This article has been updated since it first appeared in print.
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Skin’s bathing suite draws influence from Turkish, Japanese and Korean bathing culture. (Photo By Jay Paul)
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Spaces at Skin were revamped as part of the move. The Pillow Room, seen here, is for post-treatment decompression. (Photo by Farrah Fox courtesy Skin by HC)
After four years of rejuvenating Richmonders, a local spa got its own makeover this spring. Skin — a wellness house offering bathing treatments, massage and skin care — reopened in March at 1527 W. Main St., just a few blocks from its former location.
Among Skin’s unique offerings are its bathing rituals, inspired by international bathhouse traditions. Owner Reece Gutierrez has offered Turkish hammam and Korean seshin baths since opening Skin in 2022. In the new space, she’s added gender-specific community bath days twice a week; guests can purchase a day pass to access the baths and shared spaces.
Owner Reece Gutierrez moved Skin to 1527 W. Main St. earlier this year. (Photo By Ethan Hickerson courtesy Skin by HC)
Gutierrez, an entrepreneur who has opened six businesses over the past 10 years ranging from beauty to education, first came to the wellness industry as a client. After seeing the same nail tech since she was in high school, Gutierrez learned about the toxic working conditions that many professionals in the industry experienced.
“I asked myself, ‘How can I make a space that guests love, that’s a little bit more trend-forward and beautifully designed, while also making sure the team is taken care of?’” she says. She opened Holy Chic nail salon in Fredericksburg in 2016, and a few years later expanded to a second location (now the sole oupost) in Richmond.
Skin, Gutierrez says, is the natural extension of Holy Chic beyond nail care. When structural issues shut down Skin’s original location for months, Gutierrez took the opportunity to bring Holy Chic and Skin together into one new location, expanding to offer more services and providing the essential third space that Gutierrez had been dreaming of.
Skin specializes in massages with global influences. One of its marquee services is the Turkish hammam ritual, a personal favorite of Gutierrez’s. The experience takes place in a 90- to 80-degree Fahrenheit room and begins with a slow melt into the heated space, followed by a gentle scrub and an oil massage. A similar ritual, the seshin is a Korean technique centered around an intense full-body exfoliation.
Gutierrez hopes the rituals will encourage guests to embrace their bodies without pretense or anxiety in a space that’s welcoming to all genders, identities and skin types. “We leave vanity at the door,” Gutierrez says. “You can really feel empowered and embrace your body. There’s no shaming.”
The spa’s more focused skin care offerings include The Skin Gym, a 45-minute facial massage inspired by Japanese Kobido traditions. Tucked into one of the cocoon-like treatment rooms — each named for locations around the world, from Paris to Kyoto — clients feel the outside world fall away as a skilled therapist practices lymphatic techniques designed to encourage circulation and reduce tension and puffiness. It’s like deep yoga for your face, with glowing results.
Skin also offers facials ranging from the 25-minute “Skin Quickie,” a reset for existing clients, to an 85-minute “Skin Ritual,” which includes massage, reflexology and bespoke skin care. The Skin Dew, Gutierrez’s personal favorite, is a 45-minute facial that includes dermaplaning and restorative hydration. The spa offers a curated mix of skin care products from Korea, Spain and Japan for purchase.
During the rebuild, Gutierrez considered every detail, outfitting the space with handmade and secondhand furnishings. Original pieces including the shoji and hammam doors were created in collaboration with local woodworker Scott Martin, and mural installations were painted by staff member Germany Ray. The effect is homey, yet serene — a rejection of what Gutierrez calls “the sterility of spa culture.”
The new location also includes Lolo’s Cafe, an adjoining bar that serves juices, teas, Filipino coffee, soups and snacks such as spiced peanuts and vegan empanadas, all of which are available to guests after each bathing session or skin care service. All Skin visits end with a complimentary shot of juice from the bright and tangy citrus fruit kalamansi, intended to reawaken the senses before clients return to the scurry of the outside world.
Gutierrez hopes that Skin can also serve as a community space where guests can unwind. “More than ever,” she says, “people need real connection and a feeling of being cared for.”
