The Daylight Building on Union Avenue has been on my radar quite a bit recently. At the end of May I announced the closure of Reruns at 521 Union after twenty-nine years in business. The first of July brought news that another five-year veteran of the building, John Black Photography, would be moving to Jackson Avenue. Just last week came news that chef Joseph Lenn has taken a lease on the space vacated by John Black for a restaurant. And the news keeps coming.
The space at 525 Union Avenue was originally leased five years ago by the Happy Envelope. They moved to Jackson Avenue in order to expand. Knoxville Magazine took the store-front in November of 2013 and subsequently closed its doors in December of 2014. For eight months the space sat empty, waiting on the right person with the vision for what it might become. That person has arrived in the form of Hannah Easterly and Wild Lavender Spa and Wellness, which should be open sometime next week.
Born and raised in Knoxville, Hannah attended UT, where she studied forestry. She’s brought that continuing passion for the outdoors into her new store in the form of the decor and the natural (and mostly organic) products. She’s also had a passion for skin care and always imagined operating a space somehow connected to that.
After leaving UT, she attended Aveda Institute where she studied Esthiology, which, for those of us who are less informed, and according to Dictionary.com means, “a person with special training in administering facials, aromatherapy, hair and skin care, makeup, etc.” She completed the 750 hour program in April and received her license from the state. Her new business should be certified by the state next week.
While she’d hoped to own a business at some point, she didn’t really expect it to come so soon. In fact, she’d planned to hike the Appalachian Trail upon graduation from the program. Instead she went to work. Since April she has also completed her 200 hours to become a certified yoga instructor. After looking for a booth of some sort in order to start a very small business and not finding what she wanted, her mother spotted the new space and after Hannah talked to David Dewhirst, it all fell into place. She said, “It’s comforting to me to have a space. It feels triumphant in its own way. This was on my list, too, but it came first (before the Appalachian Trail).”
She feels a facial boutique and spa will be a good complement to the yoga that is already offered downtown. While other salons do facials as a part of their businesses, she believes strongly in the natural and organic products she’s offering. She offers thirty-minute ($55), sixty-minute ($75) and ninety-minute ($105) facials. She cleanses, exfoliates and massages the face. About 200 hours of her 750 hours in training from Aveda was in massage. Each of the facials actually take just a bit longer because they start with a foot bath and scrub and a neck and shoulder massage. She feels the prices are very competitive.
Her products are overwhelmingly organic, down to the sheets you’ll find on the facial bed. Even the detergent used to wash the sheets is organic. It’s something Hannah really believes in, being no fan of chemicals used in products or in the process of facials. The brands of products you’ll find in Wild Lavender cannot be found elsewhere in the state of Tennessee and they are products she selected for their high quality and all-natural composition.
She will stock Om Aroma and Company (out of the Catskills of New York) skin care products. She told me, “I started using it a year ago and it transformed my skin.” The company makes their product in small batches from locally sourced natural ingredients, such as pumpkin seed and raspberry. They offer a truffle face cream and caviar eye cream.
She likes that they are a small company and offer organic, rather than simply “natural” products. “Read the labels,” she offered, “You won’t find chemicals listed in the ingredients.” She also appreciates companies that try to make the world better and Om Aroma has a program called, “Dollars and Sense,” in which they offer to hire women who are transitioning back into the workforce.
She’s also completed her training (200 hours) to become certified as a yoga instructor, though she says she will not focus on that since it is already offered downtown. She will sell yoga mats and doesn’t preclude the possibility of a small monthly workshop or offering private sessions for patrons. She’s been practicing yoga, herself, for about three years and notes that some of her classmates will be teaching classes at Barre Belle Yoga and says she may take some classes there, expressing a desire to work with and complement similar and related services offered downtown.
Other products offered include yoga mats, eye cream, face cream, toner (lavender), and cleanser. Make-up pouches to hold it all are offered, as are candles. Coptic hand-sewn books by Catherine Widner will be available and Hannah hopes to have Catherine on site for a workshop, soon. A mineral-based, natural make-up line by Portland, Oregon based Alima Pure will be in stock next week and will include face powder, blush, lip stick and lip gloss among other products.
Any day now, you should be able to make an appointment via the Wild Lavender Spa and Wellness Facebook page under the “about” section. Appointments are necessary. Initial hours are likely to be Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday from noon to 5:00 PM. As it will be a one-person operation initially, the doors will be locked when she is in session, which you should also be able to check via the Facebook page. You see the specific opening date posted there, as well.
Visit the Facebook page and give her a “like.” Stop in and welcome her to the neighborhood and tell her you read about it here. If you are so inclined, sign up for a facial or try the products in her stock. Hopefully Hannah and Wild Lavender will play a role in making the Daylight Building a vibrant place for it’s second five year run.