Teri Rendon, ownder of Brownsville's Carriage House Day Spa, believes in sparkle. From the rhinestones that rim her eyeglasses to the tiny band of rhinestones of her pedicure, Rendon epitomizes sparkle and the new definition of urban chic in Brownsville. But don't forget that the hardest substances like diamon and steel throw of spartks and lights too, a comparison that comes to mind because of Rendon's determination and vision in transforming an abandoned, overgrown 100 year-old carriage house on Elizabeth Street into a luxurious spa.
Rendon went to beauty school because she needed a profession with flexible hours while her children were young. After spending years in Guadalajara and Dallas the Rendon family moved to Brownsville six years ago. "I wanted to work in a nice salon. Lucy Bernal gave me the opportunity to lease space in her salon, London's" she said.Although Rendon knew no one when she moved to the Valley, she soon had a large following. So when the owners of the MonRo Gallery on Elizabeth Street suggested she move next to them, she went to look around.
"I didn't want to make a lateral move. I wanted something different and on a larger scale," said the Iowa native, clad in a raw silk teal blouse which sets off her blue eyes. When Rendon saw what had once been the carriage house of the Fernandez-Kowalski home, she knew she could create an oasis. Rendon asked the owners, Sandy Stillman, great-grandson of Brownsville founder, and David Zimmerman, what else they could possibly do with the little carriage rooms without windows. " They believed in me and gave me the chance to build," she said, nothing that many people thought her idea was outlandish.
"It was a true vision," she explained. "Nothing changed (in my vision) from the moment I walked in up to the moment we opened. I could see it and hear it, exactly as it would be."
Rendon designed her Carriage House Day Spa to create an awe factor, or the Aahh moment as she calls it. Her goal was a mind-altering experience, created by a serene atmosphere and services that appeal to all the senses--aroma, touch, sight, hearing, accompanied by a complimentary glass of wine. The spa's exposed tan brick walls with vestiges of tan plaster are the backdrop for indulgent manicures, pedicures, facials, body wraps, and massages as clients take a break from their hecti schedules with a relaxing zen-like interlude. "You walk in tired and leave radiant, rested and beautiful," Rendon said, surrounded by tapestry hung walls, feathered lampshades and soy candles.
"I am most famous for pedicures. I put rhinestones on everything. Nobody had any rhinestones on their toes before I arrived," or sparkling Texas flags, she said. "We have tried to raise the bar on beauty in Brownsville."
Of course, Rendon did not renovate any abandoned building alone as she started her now successful business. "My husband was so instrumental in getting the spa started. I couldn't have done it without him, and I couldn't keep doing it without him," she said. Dr. Luis Rendon, a Brownsville surgeon, made the rope-patterend display boxes that hold the spa's hundreds of nail polish bottles. He also made the retro wood doors on the spa's treatment rooms. The Rendons' daughter works at the spa when not attending classes at the University of Texas-Brownsville.
Carriage House Day Spa had so many requests for haircuts and hair services durring it's first year that Rendon rented an adjacent building as a hair salon. That way the spa retains it's soothing ambiance without the bustle and noise of hair dressers and their clients.
Teri Rendon was thrilled when Gloria, the youngest child of the Fernandez family, visited the spa at age 84, soon after Carriage House Day Spa opened two years ago. "She told me she never would have imagined the carriage house, which at one time was bedrooms for some of the famiy's 17 children, could have become what is today. I love to have that connection to the past. Now we laugh about how we are helping restore a piece of Brownsville history," Rendon said.
Rendon brings her sparkle, which is far from the concept of flashy, to host young girl pedicure parties, bridal parties, and birthday parties. And the spa is not for females only. It has welcomed a groom and groomsmen party, complete with massages pedicures and manicures.
The January 2006 issue of Texas Highways magazine featured a reader's rave about the Carriage House and it's services in a garden of earthly delights. "Since that came out, we've had people call from as far away as Indiana who are planning to vacation in the Valley and wanted to make an appointment," Just looking at the menu of services -lavender body polish, milk and honey wrap, Deluxe spa pedicure and Texas mud masque-- triggers a desire, even a need, for long-overdue pampering.
With a full schedule of clients, Rendon said it's not easy to squeeze in spa services for herself. "People think because you have a salon, that you take advantage of it all, but we come last in line for services."
The spa has become a gathering place for friends, which Rendon encourages aiming to make her clients feel like their padding around in their slippers among friends. "They drop in to make an appointment and stay to talk to friends and have a glass of wine. The spa has filled a need. I felt like I was in a time warp when I first moved to Brownsville. Then I realized I would not be afforded the same company in another city, to be the first to open a luxury spa. So welcome to my slice of lemon pie," she said sparkling.
For more information contact Rendon at www.carriagehousespa@sbcglobal.net |
