The Wine Spa, the Northeast Portland spa known for soaking in wine, is looking at additional locations and may eventually turn to franchising. Founder Kelly Lewis is exploring where the concept could go next, though no new sites or dates have been announced.
The spa opened in late 2024 on Northeast Broadway and has since added a second location in Dundee, in Oregon wine country. Lewis is now thinking about how the concept could translate to other markets, and about how to pay for each step. Franchising is something she is considering “at some point”.
The Dundee location may serve as a template for growth. It is much smaller than the Portland spa, with two treatment rooms and a lounge with wine foot soaks and zero-gravity chairs, instead of full soaking tubs. That format let the company open in about six weeks without a large investment, and the spa pays rent to the hotel with no revenue-sharing arrangement. A lighter model like that could make it easier to open in other hotels or wine destinations.
Before expanding further, Lewis wants the business to stand on its own. The two spas bring in roughly $45,000 to $50,000 a month, which isn’t yet enough to cover rent and labor costs, and she hopes to be cash-flow positive by the end of 2027. She is also working on bringing in steady revenue through a $99-per-month membership, introduced last year, that includes a 50-minute massage or facial.
The company employs about 20 people, all as W-2 employees, and pays therapists the same hourly rate for massage as for other tasks, which gives them predictable income. Lewis said that approach costs more when business is slow, but it helps keep good employees, which matters for any larger operation. The Wine Spa also buys pinot noir from Oregon wineries whose wine had weak sales prospects, giving it a local supply for its soaks.
Lewis started the business after visiting a spa in the Republic of Georgia in 2022 where guests soaked in wine, and she sees the concept as a natural fit for Oregon. In her own words, she is always looking at where the spa could go and how to fund it.
What Now Portland will follow up when The Wine Spa announces new locations or plans to franchise.
The Portland Business Journal reported first on this development.
