Seasonal Rest + Rejuvenation: Putting Self-Care Into Practice With New + Expanded Businesses Around Town

Looking after oneself feels especially important in these times we’re navigating, and self-care can look as varied as the individuals seeking it out.

Some may de-stress by spending time in the glow of soothing candlelight, whether during a yoga class or concert featuring local musicians. Others may choose to indulge in a decadent massage at venues like downtown’s Fairmont, during a specialty facial at spots like Anna Skin Care Studio and Tend & Nourish, or with a sound bath offered by practitioners like Monique Mead. The list goes on.

We caught up with a few newer companies offering services they hope will leave clients feeling relaxed and renewed.

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AURA Sauna Studio

Renovo Wellness Club

Gavin Nirmaier and Charlotte Rhodes are the co-owners and operators of Renovo Wellness Club (RWC), a mobile contrast therapy company that’s putting a new spin on sauna-and-cold plunge outings. Nirmaier explains that they’ve been contrast therapy seekers for years. “We each have had different athletic pursuits that were demanding, and our favorite mode of recovery to keep with training demands became sauna and cold plunge,” he says.

Pretty quickly, however, they discovered that most contrast providers in the area had long minimum time requirements for sessions and costs were quite high, too making it difficult to partake in this recovery method as often as desired.

So, we started exploring alternatives that were more accessible (financially and from a time-spend perspective) without much luck and eventually asked: Why don’t we create what we’re seeking out?
Gavin Nirmaier
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Renovo Wellness Club

So far, RWC has been met with plenty of interest. They have several offerings, including visiting them at their Ineffable Ca Phe home base during normal “open session” hours, as well as arranging for private group rentals of their mobile sauna, cold plunges or both.

“During open sessions,” he explains, “we’ve found that folks really appreciate the combination of being able to integrate recovery into their morning coffee or tea or full breakfast run at Ineffable. From a lifestyle perspective, it simply just makes sense. It’s a way to integrate recovery into a morning routine seamlessly.”

Private rentals have been a hit, too, giving them the opportunity to work with gyms, breweries, apartment complexes and yoga studios. “It’s an amazing way for businesses to offer something unique to their communities,” Nirmaier says.

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Renovo Wellness Club

The couple loves what they’re doing, they say, since contrast therapy has been both a proven recovery method and a natural community builder for thousands of years. Nirmaier says that having the opportunity to be stewards of this practice in their own community has been the pleasure of their lives thus far. “We LOVE getting to meet new people, sharing our passion with them and building a deep connection around something meaningful,” he adds.

Follow along on their Instagram page, website, or go see them in person at Ineffable Ca Phe in Lawrenceville.

AURA Sauna Studio

For those seeking a personalized, private experience, AURA Sauna Studio continues to exist as the region's first and only dedicated infrared therapy sauna studio. While the location in the Strip District has been welcoming guests to its sleek, exposed-brick home since 2023, a newer outpost in the South Hills has been operating since last September. Owner Laura Early says it’s been really nice getting to know some of their client base in that community as well.

There seems no better season in which to pause and simply breathe in these warming, individual pods. Early says that the business’s private saunas allow for guests “to truly tune into themselves and their timely needs.” The science of infrared shows that this type of sauna therapy heats the body directly rather than only warming the air. As the core body temperature rises, a deep, detoxifying sweat heals at a cellular level. Benefits are said to range from anti-aging and heart health to immunity.

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AURA Sauna Studio

At AURA, which is run by the mother-daughter team of Early and Bonita Juliette, the benefits of infrared therapy get complemented by customized chromotherapy options (color light therapy, read more in the FAQs here) to further enhance each session. Within a private sauna sectioned off by its own curtain and changing area, guests use a remote control to easily set and switch the gentle lights’ tones they feel drawn to during their stay. Relaxing music plays overhead, and visitors can either watch a favorite show on a small screen or turn off all electronics for a blissful respite from any outside sights or sounds.

Early shares that, while infrared saunas certainly attract those seeking athletic and medical recovery, the majority of AURA’s base comes in at this time of year to manage challenges like seasonal depression and stress, and to achieve better sleep results. She says that the colors you gravitate toward may depend on the particular day or season of life. (Recently she’s found herself in the orange and pink zones, plus using white sometimes for a reset. Our session led us toward blue hues that are said to help with inflammation relief, intuition strengthening and the relaxation of stress.)

Unwind with AURA’s special package deals, membership offerings, or drop-in opportunities, as well as frequent events that bring together members of the community.

Clean Your Dirty Face

It’s hard to forget this venue’s catchy name, and a visit to their bright new space in Bakery Square recently introduced us to a whole new way of enjoying a speedy yet effective facial. This location and their other one at The Terminal in the Strip mark the business’s only Northeast outposts. Getting a facial here feels quick and fun (if more of a communal experience than a private one). As you recline in your chair next to up to two other clients, upbeat tunes play overhead and a face steamer starts off the session in a most warming, relaxing way.

The franchised business is locally run and operated by a Pittsburgh family, and they’re excited to introduce folks here to the concept. Owner Mike DeSabato explains that their family’s been in the beauty industry for 20-plus years, with his dad having founded Bella Capelli Academy, a cosmetology school with locations in Monroeville and Robinson that aims for future professionals to graduate from the program, pass state boards for licensure and be placed in respectively paying jobs. After his dad passed away in 2021, DeBabato and mom Paula took over. They first were exposed to Clean Your Dirty Face while visiting family in Atlanta. They realized that nothing like this currently existed in Pittsburgh, plus opening one locally would offer an additional workplace in which to place students who graduate from their programs.

DeSabato explains that they try to keep the experience as simple and approachable as possible, especially for those who might be a bit intimidated by such services. Thanks to the brand’s affordability, convenience of 30 minute-appointments and simplicity of mild skincare products that work really well on sensitive skin, their offerings especially appealto the 25- to 35-year-old professional crowd (though they’ve certainly served clients from a much wider age range).

All first-timers can take advantage of a 30-minute facial for only $35 (which then goes up to $70 on a second visit). The service includes: steam, deep clean, exfoliate, mask, tone, moisturize and five-point acupressure face massage. While the steamer feels especially wonderful on a cold, snowy day, the usage of the “ice queen” is also a refreshing sensation that helps the mask absorb even deeper into one’s skin.

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Clean Your Dirty Face

Clients may also look into monthly memberships (with no contract necessary), and many opt for enhancements during treatments that range from ultrasonic extractions and chemical peels to options like the the “nanosculpt” bestseller. They offer enticing promotions only a few times a year; the most current one (until December 25) features a “Holiday Glow Pack” of three facials for $135.

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Clean Your Dirty Face

DeSabato says that Clean Your Dirty Face aims to create a “simple, effective skincare routine that’s accessible to anyone and still high-quality.” And a bonus for Bakery Square patrons? Free parking and access to plenty of delicious City Kitchen (or Jeni’s!) fare for a post-service treat.

Corinne W

Author

Corinne W

Freelance Writer & Editor

Corinne is happy to be back closer to home (D.C.) after 11 years in the glorious Pacific Northwest. Though she cherishes global adventures, she also lives for discovering local gems, from the best spots for coffee, conversation and soul-nourishing music, to water activities and trails on which to walk a loveable little husky. You can follow her on Instagram at @travelcorx

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