Proposed wellness center would face state scrutiny
GREENWICH — A new entrant into the crowded field of health, beauty and wellness services could be coming to Old Greenwich.
An application for a change of use has been submitted at 146 Sound Beach Ave., a small shopping center near the Old Greenwich train station. The plan is to open a new business in a 1,925 square foot space that was a former retail bank.
The shopping center has a restaurant, a dry cleaner and a hair salon operating there. It was built in 1975. The site is owned by the Allied Property Group.
The planned business is called “Soft Life,” to be owned and operated by Kristen Updike, according to the application file.
The business would offer “red-light therapy,” presumed to help treat skin conditions, and cryotherapy, using cold temperatures for skin treatment and inflammation. The business would offer “emsculpting,” believed to offer strengthening and toning of muscles through electromagnetic energy. In addition, the operation would provide hyperbaric therapy, which uses a special pressure chamber to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, and vitamin therapy. A sauna would also be part of the operation.
The application faces several caveats. Hyperbaric and vitamin therapy can only be performed by someone with a state license, and Planning and Zoning officials will have to determine how the proposed operation would be classified under current regulations.
The commission also would have to grant either a special permit or administrative site-plan approval, depending on technical issues involved with state licensing and medical procedures.
Two employees would work at the site and offer one-on-one services, according to the application. The shopping center has 44 parking spaces. Chip Haslun, the attorney representing the application, said the proposal “will not negatively impact” parking demand.
The proposal has not yet been scheduled for review by the Planning & Zoning Commission.