dsmWeekly - December 18, 2024

Eden's new spa has tranquil space for facials, body treatments, waxing and other services. (Photo: Hailey Evans)

ARTS & CULTURE

A relaxing refuge awaits at Eden

By Hailey Evans

Walking into Eden is a sensory experience. Deluxe cosmetics and skincare products line the shelves of the East Village shop and spread across the neutral-toned space, their opulent (but not oppressive) scents coalescing into a rich welcome. It’s like coming home and catching a whiff of a delicious dinner cooking in the kitchen — except the promise here is not a meal but an experience of self-care and relaxation.

Owner Hannah Krause knows that for many of its clientele, Eden represents a state of mind as much as a retail store. “It made sense to build on that by offering services,” she said. That’s why she decided to open a spa in the shop’s former storage space in the basement and second story.

It’s a tiny corner of zen, thoughtfully carved out with minimalist design to make the most of its small square footage. Krause wanted the space to offer a “visual break,” with natural colors and textures. Alpaca wool blankets, soft suede chairs, warm tea and a fridge full of snacks and other drinks makes the “waiting room” feel more like an upscale lounge where you’d be happy to linger.

Services range from simple brow waxes and lash tints, to foot reflexology, microcurrent and LED therapy, lymphatic drainage massages and gua sha facials that involve a gentle skin-scraping technique that originated in China. The spa menu features an extensive list of add-ons and enhancements, so each service can be personalized. “I want people to feel inspired to be generous to themselves,” Krause said. “So often we give too much of ourselves to others so there is nothing left for us.”

“Self-care gets categorized as frivolous. I love the idea of reframing that narrative to ‘investing in yourself,’” she added. So far, her own favorite service at the new spa is the 90-minute gua sha facial using Monastery products with added microdermabrasion.

During my recent visit, I was treated to the full gua sha treatment, with LED red light therapy, and by the end, I understood why it made Krause’s shortlist. It was an extension of all the best parts of Eden: the calming aesthetic experience, knowledgeable staff and products worth their reputation.

Eden esthetician Britnee Irlbeck walked me through the science behind the luxury and explained why such a treatment can be beneficial to a healthy skin routine. When I told her that my skin sometimes reacts to harsh chemicals and perfumes, she pointed out products to suit my needs. The Monastery products she used in the treatment are handmade with natural ingredients and derive their subtle scents from botanicals rather than chemicals. They added an aromatic layer to the experience without irritating my skin or my nose. About 90% of the products used in the Eden spa are available in the shop, so guests who find that miracle product can take it home with them.

Irlbeck also recommended a few tips for managing dry winter skin:

Exfoliate regularly to remove dead skin and build-up, especially if it feels like your moisturizer isn’t cutting it. Skipping this step can actually prevent moisturizer from absorbing into skin effectively, leaving your skin drier.

Use gua sha at home to promote blood flow and circulation, but be careful to avoid damaging your skin. Keep the pressure light and make sure your gua sha tool is nearly flat to your skin, not directly perpendicular.

Drink plenty of water!

BEST BET

Hark! Here comes the symphony brass

Jingle bells are nice and all, but if you really want to feel festive, cue the trumpets, trombones and tubas. This weekend the Des Moines Symphony’s brass section takes center stage at Westminster Presbyterian Church for a new holiday tradition. The concerts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday promise a range of classic work and familiar carols, from “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” to Handel’s rousing “Hallelujah!” chorus from “The Messiah.”

For an extra treat, make reservations and go an hour early on Saturday for a demonstration of the pipe organ, when kids will get a chance to pull out all (or most) of the stops. Find more details and tickets online.

The Week Ahead

“Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End” (7 p.m. nightly through Saturday, plus 2 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Saturday): The one-woman show about one of America’s most beloved news columnists continues through Saturday at the Temple Theater. Read our review.

Elaine Dame and the Turner Center Jazz Orchestra (7:30 p.m. Thursday): The Chicago jazz singer joins the band for a “G.I. Jukebox” program, featuring holiday hits from the 1940s, at Drake University’s Patty & Fred Turner Jazz Center.

Mannheim Steamroller (2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday): The band fires up all its high tech, multimedia razzle-dazzle during its tour’s single-day stop here in town, at the Des Moines Civic Center.

“A Magical Cirque Christmas” (4 p.m. Sunday): Sure, Santa can laugh like a bowl full of jelly. But can he juggle knives, twist himself into a pretzel and swing from a flying trapeze? See who can during this extravaganza at the Des Moines Civic Center.

Glenn Miller Orchestra (7 p.m. Sunday): Treat your parents (or yourself) to an early Christmas gift at Hoyt Sherman Place with the famous big band founded by Clarinda’s favorite son.

Editor's note: Our thoughts go out to the family and many, many friends of Jim and Mary Ellen Kimball who were involved in a fatal shooting this week at their lakeside home in Osceola. According to a KCCI report Tuesday, Jim died and Mary Ellen is in a hospital in Osceola. The couple, both in their 80s, were active and generous supporters of arts and cultural projects both in Des Moines and Clarke County. Mary Ellen, an artist and pilot, offered free flights last summer to the winners of a wonderful essay she organized last summer for girls in Clarke County.

Airport art: The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation will fund five large-scale, site specific art installations throughout the new Des Moines International Airport terminal, set to open in early 2027. Four internationally known artists have been selected to create interior installations for the terminal: Adam Frank, Alteronce Gumby, Gordon Huether and Anne Lindberg. Additionally, Iowa-based artist Matt Niebuhr of RDG Art Studio was selected for an exterior installation.

dsm Home Design Awards: We’re proud to announce the finalists for the finalists for the 2025 dsm Home Design Awards categories of exterior and outdoor spaces.

Deck, Patio, Porch, Pool: Design2Build, Meghan Blum Interiors, Stone Cross Lawn and Landscape and Concrete Collaborative LLC

Garden Design/Landscape/Hardscape: Crose & Lemke Construction, Jenny Gardens LLC, Stone Cross Lawn and Landscape and Concrete Collaborative LLC

Exterior Home Makeover: ALT Design/Invest DSM/Sequel Architecture, Crose & Lemke Construction, Hal Davis

Check out photos of the finalist projects online. We'll unveil the winners at an awards ceremony on Feb. 25, so stay tuned for registration details.

Historic mansion holiday: Hoyt Sherman Place has been decorated for the holidays by the Des Moines Women’s Club and will be free to tour during an open house starting at 5 tonight. Enjoy crafts, light refreshments and a cash bar, plus giveaways and a performance in the theater from the 34th Army Band of the Iowa Army National Guard.

Bravo honorees announced: Bravo Greater Des Moines announced the 2025 Spotlight Award winners to be recognized at the Bravo Gala on Feb. 8. This year’s honorees are the Central Iowa Wind Ensemble and CultureALL. The award was introduced in 2020 to highlight the inspiring work of Bravo’s cultural partners.

Mallory Halverson, owner of Pop & Nod boutique, moved to a bigger retail space earlier this year as her business grew. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)

PEOPLE & COMMUNITY

Shop for a 'Pop' of color at Pop & Nod
By Hailey Evans

When Mallory Halverson started Pop & Nod as an online boutique in 2021, she didn’t really expect it to be successful. It was just a side hustle.

“I had been a therapist for years, and when COVID hit I was staying home with the kids,” she said. “During that time I realized I didn’t want to go back to work full time. I wanted to be able to spend more time with my kids.” Her side hustle expanded to a full-time brick-and-mortar location in 2022, and has only grown up from there.

In March of this year, she moved into a bigger storefront in the Shops at Roosevelt on 42nd Street where she curates clothing and other items like coffee table books, tea towels, cards and home decor that she feels fits with her own lifestyle. Her motto: “cute and fun, but not juvenile.”

The name is a mashup of the shop’s two defining characteristics. “Pop” comes from the pop of color in many of the items Halverson sources. In fact, she partnered with the House of Colour color analysis team in Ankeny for help sourcing and labeling clothing for each season. She gives a “Nod” to her favorite charity by donating a portion of every sale to Count the Kicks, a fetal health program from Iowa-based nonprofit Healthy Birth Day Inc. that teaches expecting parents how to track fetal movement to increase the chances for successful births. It’s a program that personally touched Halverson’s life when her own son stopped moving in utero, and Count the Kicks teaching encouraged her to go to the hospital. The trip saved her son’s life.

Halverson hopes to create something more than just a place to shop. Borrowing from her time in social work, “this is a no-judgment zone,” she said. People can browse or buy or stop by just to chat. She’s had ideas to host movie nights and other events in the store after hours to bring together a community.