Esthetician Robyn Byrd stands in the gift shop of her updated spa, Salt and Cedar. In addition to the facials, lash extensions and other services she provided in her old space, she now offers Alaska gifts made by local artists.
Since its 2020 opening, Sirene Spa has been freshening faces, lengthening lashes, clearing pores and applying perfect tans. But now, the spa is giving itself a makeover.
Esthetician Robyn Byrd has changed the name of her business from "Sirene Spa" to "Salt and Cedar" - a name that honors her Tlingit heritage and better reflects her updated establishment, which has expanded to include Alaska gifts, jewelry and more. The spa has also moved from the Churchill Building to a larger, more accessible space at 106 Lynch St.
Though Salt and Cedar started taking appointments at the new location as of July 18, the business has not yet held its grand opening. Byrd is planning a block party for Aug. 5 with food vendors and, hopefully, live music. More details will be announced closer to the date.
Byrd moved to Wrangell from Washington state in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and opened her day spa at its previous location. The space allowed her to bring new services to town, like facials and lash extensions, but the cramped, out-of-the-way setting made it tough to provide a full range of services and attract new customers off the street, she said.
"Before, it was just word-of-mouth," she said of her business's growth. At Salt and Cedar, she's already seen more new customers investigate her storefront, or come in to buy products or ask questions.
"I did really well there (the Churchill Building), but always wanted to expand and was constantly looking for a bigger space," she said. "I knew I wanted to do a local gift shop and so I always kept that in the back of my mind and always was looking."
Wrangell's tight downtown real estate market made the search difficult. After a few near misses, Byrd secured the corner location vacated by Prism Optical. She now has over twice the square footage she had before the move.
Salt and Cedar is divided into three areas that will be separated by privacy curtains as Byrd continues to put finishing touches on the renovated space. The first area is a waiting room and gift shop. Customers can browse a selection of skincare products, jewelry and local crafts, or lounge against one of Byrd's handmade sea otter fur pillows while waiting for their appointments.
The next area features a spa bed where Byrd does facials, hair removal, lash extensions and more. She uses a "sugaring" technique to remove body hair - a less painful alternative to waxing, with a lower likelihood for ingrown hairs. Pastel-colored facial treatments in flavors like Belgian Cacao, Pure Himalayan White Tea and Egyptian Rose line a shelf near the bed. Byrd does skin consultations with her clients so that each facial is customized to their needs.
In a smaller room near the back of the spa, there's a space for spray tans. This 10-minute procedure can leave clients looking like they're vacationing in a tropical isle - even in the middle of Alaska winter. Byrd's previous space was so small that she couldn't do facials and spray tans on the same days, since it meant temporarily putting away the spa table and switching out all her equipment. At her new location, each procedure gets a designated area.
The spa's unique layout and its portable sink setup were designed and built by Byrd's partner, Earon Gross.
For now, bookings are still by appointment only, but Byrd is considering opening up walk-in hours in the near future. A website update is also on the horizon, but at the moment, bookings are available at the spa's old site, sirenespa.glossgenius.com.
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