Chapel Hill alumna and Carrboro native Jen Ellis opened Areté Spa this year near Franklin Street, incorporating float tanks and saunas with other common spa commodities.
In the spring of 2016, after seriously breaking an ankle, Ellis was introduced to floating as a way to alleviate her physical pain. Flotation therapy is essentially a way of achieving deep relaxation by spending an hour or more lying quietly in darkness, suspended in a warm solution of Epsom salt. The tanks were first used in 1954 to test the effects of sensory deprivation. The technology quickly evolved into a therapeutic tool.
“The moment I came out of the pod, I felt incredible, and knew that I had to bring floating to this area,” she said.
Ellis described the experience of a float tank as “a perfect bathtub.” The typical tank is spacious enough to hold a person comfortably and has almost 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved within the ten inches of water. The increased density from the salt allows a person to float effortlessly on the surface. The tanks and the rooms around them are insulated against sound and when the light is switched off, the tank becomes completely dark.
“With 90 minutes of uninterrupted mindfulness, you can experience [anything from] enhanced learning and creativity [to] athletic recovery and performance to self-exploration and self-revelation,” Ellis said. “Oh, and the naps…you can take the best naps in a tank!”
Before opening up her own business, Ellis worked in a handful of different roles.
“I’d held many upper level positions in retail and commerce, but ultimately I wasn’t fulfilled,” she said. “I knew for many years that I wanted to own my own business, but not just any business. It needed to be something that allowed me to connect and give back more than just selling widgets.”
Ellis graduated from Chapel Hill in 2002 and then attended Methodist University in Fayetteville. She graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business with a concentration in Resort Management. After college, Ellis moved back to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area to begin her professional career.
She credits a part of her success to her experience at Chapel Hill High School. Her most memorable classes included English with Michael Irwin and Asian Focus with Bill Melega. She admires these teachers’ abilities to challenge students to think in different ways and angles to get fuller pictures.
“They both brought energy and enthusiasm to learning and instilled in me that excitement for seeking out knowledge,” she said. “So, even today, learning new things is just as important [in] my day-to-day life.”
When she is not at the office, Ellis loves spending time with her husband, Nathan Mills, a fellow Chapel hill alumnus, riding around the woods of Chapel Hill North on mountain bikes and kitesurfing in Beaufort with her dog, Newton.
In addition to float tanks and spa treatments, Areté also hosts numerous workshops with topics ranging from metaphysical to scientific and hosts a local artist each month for the ArtWalk.
“As the owner of Areté, I’m passionate about curating memorable experiences for guests, building a strong, wellness-minded community, and helping people find clarity of the mind, experience relief and to live life to its fullest potential,” she said.
Ellis plans to fully realize her vision for Areté by adding more float tanks and hiring more professional practitioners. She hopes to expand into Durham or Raleigh within the next year.
