Business

Infrared Sauna Wellness Spa ‘calmë’ Opens Friday on Main Street

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One year ago, Meghann Smith recalled, she tried to find an experience that could make her “feel better” in the space of an hour. She tried a variety of exercise classes and other services before discovering infrared saunas. After visiting a sauna, Smith said, she decided that she wanted to create her own luxury spa version. Over the next 12 months, the beauty industry veteran developed the idea for what would become calmë—a new wellness spa offering infrared saunas that soft-opens Friday at 78 Main St., in what emerged as New Canaan’s wellness precinct. 

“We created a brand which is very luxurious,” she said, adding, “I wanted to really create something that everybody can use.” According to Smith, an hour-long session at calmë is more affordable than going to a spa. 

In addition to infrared saunas, calmë will offer acoustic resonance therapy and chromotherapy, Smith said.

News

‘Really Helping People’: Club Pilates Opens on Main Street

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Two years ago, while working on Wall Street, Scott Ackerman recalled that at some point he started looking for “something different.” 

“Tired” of his lifelong career, the Darien resident said, he came across a pilates franchise model and “fell in love” with it. 

Before long, he left the finance industry and opened his first Club Pilates studio in Darien. That was more than 18 months ago. Since then, he’s opened a second in Westport and, on July 1, launched his New Canaan location at 70 Main St. Ackerman said he’s had a “great reception” from the community. 

“We’re approaching 150 members already,” Ackerman said. 

Speaking with NewCanaanite.com, Ackerman confessed that he’d been concerned that an early summer opening would mean a slow start for Club Pilates. That hasn’t been the case, and Ackerman credited his staff as well as a welcoming community.

Business

‘Club Pilates’ Fitness Studio Planned for Main Street

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A franchisee of Club Pilates has submitted a site plan application to the town to install a fitness studio in a prominent commercial space on Main Street. According to an application filed with Planning & Zoning, Club Pilates would occupy about 2,000 square feet at 70 Main St., opposite Town Hall. 

It would offer group and individual Pilates classes as well as “barre, reformer, spring board, TRX and the sale of related apparel, equipment and retail products,” the application said. Under the New Canaan Zoning Regulations, service establishments are permitted in the Retail A zone with site plan approval as long as a retail component faces the street and occupies a certain amount of the commercial space (see page 74 here). Plans filed with P&Z show a new front window with retail displays and a desk in the front area, with a 12-mat studio in the rear. 

The applicant is listed as Scott Ackerman of Darien. He opened a Club Pilates in that town about one year ago, according to Darienite, and has planned to open several more in the area, the Darien Daily Voice said.