ShenSpa to close after no buyer comes forward

By James Heffernan -- jheffernan@nvdaily.com

WOODSTOCK -- After three months on the market without an offer, ShenSpa is closing its doors.

A e-mail sent Thursday to ShenSpa clients states that the business' last day will be today.

ShenSpa staff member Michael Gwin, a certified massage therapist, will continue to offer massages and facials at nearby Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, according to the e-mail.

"We have enjoyed getting to know each one of you and will miss you all very much," it states.

SMH, which partnered with ShenSpa founder and medical director Dr. Tania Damavandy in the opening of the medical spa on Hisey Avenue in 2008, put the facility up for sale in April with the understanding that if a buyer did not emerge in 90 days, the business would close.

According to SMH's corporate parent, Valley Health, the decision to sell ShenSpa was based on economic conditions and a desire to focus on core health care services to the community. It also coincided with the departure of Damavandy, who resigned from her post as an obstetrician-gynecologist at SMH in the spring.

"Dr. Damavandy and the ShenSpa staff have done a great job in difficult times, but due to the economy and our efforts to maintain a level of clinical hospital-based services, we have found it necessary to discontinue the service," SMH President Floyd Heater states in an April 5 news release from Valley Health.

ShenSpa describes itself as "a hybrid of a medical facility and a traditional day spa," offering a range of products and services, from massages, facials and manicures to skin analysis, Botox treatments, vein therapy and laser hair removal.

The business will be selling many of its products and furnishings at reduced prices on Wednesday and Thursday, the e-mail states.