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Dosha Aveda Lifestyle Salon Spa
2281 NW Glisan
St., 294-6430
Fashion Show
Local designers show their stuff, including
hand-knits from Arabian Knights. Cargo, 1301 NW Glisan St.,
827-7377. 6:30-8:30 pm Thursday, Dec. 7. Free.
Volunteer Call
Northwest environmental arts organization Orlo needs
volunteers for its Dec. 14 fund-raiser fashion show at Berbati's.
Call 242-2330 or email orlo@
teleport.com.
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Cruising along the busy intersection of Northwest 23rd Avenue
and Glisan Street, it's hard to miss this neighborhood's latest
eye-catching addition: the swanky new Aveda salon and day
spa Dosha. Housed in a starkly white, modern five-story building,
it looms large, literally dwarfing the humble bagel shop next
door. This lot, once the site of an old homestead, has seen
its share of incarnations--including a stint as a tiny sushi
shack. Now Dosha's giant windows look out on the very un-chic
corner of Domino's Pizza, Subway and Plaid Pantry.
Despite the inclusion of these gathering spots for hoi
polloi, Northwest Portland maintains its reputation as being
incredibly hip. At first glance, though, newcomer Dosha
makes the neighborhood's stylish businesses seem almost
quaint. So how did this slick, high-end, high-volume day
spa end up in Portland instead of, say, Seattle or San Francisco?
Dosha is the brainchild of Salon In Vogue owners Ray and
Melissa Motameni, and not Minnesota-based Aveda directly.
But as an Aveda Concepts salon, Dosha offers only Aveda
hair- and skin-care products (about 500 of 'em), renowned
for their flower and plant essence content. Dosha receives
support from Aveda as well as its parent company, cosmetic
giant Estée Lauder.
Ray Motameni explains that they chose to lease the space
for Dosha because "it just felt right." They were looking
for a sizable retail space--the first floor--in a unique
building that was suitable for the hair salon and spa treatment
areas--the second and third floors. (The fourth and fifth
floors are private lofts not related to Dosha.) They also
envisioned a private room on the first floor to host lifestyle
classes and local businesses' meetings and events. The new
space enabled the Motamenis to close their former salon,
which was located in a less glamorous space farther north.
Allied Works, the firm responsible for the new Wieden &
Kennedy building, designed the exterior, and Firm 151 signed
on for interior duties.
In addition to the usual cut and color services, Dosha
offers treatments based on Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system
of health. Dosha comes from an Ayurvedic word describing
one's constitution. There are aromatherapy facials ($60),
herbal body wraps ($65), massages (various prices) and a
seven-headed Vichy shower that blasts water on various points
along the spine inside a gorgeous tiled room. Manicures,
waxing, cosmetic services and catered lunches are available,
too.
The pedicure station is beautiful, although gazing out
on a drug deal going down while someone's massaging your
feet with aromatic oils may dampen the glamour. The furniture
is as minimalist as the exterior (and not exactly red-nail-polish-friendly).
It looks cool, but is it a bit too cold and clinical for
Portlanders?
Relative to more intimate, cozy day spas and salons around
town, Dosha is huge, in terms of actual space (8,000 square
feet) and in its expected client volume (700 haircuts a
week at $20 and up). There's little privacy amid the vast
spaces--with the exception of the treatment rooms--and the
windows don't have curtains to shut out the outside world.
Then again, if Dosha's owners are going for a hip urban
vibe, escaping the bustling city may not be a priority.
(Hell, the lack of a parking lot--not to mention the junkie
neighbors--could even add to the urban appeal!)
Joe Snell, who owns Ziva Salon & Store a few blocks
north of Dosha on Northwest 23rd Avenue, has doubts about
Dosha's odds of success. For the amount of space it inhabits,
he says, the income potential per square foot isn't as favorable
as at most salons. Snell insists, however, that he's happy
about the newcomer's presence, explaining that it may help
establish the neighborhood as a destination for health and
beauty services as well as products. But he dismisses the
notion of Dosha as a competitor to his own salon, pointing
out that Aveda customers are very loyal to their well-marketed
brand, so they aren't necessarily potential Ziva clients
anyway.
Time will tell if this chic pamper palace can succeed and
if it will affect its neighbors. For now, its presence should
at least increase the glamour-puss quotient of Northwest--for
better or worse.
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