The CURE de Repos team: Spa Director Elle Manion, Makeup Artist Ruthie Holland, Licensed Massage Therapist Roxanne Price, Licensed Esthetician Kay Garcia, owner/educator Chrissy Dress, and Licensed Estheticians Valerie Schuenemann and Eileen Clay.
For the crème de la crème in beauty and wellness, you could head to a destination spa, a swanky resort or a high-end day spa in Center City.
Or you could skip the schlep and visit the new CURE de Repos in Ardmore.
Locally owned and operated, CURE is 2800 sq. ft. of luxurious indulgence in Cricket Flats, the new mixed-use complex on Cricket Ave.
Ardmore is CURE’s second location – the original is in Chestnut Hill – and fills a surprising void, says owner Chrissy Dress.
“The Main Line has a ton of great medspas, salon suites, and plastic surgeons [for injections/skincare], and but no luxury destination European day spa. I thought, ‘Am I being punked? Why is no one out here?’”
Market research told her Main Line women (and men!) were driving to Center City to visit Rescue Spa and the like. A licensed esthetician and former celebrity makeup artist, Dress once worked at Rescue. She says CURE “emulates its elevated luxury experience.” CURE carries some of the same iconic skincare brands including French standout, Biologique Rechere, and Swiss-made Valmont. Dress also private labels a few items to fill in gaps in the lines she carries.
The in-spa boutique carries coveted, science-based brands like Biologique Recherche and Valmont. “European skincare products have a higher percentage of active ingredients, less filler and last longer,” explains Spa Director Elle Manion.
The CURE vibe is cozy and inviting – despite ceilings that soar as high as 18 ft. Walls are bathed in warm caramel and treatment rooms, lounge, infrared sauna, and plunge pool/red light room are nestled off a curved hallway. ”I didn’t want it to look clinical,” explains Dress, who designed the space herself.
The lounge at CURE de Repos in Ardmore’s Cricket Flats.
The treatment menu includes various massages, body wraps, waxing/brow/lash/makeup services and more than a dozen facials: everything from a 30-minute “express” ($110) to a 60-minute classic ($190) to a 75-minute anti-aging GLO20 oxygen facial ($245) and a 90-minute ultra-lux “CURE Signature” with microderm, personalized peel and ultrasound lift ($300).
Dress plans to add services as she “grows into the space” and gets feedback from clients. She’s currently eyeing skin rejuvenating lasers, AI-generated wall images that “visually transport you to Cozumel or Tahiti,” and a non-invasive Turkish skincare innovation.
One trend – sauna/plunge pool “contrast therapy” – is already here. An infrared sauna session is included with every 60-minute service. (Or book on its own for $35.)
After sweating out toxins, boosting immunity and cutting inflammation, clients can take an invigorating dip in the plunge pool, which purports to boost mood and mental clarity.
The plunge pool and red-light bed at Cure de Repos.
Contrast therapy is hot-hot-hot: a SWTHZ (aka Sweat House) franchise is en route to Bryn Mawr Village and Philly Plunge just opened in Havertown.
As its name suggests, CURE de Repos is for healing and rest, a mini-getaway minutes from home.
“I feel like we have the staff, the products and the place is beautiful,” enthuses Dress. Her message to the Main Line: You don’t have to go to the city and pay for parking; you can get away from it all here in Ardmore.”
CURE de Repos, 65 Cricket Ave. (inside Cricket Flats), Ardmore, 610-348-8454 or book online. Open Tues. – Sat. from 9 a.m. Free parking in the Cricket Flats garage; one-hour free street parking.
***The public is invited to a Grand Opening party Friday, January 24, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Biologique’s Skin Instant Lab analyses, swag bags, surprises, Lentil & Co. bites and more.***
[…] already told you all about the new upscale day spa, Cure de Repos, at one end of Cricket Flats, the five-year-old, five-story apartment/retail complex just down the […]