A Little Bit of Paradise: Renu Body Spa and Salon

Just a year and two days ago, Merrimack gained a full service salon and spa that is the very definition of pampering.

offers a full compliment of spa services from hair cutting to ear coning and mani/pedis to thermal body wraps.

Owner and manager Lisa Tamplin owned a tanning salon in Merrimack for five years before deciding she wanted to give people a place to pamper themselves completely.

There are a lot of spas and salons in town, she said, but few offer a complete range of services.

Having worked in the corporate world before running her tanning salon, Tamplin decided she wanted a new challenge in her life that allowed people "to feel good about themselves inside and out."

Tamplin has a staff of hair designers and estheticians to run the appointments while she manages the business, which offers hair and nail services, waxing, tanning, spray tanning, massage and more.

"It has been more gratifying, more exciting and harder than I ever thought it would be," Tamplin said.

She has women and men that come in that she's known for a year but she feels like she's known them forever.

"We have the best clients here, they're like family," she said.

Tamplin said she hopes Renu is a place where people feel they can come to get away from the stress of the day, even if just for a haircut and some conversation.

Amy McDonald said while she was getting her hair done that she enjoys her time spent in the salon as her own time and enjoys the conversation she gets to have with the stylists she's come to know and love.

"I love to be spoiled," Tamplin said. "I want people to be able to come to me and get everything done. I want them to be able to look and feel good inside and out."

A Full Menu

Renu offers dozens of services starting at a few dollars for a nail polish change to a couple hundred for a full pampering treatment package.

Signature manicures cost $25 while the newer, and longer-lasting shellac manicures run only another $10 and last up to 14 days.

A simple polish change costs only $7 and Renu offers acrylics and gels among many other finger-loving services.

Short on time but need to dress up those toes? An express pedicure, which is simply nail care and polish is just $25. Add a scrub and massage and get a classic pedicure for $40 and for $50 a spa pedicure adds a mask.

The spa also offers a variety of massage services from Swedish massage to hot stone, with prenatal, sports and deep tissue massage, too. Massages start at $45 for a 30-minute Swedish massage to $100 for a 75-minute hot stone massage or 90-minute deep tissue massage.

Haircuts are available for men, women and children as well as color services, hair straightening, extensions, perms and more.

Find Renu's complete menu of services online.

About That Ear Coning Thing

Referred to as ear coning or ear candling, Tamplin explained it's a way to extract toxins and impurities from the body. 

The client receiving the treatment lays on his or her side and an esthetician places a wax cone gently into their ear and lights it on fire. 

While the cone, or candle, burns, it pulls impurities from the head.

"It helps stabilize equilibrium, clears out sinuses, and helps with allergies," Tamplin said.

It also helps to clear out waxy build up in the ears.

"We're still trying to get the word out there about this," Tamplin said. "It's still very new. But we just hired a new esthetician and she's going to be able to spend more time promoting it."

Flush Out Toxins and Impurities With a Thermal Body Wrap

Tamplin's newest service is along the same idea of ear coning in that it pulls toxins and impurities from the body, but it has added benefits she said, including weight loss, inch loss, skin conditioning and relieving body aches and pains.

"It is absolute relaxation," Tamplin said of the Thermal Body Wrap.

Rubberized heating pads are used to wrap around the body. The heat pulls toxins toward the body's surface from the bones up and then you drink a lot of water to help flush it all out, Tamplin said.

It is a 50-minute session, she said, 50-minutes of worry-free time.

"Most people sleep through most of it and then sweat their butts off the last 10 minutes," Tamplin said.

She said it is a great way for a full body detoxification.

One year later

Having opened their doors just a year ago, sometime in August, Renu will hold a anniversary blowout celebration for their clients. 

There will be vendors, a cookout, a silent auction to benefit a charity of the salon's choice and more. 

Tamplin said she can't believe it's already been a year, but she's excited to celebrate with her clients who have become like family.

"Where we started and where we even are now is amazing," Tamplin said. "Where we can go is unbelievable."

Find Renu Body Spa and Salon online and on Facebook. 

Your Passport to Merrimack is part of a seven-day series. Click to navigate the rest of the passport.