"Two full-service spas will open in Lexington in 2007; one a centerpiece of a major hotel makeover, the other a new arrival on the downtown redevelopment scene.
The Griffin Gate Marriott Resort plans a 25th anniversary celebration on September 14 to unveil a $1.5 million full-service spa open to hotel guests and the general public.
With construction slated to begin almost immediately, the 6,700-square-foot facility will feature "seven massage rooms plus one full wet massage room; a manicure and pedicure area; a steam room; a relaxation room for before and after spa services and luxurious changing and shower rooms," according to a press release.
Scheduled to open in April 2007, the Marriott is touting the spa as "the only one of its kind in the Lexington area."
Challenging that assertion is La Bella Salon, Spa & Self Image Centre, which had originally planned to open this month in the ground floor and basements of Kimball House Square, the former motel being renovated by developer Marcum King. The project was delayed while historic preservation issues were addressed and resolved. Owner Leslie Foster said plans now call for a January move-in to begin fitting up the row of circa 1882 Victorians situated along Limestone Street between Maxwell and High, with a grand opening slated for no later than September '07. Foster said she plans a full menu of services as well: "One hundred percent. We'll have everything from hair and massage services to skin care and nail services. We'll also do medical aesthetics: things like Botox, medical micro-germ abrasion and chemical peels."
Foster's spa in Cincinnati employs 70, and she anticipates a similar staff in Lexington.
Foster also revealed that she has purchased the Kaufman Beauty School on the corner of High and Clay streets. In a partnership with Redken, Foster is opening four cosmetology schools in Lexington, Cincinnati, Louisville and Atlanta. "The new name will be the Salon Professional Academy -A Redken School," she said. "We're going to totally rehab, renovate and relaunch that school."
Foster said the purchase would be completed by September 30 with an opening planned for January.
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