Well Nest Spa Operator Coming to Egg Harbor

Jessica Fournier plans to open The Well Nest Spa this winter at 7896 Hwy 42 to add one more year-round business to downtown Egg Harbor. Photo by Craig Sterrett.

The Egg Harbor building formerly occupied by Brilliant Stranger didn’t go empty for long.

The new occupant already had a close tie to the building.

Jessica “Jessa” Fournier plans to open The Well Nest Spa at 7896 Hwy 42 this winter, and using the downstairs spaces will keep her closer to family. Fournier’s dad and mom, Tom and Pam Hollister, reside on the second story of the building, so she and her parents will separately rent portions of the building from the Bertschinger family, she said.

An esthetician for 20 years and massage therapist for 17, Fournier plans to have a yoga studio, retail skincare and wellness products, and rooms for massage, facial and body treatments. Her yoga instructor has 15 years of experience.

“I’ve been looking for a place for a couple of years in northern Door County,” Fournier said, noting that she now has a great location and an excellent room for yoga with tall ceilings and winter views of the bay.

The Egg Harbor Plan Commission on Dec. 28 voted 5-0, with Emily Pitchford abstaining, to recommend approval of a conditional-use permit (CUP) to allow the business in the building that sits between a restaurant and gallery. The CUP is needed because a wellness spa is not listed as a use in the zoning ordinance. 

The business meets all necessary qualifications, and the village comprehensive plan encourages the attraction of year-round businesses, according to testimony by Madison Dietzen, village Deputy Clerk-Treasurer/Administrator.

The final CUP approval rests with the Village Board, which will take it up at a future meeting.