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Date: 9/6/2022
EASTHAMPTON – The owners of the former East Heaven Hot Tubs, a Northampton staple lost in a fire last summer, are looking to revive their business at another location in Easthampton.
During an Aug. 30 meeting, the Easthampton Planning Board officially granted a special permit to redevelop the site at 150 Northampton St. for a health and spa facility offering private hot tub rentals, message therapy and healing bodywork services. The application for the permit was submitted by East Heaven owners Ken and Robin Shapiro, as well as Berkshire Design Group.
The 150 Northampton St. site is a 38,664 square-foot parcel located in the Highway Business district. The site is on the west side of Northampton Street (Route 10) and is situated between a small city park at the corner of Northampton Street and Florence Road, and other commercial businesses along Northampton Street.
Included within the site is a 5,000 square-foot, single-story brick building, which was formerly a garage and most recently, a carpet and flooring business.
The proposed project includes the renovation and addition to the existing building as well as the redevelopment of the existing site to improve overall circulation and site legibility, increase garden and green space, and otherwise propose improvements which seek to better the functions of the existing site.
According to Jeff Squire, the principal architect of Berkshire Design Group, the owners want to expand out a small frontage piece in the front of the building and add a second story. Additionally, the owners will better define where parking is on the location. Parking for 45 cars will be provided for customers and employees, according to the application.
“We’re also proposing that, in the future, the back of the building will be some sort of landscaped garden that may include outdoor spas, outdoor hot tubs,” said Squire.
During an Aug. 24 meeting, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the special permit application with conditions and sent it to the Planning Board for the Aug. 30 meeting.
East Heaven Hot Tubs, established in 1981, was a popular staple within the Northampton community on West Street until a 2021 fire caused by a malfunctioning gas-fired pool heater forced the site to close its doors and search for a new location.
In addition to renovating the building, the existing asphalt area will be modified and reduced to increase the amount of green space on the property and provide better delineation of the parking lot including vehicular and pedestrian circulation patterns. A Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Entrance Permit will be submitted for review and approval, as well.
Prior to closing, East Heaven served 1.25 million customers. In their application, the owners specifically said that their services at the new site may include private hot tub rooms, individual and couples massages, a hyperbaric chamber, saunas, acupuncture and acutonics, facials and aesthetics, as well as sales of spa-related products. Eight indoor treatment rooms are planned for the first floor of the building, and the roof is where the majority of the private hot tubs will be located. Each hot tub room will have their own connected private shower and dressing area. The hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to midnight every day of the week, and there is a possibility that the demand for some services might require an earlier opening of 9 or 10 a.m. or a later closing.
In a Facebook post in June, East Heaven said that they looked at 30 different locations. Construction is expected to begin several months from now.
“No one ever promised that it would be easy,” read the post. “But we keep our eye on the goal and know it will be fun to watch a building go up and more fun to enjoy hot tubs, massage, saunas, and more when we are once again open for business.”
More information on the plan can be found on the Planning Board section of the Easthampton website: https://easthamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/Index/508.