December 5, 2024 – By Chris Trainor at The State Newspaper
Much can happen in the course of two decades.
For Chapin’s multi-faceted Aquarius Spa & Salon, a journey that began nearly 20 years ago has arrived at a moment of expansion and rebirth.
Aquarius, owned by wife-and-husband duo Marie and Joe Keeton, is set to formally mark a new chapter, as it will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its new facility at 113 Virginia St. The event is slated for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, with a holiday open house drop-in to follow from 6 to 8 p.m. with food, beverage and live music.
Marie Keeton initially started Aquarius back in 2005, at the time operating out of a tiny, 1,000-square-foot farm house on Chapin’s Columbia Avenue. It later moved to the historic Robinson-Hiller House on Virginia Street. The business remained in that historic home, initially built in 1902, for more than 17 years, until the recent move.
The new Aquarius hasn’t moved far from the Robinson-Hiller House: The Keetons had the facility built right next door. The new spa and salon, which was built by Chapin Commercial Construction, is 5,300-square-feet and doubles the size of the business’ treatment rooms and salon, adds a trendy new head spa to the repertoire and features a “serenity” room where guests can rest and luxuriate between treatments.
Spa leadership and staff members are embracing the space and modern touches of the new building. Marie Keeton said it was important to her that the facility have a comfortable, charming feel, especially after the business previously spent so many years in the character-filled Robinson-Hiller House.
“It’s been great,” Marie said. “We have the space we need. The one thing we really struggled with was, how do we bring the character over here that we had over [at the Robinson-Hiller House], because that building had so much character. … It just had a feel to it, and it was important to me to bring that over here. So far, our guests have been really happy with the way this feels.”
Aquarius offers a host of services, including a hair salon, manicures and pedicures, massages, facials, and more. It also partners with About Face Aesthetics & Wellness for med spa services such as Botox, fillers, weight loss programs, hormone replacement therapy and other offerings.
The spa and salon also has a wealth of retail selections in the front lobby area of the new facility, including numerous creams, lotions and cosmetics, as well as select clothing, handbags and more.
“Everything we use in treatment rooms or the salons we try to sell in the retail area, so people can take home their experience,” Marie said. “Then we have also branched out into accessories and things like that.”
The growth of Aquarius from its humble start in a farm house to a long tenure in an historic home to its current move to a modern, new facility in some ways mirrors the growth of Chapin itself. The town has grown steadily across the last three decades, with the in-town population jumping from just 347 people in 1990 to nearly 2,000 today. And that’s just in the city limits; many more thousands live in the unincorporated areas near the town.
Marie Keeton said it has been amazing to see Chapin grow.
“It has changed so much,” she said. “I remember Chapin when I met my husband 36 years ago, it had no stop lights. Stop signs, but no stop lights. There was one grocery store and it was tiny. It was very different than what it is today. But it still has that small town feel, which I hope we always keep.”
Chapin Commercial Construction president Chad Lindler said he was glad to bring the new Aquarius facility to life, noting that it’s another example of growth in the town.
“As Chapin natives, it’s been incredibly rewarding to construct a beautiful new building for Aquarius Spa & Salon to expand its services right here in our hometown,” Lindler said. “We’re fortunate to partner with a fellow local business that’s contributing to Chapin’s growth while preserving its small town warmth and charm.”
Marie Keeton asked those who plan to attend the Dec. 7 holiday drop-in at Aquarius to RSVP via the spa’s Facebook page.
Article By Chris Trainor, The State