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Kay Ferguson, founder of Skin + Beauty Haus (Photo courtesy Kay Ferguson)

Don’t just call it a comeback; Skin + Beauty Haus founder Kay Ferguson sees the brand’s new home, at 1919 W. Cary St. in the Fan, as a move toward becoming a local staple for a wellness-minded community of Richmonders.

“I wanted this to be like your neighborhood space that you come to and decompress, to take a load off, to just relax, and also have community here,” Ferguson says.

The combination shop and spa, which opened last June, occupies 1,100 square feet and is owned by Ferguson, a Richmond native, and her husband. Clinical offerings include acne care treatments, dermaplaning, facials, Botox treatments administered by a physician assistant and wellness treatments, such as red light therapy. The retail side stocks a variety of brands, including two lines formulated by Ferguson herself.

“Skin Humanity is an in-house brand; it’s more of a body care and skincare line, so body oils, body butters, facial serums, that type of thing,” she says. “Melanin Skin Pro is our other skincare line that’s focused mostly on acne care, face washes and toners.”

Ferguson’s beauty business bona fides started with her first endeavor, Styletress, an e-commerce shop and retail store in Jackson Ward that opened in 2016, selling cosmetics, clothes and fashion accessories. A year later, the shop rebranded to Skin + Beauty Haus in the same space, expanding to include aesthetic practices.

The pandemic, however, halted momentum and forced Ferguson to pivot yet again. “I was just trying to make it work, but we ultimately closed the shop in 2021,” she says. “But when we closed, I said, ‘OK, how can I still keep this going?’ So, I offered online skincare consultations and help while looking for the right space.” During that time, she developed her skincare lines and plotted a bigger return in size and scope.

“We wanted to reimagine it, but in a way that would be beneficial to what people need now. ... A lot of people don’t think of skincare as something that’s vital health care, but it really is, and I wanted to home in on that with a new space we can service more people in,” she says.

Ferguson has also introduced a membership program that includes certain skin treatments and other benefits, such as product deals; plans start at $79 per month. The shop’s offerings are available by appointment Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.