‘We’re Here to Pamper Them’: Woodhouse Day Spa Spoils Moms Year-round

by Simone Ritchie | May 2019

Amy Adams, owner of Woodhouse Day Spa locations in Maple Grove and Woodbury

Photos: Rachel Nadeau

Massages and more mark this Mother’s Day.

Motherhood can often be a challenging job. Between tending to work obligations and balancing home and family responsibilities, it can be difficult for women to fit in time for well-deserved self-care. Thankfully, the Woodhouse Day Spa provides pampering for moms—and everyone in the family.

“I’m in this for moms,” says Amy Adams, the owner of both Woodhouse locations in Maple Grove and Woodbury. Adams has always had a special place in her heart for wellness and self-care. As a mother, she understands the importance of moms having a day off—not just on Mother’s Day. “I think that moms forget to take time out for themselves,” she notes. “We’re here to pamper them.” Sometimes, pampering includes some good, old fashioned shut-eye. “We say that if [someone] falls asleep after a massage, we’ve done our jobs,” she says.

The Woodhouse was established in 2001 by entrepreneur Jenni Garrett. After finishing her MBA, she moved with her husband to Victoria, Texas, on one condition: that she could open a business. With a passion for the health and wellness industry, Garrett opened The Woodhouse Day Spa, providing luxury-end spa experiences she had encountered around the world while providing customers a personalized experience similar to what she saw in small-town Texas. That same spirit is carried by Adams as she embellishes The Woodhouse in Maple Grove with her unique touches, including providing slippers in guests’ sizes in their rooms and penning their names on their Woodhouse lockers (and chocolates are tucked inside, too).

Adams shuns the word “franchise,” and it shows. Stepping inside The Woodhouse, one might not think that there are others of its kind around the country. The quaint and calm atmosphere, paired with its attention to detail, make each location one-of-a-kind.

With a full menu of over 70 services, including hydra facials; full manicures and pedicures; and more than 10 different massage treatments, The Woodhouse strives to be a place for everyone. Spa director Jolene Palmer knows this firsthand, as her introduction to The Woodhouse didn’t begin as an employee but as a guest. “I just fell in love with everything about it,” Palmer says. Now having worked at The Woodhouse for two years, Palmer came out of retirement from a career in customer service to join The Woodhouse and hasn’t looked back. She was hoping for something “calm to do on the side,” but quickly found that the role of spa director comes with keeping many spinning plates in the air. Lucky for Adams and the rest of The Woodhouse staff, Palmer wouldn’t have it any other way. “One of my favorite parts about this job is when we have people come in who have never taken a day for themselves before,” Palmer says. “Seeing them relax is so rewarding.”

Mellow Mamas

The Woodhouse plans to offer custom packages and gift card promotions in honor of Mother’s Day. Be sure to consider the Mellow Mama massage, which is a special full body experience for expectant mothers. Meant to soothe moms-to-be and help with dehydrated skin, lower back pain and a host of other bothers that can accompany pregnancy, this massage (offered year-round) is sensitive to each individual woman’s needs. “Self-care is all about taking time for yourself,” Adams says. “It’s important that moms, with that Minnesota work ethic, do the same.”

Pregnant woman receives massage.