma. It was open for five years, Douglas said.
She closed Serenity Massage and opened Serenity Spa in downtown Tacoma, in order to expand her treatments beyond massage.
Serenity Spa is a traditional day spa and has been open for over 15 years, Douglas said.
They offer an array of services including Hydrafacials, basic facials, advanced facials, waxing, sugaring, massages, body treatments and more.
Douglas’ favorite facial is the vital glow.
“I’ve found that I’m more passionate about skincare the older I get,” she said.
The two main skincare lines the company’s estheticians use during facial treatments are Eminence Organic Skin Care and Osmosis Beauty.
Douglas described Eminence Organic as their go-to line because “it’s like whole foods for your skin.”
Osmosis Beauty “is what we would use for people really looking to make change in their skin,” she said. “Such as anti-aging, acne, or rosacea.”
Douglas said there are times when they’ll use both Eminence and Osmosis on clients during a facial. Treatments are customized for what’s best for the client, she said.
About two years ago Douglas expanded into University Place, which is where she’s lived for over 20 years. She’s there with her husband and their two sons, who are in the University Place School District.
At that location Douglas introduced clients to an infrared sauna which is its own “private cabin” inside the spa, she said.
“Infrared is amazing for muscle recovery and phenomenal for your skin,” Douglas said. “We use a full spectrum infrared sauna, so that means that you get near, mid and far infrared waves.”
Near waves are beneficial for collagen production and aging skin, Douglas said. Mid waves help with muscle recovery, joint pain, arthritis and more, she said. Far waves are good for cellular regeneration, which boosts immunity, helps lower blood pressure, and burns calories, Douglas said.
Visitors can burn up to 600 calories in a single 30-minute session, she said.
The infrared sauna is only available at the University Place and Gig Harbor locations. Customers can add a sauna session to any service at a discount. They can also purchase one time sessions in the sauna or get a sauna membership to visit more frequently.
Serenity Spa offers a variety of body treatments with homemade products to create “a truly holistic experience,” Douglas said.
Douglas makes all of the body treatment products in her own lab including a citrus serene scrub, coffee fix whipped body scrub, bamboo body polish, magical magnesium body butter, forest bathing oil, lush lavender body oil, and muscle melt body oil.
The magical magnesium body butter is their top seller, Douglas said.
“It’s excellent for muscle cramps, aches, pains, and helps you sleep,” she said. “Most people are magnesium deficient, which is a big cause of muscle cramps.”
Right now the body treatment products all have a Serenity Spa label on them and are sold in the spas. Soon she’ll launch her products under a new name, “Pyurest,” which she hopes to sell in other spas and businesses.
“There’s really good facial and skincare lines out there, but when it comes to body product lines that are clean and effective, they are hard to find,” she said.
She uses all organic ingredients and pure essential oils to make her products, Douglas said.
In addition to body treatments, the company also uses these homemade products in its spa packages, which range from 90 minutes to three hours.
The delightful detox is a 90-minute experience that starts with an infrared sauna treatment, moves on to dry brushing and ends with a cannabliss clay mud wrap.
Douglas said they use muslin fabric for their wraps, not plastic.
The serene duo package is two hours and includes a massage and a facial.
The northwest zen is the longest package they offer. It lasts three hours. Customers start with a coffee scrub, then receive an hour long massage, and end with a facial and scalp treatment.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 1:46 PM.
