Cosmetic business now open, trendy dentist opening soon at Ballston Exchange

(Updated, 1/27/22) Get a facial and your teeth cleaned all in one day at two new cosmetic-centered businesses opening in Ballston Exchange, the office complex on Wilson Blvd across from the mall.`

The wellness center NM Aesthetics opened in October on the second floor of 4201 Wilson Blvd. The business offers “non-surgical cosmetic work led by an all-female team,” including fillers, hydrafacials and microdermabrasion.

The 3,000-square-foot space features a large lobby, “fun neon signs” and plant walls.

The business started in 2018 as a concierge service for which owner Megan Francis traveled around the area offering the cosmetic work, a company spokesperson tells ARLnow.

Right before the pandemic, Francis moved into Sola Salon Studio on N. Glebe Road, a business that hosts other solo entrepreneurs. Then, this past fall, Francis opened her own space down the street.

Meanwhile, the trendy dentistry practice Tend is opening by the end of the month after a several month delay. It’s also located in Ballston Exchange, on the ground floor.

The plan is to open on Wednesday, Jan. 26, a company spokesperson tells ARLnow, with customers already able to book appointments. It didn’t open in the fall due to “the proliferation of the Delta variant this summer that put some bumps in our schedule,” the spokesperson notes.

Tend advertises itself as a dentist that feels like going to the spa. Appointments are booked through an app, offices are Instagramable, and patients can watch The Witcher on Netflix (or The Babysitters Club, whatever the preference) with noise-canceling headphones during dental work.

There are 20 other Tend locations across the country, including five in D.C., but this is the first in Virginia.

Ballston Exchange has had plenty of comings and goings in recent months, including D.C.-based taqueria El Rey and a group of nonprofits supported by billionaire Charles Koch, which will be moving from offices in Courthouse.