Vancouver Wellness Studio spa coming to waterfront hotel

A new Vancouver Wellness Studio spa is coming to the AC Hotel Vancouver Waterfront, offering massage therapy, acupuncture, facials, platelet-rich plasma injections, infrared saunas and IV therapy.

While the hotel is set to open in June at 333 W. Columbia Way, the spa plans to open in October, according to Vancouver Wellness Studio founder and owner Kendall Hagensen.

“The spa location is about natural forms of restoration and rejuvenation,” she said.

The new spa will be Hagensen’s second location; her first, at 800 Franklin St., has seen a rise in business during the pandemic. She was considering moving the entire business into the new hotel location, but with the growing customer volume, it made more sense to open it as a second location, she said.

The original location offers a greater variety of services, including mental health, nutrition, naturopathic medicine, corporate wellness, health coaching, fitness and yoga.

Vancouver Wellness Studio has 13 employees and seeks to hire an additional five with the expansion into the new 1,500-square-foot spa, which will be accessible from both the hotel lobby and the exterior.

“The hotel will be a vibrant gathering place for our community and a premier destination for those visiting the Pacific Northwest, and we believe this new partnership speaks directly to the types of offerings that consumers are seeking,” said Rick Takach, chairman and CEO of Vesta Hospitality, the hotel’s developer.

The spa will be the only retail tenant in the hotel, which also offers a large bar called the AC Lounge, featuring a tapas menu.

Platelet-rich plasma injections use patients’ own blood platelets to faster heal injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. IV therapy involves injecting fluid into the bloodstream to help with dehydration, a treatment growing in popularity for hangovers.