Mind Your Body Oasis is scheduled to open at 1750 Crystal Drive on January 12. Owner Amanda Shipe said the area has been hurting for a business of this type.
“I’ve lived here for 15 years, I own a house on South Glebe Road, so I kind of know the lay of the land really well. I’m also a realtor,” said Shipe. “There’s not a yoga studio in the area. It’s very densely populated and is really in need of something different than what’s happening with the restaurants and shops.”
A jewelry store has moved into the space previously occupied by Sisters3 boutique in Clarendon. B&C Jewelry Boutique (2729 Wilson Blvd) quietly opened its doors to the public on Sunday.
Nolan Forness owns the store, along with his wife, daughter and son. His wife’s father started the business in 1953 and thus far the family has had one store in Alexandria.
Its website says the mission is “to provide a fun, comfortable, clean and safe environment for dogs and peace of mind for their owners.” Pet owners can choose long or short term care services.
The business plans to provide cage-free doggie daycare with indoor and outdoor play areas. Pets are only confined to their “suites” during feeding, downtime and during the night. The website says the facility will play soothing music at night to “lull our guests to sleep.”
Owner Lyndsey DePalma had been looking to get out of the corporate world to open a tea house for years. She started the ball rolling about two years ago while in business school and went on to receive her reflexology certification. She wants her business to be a haven for busy individuals looking to escape from daily stress.
“We can actually take 15 minutes, 30 minutes and just relax,” DePalma said. “It’s not just a tea house, it’s an experience, it’s a place to relax.”
Owner Evan Matz and his wife recently moved to Arlington from Florida. He enjoys the area and thought it would be the perfect place to launch Virginia’s first location for the Florida chain.
“I love Arlington. I think it’s a great area,” said Matz. “World of Beer looks forward to being Ballston’s neighborhood social scene, while being dedicated to the beer enthusiast.”
Casal’s de Spa and Salon (3033 Wilson Blvd) prides itself on customer service and focusing on providing each client with a pleasant experience. General Manager of Operations Jeannie Shimek said Casal’s, which is an Aveda concept salon, offers great attention to each customer due to its smaller atmosphere.
Shimek said one thing that sets Casal’s apart from all the other salons and spas in the area is the complimentary services. With every treatment, customers are treated to freebies like a mini facial or a hand and arm massage.
The Lava Barre (3260 Wilson Blvd) studio will open in a space sub-leased from Saffron Dance. Workouts will incorporate aspects of ballet, interval training, cardio, pilates and the use of props. It’s a high intensity workout, and participants are told they should be prepared to sweat.
“Lava Barre is a community; a corps of people you can count on to motivate, support and keep you on track to help you burn fat, improve your posture and increase your flexibility while shaping the muscles in your body, ” said co-founder Vanessa Ligorria in a press release.
They first began operating in October, and now have their own booth at the Wednesday Farmers Market in Clarendon.
The two, who have children attending the same school, met while working at a PTA bake sale a year and a half ago. After months of learning about regulations and starting a business in the area, they began testing their original recipes.
Located in the former Kayak Station space, Pentagon MMA (1041 S. Edgewood Street) will open at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 2. As part of its grand opening celebration, it will be offering free introductory classes from 11:00 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, including Intro to Muay Thai, Women’s Kickboxing, and Intro to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. An open house will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Pentagon MMA says they will be offering big discounts on memberships during their first weekend. The studio says they “welcome people of all ages, shapes, and sizes” who want to learn self-defense, get in shape, or compete in MMA.
The training center is connected to Verve Health & Fitness near the Rosslyn metro. Verve Co-owner Michael Lin explained that part of the existing facility was partitioned off to add CrossFit. Lin believes offering both CrossFit style workouts and more traditional exercise options benefits customers.
“I believe the balance is very important to keep a person as healthy and capable as physically possible,” said Lin.
Pending county approvals, Ballston CrossFit expects to open on Monday, Feb. 13. Interior construction is partially completed at the gym, located on the ground floor of an office building at 1110 N. Glebe Road. A shipment of fitness equipment was moved in earlier this week, according to Ballston CrossFit’s Facebook page.
“At Ballston CrossFit you will be challenged and motivated every day with constantly varied high intensity functional workouts, resulting in a greatly enhanced level of fitness,” the gym says on its website. “Our program efficiently combines the most effective methods of Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, kettlebells and high intensity cardio.”
The Lemongrass truck will serve a limited Vietnamese-inspired menu that includes banh mi sandwiches, banh mi-style tacos, a salad with homemade lemongrass dressing and three varieties of bubble tea (iced coffee, Thai iced tea and green tea).
The truck’s arrival should fill the void left by last year’s launch and subsequent closure of the Rebel Heroes bahn mi sandwich truck. The Lemongrass truck’s proprietors — a husband and wife team — say the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs inspired them to quit their jobs and launch a food truck.
