Owner: Briana Borten
Visit Dragontree Spa online
Ambiance and rejuvenating therapies — panacea for a hectic lifestyle
Dragontree’s owner Briana Borten
Portland, OR — In the urban world of busy-ness — noise, hustle, conflict — there must be a sanctuary hiding somewhere — a sanctuary offering soft sounds, relaxation and an aura of comfort.
Push the red door at 2768 NW Thurman Street and step inside. Immediately, you’ll have the sensation that you have retreated 500 years — or 5,000 miles — to a gentler world.
The dark maroon walls, soothing plants, mirrors, wall hangings, candles and barely audible Middle Eastern music allow you to shed the weight of the emotional shields necessary for survival in the give and take of urban existence.
Welcome to The Dragontree holistic day spa. You have just discovered your personal refuge with a wide range of benefits: full body massage and body polishes, natural skin care and waxing, acupuncture and herbal medicine, group treatments and parties, ayurvedic medicine and bliss therapies, foot baths and foot massage, saunas and showers.
Meet Briana Borten, the genius behind the Dragontree. Briana was a fairly average girl growing up in Montana, until an automobile accident changed her life. That collision left her with a broken neck — and intense pain. Because of chemical conflicts, she could not relieve her distress through pain killers.
Behind this door lies a solution to the stress and physical pains of a tightly-wound world.
“When we decided to open (a second location) at the airport we went to many banks,” Briana says. None of them wanted to be involved. A massage service at an airport? Goodness, mercy! The concept must have sounded a bit radical for many bankers.
Then a friend introduced Borten to Terry Brandt, who was just starting the Albina Opportunities Corporation (AOC). AOC’s game plan was to make business loans to women, minority, immigrant and disabled-owned businesses with good track records. “We already had a lengthy (business) plan for the airport,” Borten says. “We provided Terry with that plus some other information he needed.”
Now, Briana reports, both business locations are doing “really well.” The main difference is that the Thurman Street office takes clients mostly by appointment whereas at the airport site, visitors are mostly walk-ins.
A full range of treatments
Soft lighting, soft music and soft chairs put visitors into a relaxed mood at The Dragontree.
One could hardly count the number of massage techniques in various corners of the world, but Dragontree can provide many of them. Their web site promises “an array of therapies designed to still the mind, mend the body and uplift the spirit.” The Dragontree offers a seemingly infinite variety of massages, facials, waxing and acupuncture.
The spa offers group services— including saunas — for friends, family and parties. Teas and light lunches can put the finishing touches on a rejuvenating experience.
For more information on the NW Portland location, visit www.thedragontree.com. The airport location has its own website.
The Dragontree employs 20 support staff and has 30 professional contractors, guaranteeing a wide range of specialties as well as superlative personal attention.
“We may open a few more locations,” Briana says, but she promises The Dragontree will never get too big. “We like to know everyone who works for us like a (member of the) family.”
Services run from about $15 to about $375. The Dragontree’s northwest studio at 2768 NW Thurman is open 10:00 – 7:00 Monday through Thursday, 10:00 to 9:00 Friday and Saturday, and 11:00 until 6:00 Sunday. The airport location on Concourse C at Portland International Airport is open from 8:00 to 8:00 daily. Call the Thurman Street location (503) 221-4123 or the PDX site (503) 331-1131 for appointments or information.