A grand reopening at Dawson Manor Spa in Newmarket this week marks both its ability to "weather the COVID-19 storm" and adapt its services to safely create an "escape" for local residents during the pandemic.
"We have been able to weather the COVID-19 storm so far, allowing us to reinvent our business and move to this beautiful building and create a destination for our clients to escape when it is virtually impossible to get away and go on vacation," said owner Cynthia McCathron at the Nov. 24 celebration at 83 Dawson Manor Blvd., with Newmarket Mayor John Taylor there to cut the ribbon.
The spa hasn't moved far, just across the parking lot, but a dispute with the previous landlord prompted the need for a new location at the end of last October.
Now the spa is located inside the former home of the Ballard family. A veterinary surgeon, William George Ballard started Canada's first canned dog food company in 1955, called Dr. Ballard's.
The spa owners made the beautiful old house into a business designed from the ground-up to provide spa services in the age of COVID-19.
Clients are be required to ring the doorbell to be let in. Then they will be ushered into one of the self-contained spa rooms to receive their services while keeping separate from other staff and patrons.
The rooms are themed, including renaissance, lake house, provence France, and the ocean.
Taylor praised Dawson Manor Spa for continuing to thrive despite the hurdles caused by the pandemic.
"Things are difficult right now for all businesses. Managing to keep moving forward and keep progressing in these times is a testament to you and your team," he said at the ribbon-cutting event. "We always thank you for investing in our community and providing jobs."
