CRAFTING CALM AT WOODHOUSE SPA

Opening a luxury spa wasn’t always the plan, but Rachel and Bram’s path to Woodhouse Spa Wilmington grew naturally from years of shared personal and professional experience. Their journey spans opposite corners of the Southeast, converges in Charleston, and ultimately leads back to the coastal community they love. As partners in life and business, they’ve built careers centered on leadership, service, and human connection—strengths that eventually steered them toward entrepreneurship. That path now culminates in Wilmington’s first true luxury day spa, created to restore, nurture, and elevate well-being in a way this region has long been waiting for.

Woodhouse Spa Wilmington

To begin, can you both share a bit about your personal and professional backgrounds, and how your journeys ultimately led you to opening Woodhouse Spa Wilmington?

Rachel grew up on the East Coast and spent her high school years in Wilmington before heading to the College of Charleston. Bram is from Eastern Tennessee and an Appalachian State grad. We built our early life together in Charleston, SC, before choosing to return to Wilmington to put down roots and raise our family. As both a married couple and business partners, we’re driven by community, meaningful relationships, and hard work. Together, we bring 40+ years of corporate experience in sales, HR, operations, management, and finance—expertise that naturally evolved into a foundation for small-business ownership and a desire to create something that truly serves our community.

That vision led us to Woodhouse Spa Wilmington. We saw the chance to bring a luxury, holistic spa experience to the area—one that offers more than traditional services by creating a true sanctuary of relaxation and mindful rejuvenation. Our mission is to give guests a place to slow down, feel restored, and experience deeply intentional care. Opening Woodhouse lets us blend our professional strengths with our passion for wellness, offering Wilmington a retreat that reflects the warmth, hospitality, and coastal serenity we love. This region is special—cherished by locals and adored by visitors—and we’re honored to help elevate its sense of well-being.

What about the Woodhouse brand resonated so strongly that you felt compelled to bring it to Wilmington?

We were guests of Woodhouse Spa while living in Charleston and loved the experience. Shortly after moving to Wilmington, the North Hills in Raleigh's Midtown location opened and we realized it was a franchise model. That's when the lightbulb went off and we started putting the pieces into place. Wilmington was primed for a Woodhouse Spa given the Cape Fear region's growth trajectory, a sizable demographic of prospective guests investing in luxury experiences, and the limited local offerings for a luxury full-service day spa experience.

Woodhouse Spa is positioned as Wilmington’s first true luxury day spa.

What defines “luxury” in the wellness space?

Luxury the Woodhouse Way is holistic self-care for the mind and body. It's a space that invites and encourages total relaxation and rejuvenation from the moment you walk in the door to the moment you leave. It's an experience that goes beyond the treatment room, providing ample opportunity for rest and reflection in quiet spaces. It's exceptionally trained Practitioners who are investing in our guests long-term well-being through each and every treatment.

Your treatment menu ranges from Hydrafacial and nano-channeling to body treatments and non-toxic nail care. Which services do you anticipate will be most popular among local guests?

Facials and massages are always the gateway into luxury self-care, allowing guests to get comfortable with the experience, then excited to come regularly, or try advanced facials and body treatments. We anticipate the infrared sauna being regularly booked by our guests as a standalone or add-on service, and our non-toxic nail room should be popular for routine appointments, especially since we offer Dazzle Dry polish that's both long-lasting and easily removable. One lesser-known offering we think will pique

guest interest is Shirodhara, an Ayurvedic treatment that involves gently pouring a stream of warm oil over the forehead to promote deep relaxation and mental clarity. It’s fantastic and worth trying.

Several of your practitioners come from top-tier spas across the Carolinas. How does this level of expertise elevates the guest experience at Woodhouse Spa Wilmington?

It's common for local self-care enthusiasts to travel to Raleigh or Charlotte for a luxury day spa experience where the level of service and expertise is expected to be higher. Now, that level of service is just minutes away. We've hired some exceptional practitioners who have been living in Wilmington, and are also excited to be creating more job opportunities for veteran aestheticians, massage therapists and nail technicians who have been wanting to relocate but hadn't found the right fit in the past.

Design and atmosphere are central to the Woodhouse experience. What was your vision for creating a calming, transportive environment for guests?

Aesthetically, the Woodhouse brand color palette uses neutral, warm, earth tones, and you'll see this throughout the spa in the paint colors, artwork, fixtures, and wood finishes. Soft lighting and candlelight illuminates the entire space. The chairs are upholstered with luxurious fabrics like velvet and boucle that are especially soft to touch. The floorplan is one that flows naturally, allowing guests to navigate with ease between a treatment room to the Quiet Room to the infrared sauna and back. And, of course, calming music is a must in any day spa environment.

Your retail selection includes BABOR, Maya Chia, and SkinCeuticals—some of the most respected names in luxury skincare. What inspired your curation of these specific brands?

Our guests deserve to extend their self-care rituals at home with products that are not only indulgent but truly effective. We curate our retail selection with a deep focus on ingredient integrity and results-driven formulations. BABOR, founded in Germany, remains Europe’s leading luxury skincare line and is renowned for its advanced, science-backed treatments. Maya Chia brings a beautifully artisanal touch, crafted closer to home in Charleston, SC, with nutrient-rich, clean formulations. SkinCeuticals offers a trusted, medical-grade approach rooted in clinical research. Together, these brands allow us to offer a thoughtful range of high-performance options—each held to the highest standards of quality—so every guest can find the perfect fit for their skin’s needs.

The VIP relaxation room is an exciting offering for private gatherings. What types of celebrations or experiences do you imagine guests enjoying in this space?

The VIP room comfortably accommodates up to six guests and is a truly versatile space. It's perfect for anything from a baby or bridal shower to a corporate team outing to a book club meeting. The only limitation to how the room is used is one's imagination! Almost anything you would host at a coffee shop or restaurant could be hosted in our VIP room--with the added benefit of spa treatments also available for each guest.