The former Signature Salon and Spa on Main Avenue is being transformed into The Woodhouse Day Spa, a high-end destination.
Leshia and Arnold Terhune, a couple from Perryton, Texas, have farmed all their lives and were inspired to open a spa after visiting a Woodhouse Spa in Austin.
“When we saw it, we felt confident this was a perfect fit,” Leshia Terhune said.
The couple bought a house in Durango on their first visit seven years ago, and they have been looking for an opportunity that would allow them to move here full time.
Leshia was also ready for a new endeavor after both her daughters graduated from high school. She had always been a stay-at-home mom and farmer’s wife.
“I just really couldn’t even fathom what was next,” she said.
When they visited a Woodhouse spa, where their daughter Tori was working, they found it warm, inviting and luxurious.
“I truly believe people will travel to Durango partly because of Woodhouse,” she said.
It is a franchise that is growing across the county, and the one near Main Avenue and 15th Street is expected to be the fifth location in Colorado, she said.
Opening a franchise offered training opportunities and professional support that made the venture possible, she said.
“Farming to spa ownership is not at all something we would have tried,” she said.
Even though it is part of a franchise, it will have a hometown feel. While her husband will spend part of his time farming, Leshia Terhune will be living in Durango year-round to run the spa.
“It will feel like it belongs here in Durango,” she said.
It will offer 70 treatments ranging from manicures and pedicures, to HydraFacials and Vichy treatments. During Vichy treatments, the client lies under multiple shower heads. It can be beneficial for the lymphatic system.
While they were looking for a location, Arnold Terhune stopped in at Signature to ask if the owner might want to sell and coincidentally she was interested.
The Terhunes bought the building and are now in the process of remodeling it from floor to ceiling and opening up the floor plan a bit. They hope to be open this summer, and they will employ about 12 to 15 people.
They interviewed Signature Spa employees who were interested in staying and some of them were rehired, she said.
However, the medical spa was not part of the Woodhouse model, and so the medical equipment and client list was sold to Four Corners Aesthetics & Women’s Health.
For example, Four Corners bought the sublime and sublative lasers that are used in facial treatments, said Patty Purcell an owner of Four Corners. Expanding the range of treatments the spa offers helps grow the business, and it is good for the bottom line, she said.
“It just made sense, it was a good fit,” Patty said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
