Co-owner and licensed esthetician Deidre Thompson applies one of many customized facials at Larimar MedSpa Center MedSpa director Jennie Wallace
The familiar glow of a fire warms the earth-toned room. Along one wall, oversized recliners beckon you to stretch out on plush leather cushions where the calming effects of water are immediately soothing. In front, large picture windows provide river views; in the back, a wall of water softly lulls with its constant trickle.
Is this Blackberry Farm? The Grove Park Inn? No, this place of repose is actually much closer. Appropriately named the Relaxation Room, the sanctuary is housed in the corner of Larimar MedSpa’s second story in the 2 North Shore development. And while this refuge is appealing, the room is merely a place to perch between treatments. The amenity allows Larimar to be more of a destination than day spa. “The owners did a lot of planning to make it a tranquil place,” says Aundrea Wagner, a North Chattanooga mother of three. “It reminds me of spas I’ve visited in some of the resorts I’ve stayed in.”
In addition to several personal visits each month, Wagner has also hosted parties in the spa – a practice that Larimar encourages. Partygoers, generally intimate gatherings of six or less, receive one to two treatments each, hanging out between appointments in the Relaxation Room sipping champagne or snacking on finger foods. Larimar will cater lunch or clients can bring their own food. “We’re all so busy, we complain that we don’t spend enough time together,” adds Wagner. “The spa is an opportunity for us to slow down and relax.”
One of Wagner’s favorite treatments is the Vichy Spa, a nine-head shower that floats above a heated table. Alternating between stomach and back, clients receive a full body exfoliation using either a sea salt or sugar scrub, followed by a relaxing rinse. Dead skin and environmental impurities are sloughed off and pores are opened, allowing them to soak in the moisturizing wrap and lotion that follow. The service is unique to Larimar, offering an opportunity to indulge in something typically found only at resort spas, says co-owner Deidre Thompson.