We recently had the privilege of speaking with Megan Kingdon, founder & owner of Well Room here in Charlottesville—a destination for those seeking customized wellness experiences from IV drip nutrition and detoxifying infrared sauna sessions, to cryotherapy, organic spray tans and a full range of aesthetic and laser treatments. Megan took some time to update us on what’s new at Well Room and shared her favorite places and things around Charlottesville. Read on to see where you can find Megan when she’s not treating clients, testing products, or making time for her own wellness routine.
What brought you to Charlottesville? An old, dear friend lived here and I’d visited her over the years. On one visit she introduced me to my now husband. I was living in NYC and took a leap of faith and moved here not knowing how it might work out, but I figured that at least I was moving to a great place! That was almost 14 years ago.
What inspired you to open Well Room? The short story is, that I just wanted to help people. I became a nurse with that goal in mind and found that our health care system is great at acute care and disease management but lacked any real support in prevention or wellness. I felt that there was a huge gap and opening for ways to be supportive of that, and opened Well Room to help address that gap.
What are some things about Well Room that people may not know? That we are more than IV’s! We have always had cryotherapy, saunas, and spray tans, but have also grown based on customer demands, to include laser services (IPL, Morpheus8 , hair removal), as well as facials and medical grade skin care. We’ve really adapted to what people are interested in having. Our apothecary shop also has lots of great gifts. It has become a fun gift shop destination for people. We offer self care items and more!
What is your favorite thing about being a small business owner in Charlottesville? Definitely the community. Charlottesville is so supportive of small business. We love the relationships we’ve made. We really get to know people here and love being able to help them in an authentic way.
Now for a list of favorites…
Favorite thing about Charlottesville: Charlottesville has a small town feel, but offers the culture – dining, music, art and events -that you typically find in bigger cities, not to mention the natural beauty and outdoor recreation options. Also it amazes me that I still regularly meet great, new people.
Season: Spring! It’s such a happy time of renewal – spring flowers, open windows, that special hue of green, ideal temps for spending time outside again. I can’t get enough.
Neighborhood: Belmont. It’s so fun to have a pedestrian part of town, packed with great restaurants and an unpretentious vibe.
Breakfast: The Tavern was a classic diner that I still miss.
Lunch: Feast. Great lunches for the Well Room team, and perfect for provisions when I’m entertaining
Special night out: Marigold at Keswick Hall
Comfort food: Lampo meatballs
Hang out: Bar Baleno live music on Wednesdays. If you haven’t been this is the newish bar space attached to Lampo.
International: Does Tavola count? Local, seasonal Italian perfection.
Late night: It’s been a minute, but I love the Common House rooftop vibe when there’s a great DJ.
Place for a drink: Sancerre and oysters at Public Fish & Oyster
Juice Bar: Corner Juice chia pudding
Bakery: Both Marie Bette and Cou Cou Rachou rival any bakery anywhere in the world!
Winery/brewery: Knights Gambit is low key cool. Good wine, live music and beautiful views! Potters Craft Cider. I love their grapefruit hibiscus cider. I even travel with it when I can. It has no sugar or gluten and is super tasty. Everything they make is so so good!
Favorite place to shop for …
Shoes: Scarpa
Clothes: Eloise
Gear: Great Outdoor Provisions
Services: I’m biased, but a custom, organic facial by Lizzy at Well Room is top notch.
Event in the area: Rivanna Roots Concert Series along the Rivanna River in the summer has great music, good food trucks and is family friendly. My inner hippy can’t get enough of this casual summer fun.
Day trip: A great hike in Shenandoah National Park.
Road for a scenic drive: Blue Ridge Parkway is spectacular, and so close!
Music venue: The Pavillion gets big names but is intimate and it is such fun to be (semi) outdoors.
Thank you for sharing, Megan. Support local businesses by showing Megan’s favorites some love, and make sure to tell them that The Scout Guide sent you! And as summer winds down and you start to gear up for the busy back-to-school season, be sure to take care of yourself and book your visit to Well Room.
Well Room // 134 10th St. NW / 434.933.6100 / @wellroomcville
