In this Winter of Our (Skin’s) Discontent, You Deserve a Spa – Bluemercury to the Rescue

Ahhh.

After a winter like this one, a luxury spa is just what the dry-skin doctor ordered.

You won’t have to travel far.

The Bluemercury Birmingham retail store and spa at 172 W. Maple is celebrating its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 1, the Observer & Eccentric Reports. Free makeovers, mini facials and refreshments will be offered as part of the celebration. The first 100 people in the door will receive Bluemercury tote bags.

The national chain was founded in Washington, D.C., by Marla Malcolm Beck and her husband, Barry, and is the largest and fastest-growing luxury beauty retailer and spa in the country, according to the Bluemercury web site.

Fresh out of Harvard Business School in 1999, Marla Beck was frustrated by the lack of widely available cosmetic products that would maintain glowing, healthy skin. Her husband, described as “a serial entrepreneur” who had three successful start-ups under his belt, saw opportunity. Together, they created the first Bluemercury, a neighborhood store in Georgetown where clients could find high-quality, innovative beauty products and expert advice.

This spring, Bluemercury, which employs about 500 people nationwide, is expected to open its 50th store.