Complex motivations are often what it takes for a potential small business owner to finally get that one great idea off the ground. Take the newly minted ADK Foot Sanctuary on Phila Street. The cozy retreat is a dream of pure pampering for one’s soles. But behind the scenes lies poignant inspiration straight from the founder’s soul.
A lifelong love of Saratoga Springs, as well as a desire to both serve the spirit of the community here while honoring her late mom, inspired Christina Frazier to open her second Upstate New York foot spa here.
“I grew up going to Saratoga all the time with my mother,” she says. “We lived in Johnstown, but this was our special place. We’d come to the ballet, Mrs. London’s. We had so many wonderful times here.”
After spending a few years hitting the slopes in Oregon after high school, Frazier found her groove working in the wellness space, as a trainer touring the world for the Ayurvedic skincare line Sundari.
“When I was working and traveling in Singapore, I became entranced with the ritual of foot massage,” she says. “It is an enormous part of the culture and life there.”
Frazier pursued a degree in massage therapy and then decided to marry her loves of wellness, energy work, spirituality and healing, first opening a foot massage sanctuary in Bend, which she says was the “culmination of years of work, planning and meditation.” Then she found love with a New Yorker, Mark, and returned home. After selling her Bend foot spa, she opened her first ADK Foot Sanctuary in Lake Placid six years ago.
“I always wanted to open a store in Saratoga, but it was never the right time,” she says. “Then my mom got sick, and I nursed her through to the end. After she passed two years ago, I knew it was time. I feel like she has guided this whole process, and opening our doors has been an amazing experience.”
Frazier’s Saratoga spa is distinct from the Lake Placid model, although both are deeply focused on foot massage and healing.
“They’re different markets,” she says. “Our sanctuary in Saratoga has room for two guests. It’s so intimate and personal. The community has been so welcoming, and I love being on Phila Street, next to amazing neighbors like Bocage.”
Stay tuned for collaborations and events with Bocage and others in the future. Until then, treat your soles to a soulful seasonal massage.