SALISBURY — Years before Sarah March opened her first spa in Seattle, a facial she received as a teenager in Salisbury showed her how restorative an hour of personal care could be.
“It was the most comforting, transformative time,” March said.
That experience stuck with her as she moved across the country and eventually built a career as an esthetician. Now, the Falls Village native is returning to the Northwest Corner to create that experience for others through March Esthetics, Home + Body, a new retail and skin-care business on 19 Main St.
March plans to hold a soft retail opening on Friday, July 24, followed by a larger opening in August. Facials and other esthetic services are expected to begin later once plumbing work and required inspections are complete.
A Falls Village native and Housatonic Valley Regional High School graduate, March left the area and has lived out West for more than 20 years. She went to school for esthetics, eventually settling in Seattle, where she opened Sweet Haven Spa in 2017.
March continues to travel between Connecticut and Washington, but eventually plans to leave the Seattle business to focus fully on the Salisbury location. Her decision to return was motivated in part by a desire to live closer to her parents and become more connected to a smaller community.
“Every time I came home, I was like, ‘I do love this,’” March said. “I want to have a garden. I want to be close to my parents and be in a smaller community. There’s a lot more connection here.”
March had initially assumed she wouldn’t find a storefront available in Salisbury. After considering locations in North Canaan and Falls Village, a friend happened to connect her with a local Sotheby’s real estate agent. March described the timing as “kismet.”
Situated next to Sweet Williams Coffee Shop & Bakery in the space formerly occupied by Rosemary Rose Finery, the location’s walkability was part of its appeal. March hopes that people visiting Salisbury’s cafés, restaurants and other businesses will discover the shop as they move through town.
The Salisbury business will draw from March’s experience running Sweet Haven Spa, but it will not be an exact copy. While the Seattle business was initially built around lash and brow enhancement and body sugaring, the new location will place greater emphasis on retail, facials, and brow and sugaring services by request.
March has curated the retail selection around the routines people incorporate into their days, including morning, bathing, and sleep rituals. The store will carry skin and body care products alongside items such as bamboo pillowcases, sleep masks, teas, and chocolates.
The goal, March said, is not to carry the widest possible assortment, but to offer carefully selected products associated with comfort and everyday care.
“I curated the shop around the idea of what we ritualize in our day,” she said.
Éminence Organic Skin Care, a Hungarian skin-care company whose products March has used throughout her career, will be the shop’s primary skin-care brand. She is also seeking products from smaller companies that are environmentally conscious, women-owned, or give back to their communities. She plans to rotate seasonal products into the store while continuing to carry the products customers respond to most enthusiastically.
The esthetics menu is still being finalized but is expected to include a signature facial and custom facials tailored to each client’s specific skin-care goals. She also plans to offer sugaring, a gentle hair removal method that uses a paste made from sugar, water, and lemon juice. Some services she plans to offer, such as brow and lash lifts and tints, are pending confirmation of licensing requirements in Connecticut and may not be immediately available.
The July soft opening will allow March to introduce the retail store, see which products interest local shoppers, and make adjustments before the larger opening. She expects the store to operate Thursday through Sunday at first, although the hours remain tentative and may expand based on demand. Once services begin, appointments will be booked online through Square. She also hopes to hire and train another employee as soon as possible.
More than any particular product or service, March said she wants the business to offer customers a space to step away from the demands of their day. After leaving the store, she hopes clients will feel relaxed and pampered and see a noticeable change in their skin.
“I want them to feel like they’re coming in and getting something out of this. Be it relaxation, be it skin care, be it just an hour and a half away from their day, they can take a break,” March said. “It’s wonderful.”
