Eaton Place business to transform from a facial bar into a wellness center

Just a short year and a half after opening his Urban Routine facial bar at Eaton Place downtown, aesthetician Derek Davenport is expanding and transforming his business.

The new Urban Routine Wellness will offer a seriously expanded range of services because Davenport says he realized there’s a need for people to be able to take care of all their personal needs in one place “instead of having to bounce around everywhere.”

He’s moving from the 750-square-foot former FNL Denim space on the west side of Eaton Place to the front of the building, where a salon used to be at 511 E. Douglas.

Davenport says the deal worked out because he was able to add some former storage space to the salon space for a total of 3,000 square feet. Before that, he says, he hadn’t found anywhere else in the area with enough room.

“I really struggled because I didn’t want to leave the downtown area.”

Currently, the business offers facials, eyelash extensions, waxing, spray tanning and body sculpting.

With the expansion, Urban Routine Wellness will have manicures, pedicures, massage, crystal healing and tarot sessions.

There also will be a fitness center with classes such as yoga and strength training.

Davenport says he’ll also offer community programs on a range of topics, such as cooking and plants.

He says if one area of the business starts to particularly take off, he could expand beyond the wellness center space.

For instance, he’s planning a coffee and tea bar that he expects will one day be a stand-alone business as well.

Davenport says he hopes to open the second week of what is shaping up to be an extremely busy December for him.

“It is wild.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 3:42 PM.