Destination Health Leaving Downtown
Wellness center says cost of doing business downtown too great to continue
BAR HARBOR—In a letter to the community, Destination Health’s founder Sheridy Olson announced that she and co-owner Mara Raskin are in the final steps of selling their property at 124 Cottage Street. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and a missed short-term rental deadline necessitated the sale.
They also expressed that the increased property assessments and tax rates played a part in their decision as well as the changing nature of the wellness industry. Water and sewer rates have also increased downtown Bar Harbor.
Olson quoted Alan Alda at the end of her message to the community, “You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.”
The groundbreaking for the 4,000-square-foot building occurred in November 2019. The building hosts a studio with four apartments. It had been a vacant lot at 124 Cottage Street before Olson’s purchase.
Destination Health began in a 500-square-foot cottage in Otter Creek. It then moved to Bayside Landing in Bar Harbor before its current location. Raskin joined on as co-owner in February 2023. The letter did not disclose who purchased the building. There is a signed agreement, Olson said, but there are some contingencies that need to be finalized before that information is released. The building was listed at $2,350,000. Its property taxes in 2023 were $16,927, a 10% increase.
In August, Destination Health tried to reclassify its short-term rental units into transient accommodations. That application was effectively tabled because of the short-term vacation rental violation. Once a short-term rental permit is revoked, property owners have to wait a year before reapplying for that use and then go onto a waitlist. Since this occurred, Olson and Raskin have been trying to find a way to make the business viable.
Olson also quoted Phil Knight in her letter. Knight said, “Sometimes, you have to give up. Sometimes, knowing when to give up, when to try something else, is genius. Giving up doesn’t mean stopping. Don’t ever stop.”
The letter reads,
“Dear Community,
“As most of you know, we have listed our property for sale at 124 Cottage after almost four years of operating in our beautiful building. Offering our services in a state of the art, green space was a lifelong dream of mine and I will forever be proud of the time, work and effort that went into making my dream a reality. I am so proud of all we have accomplished. It hasn’t been easy but nothing great is easy.
“There are a lot of people who have made it possible, from my colleagues, my family, my staff, contractors, our architects, our lender, our insurance agent, and too many more to list here, but you all have gone above and beyond and are in my heart forever. I'd like to personally thank my business partner, Mara Raskin who has been my right arm doing whatever necessary to help the business and just happens to be the best pilates/yoga instructor around, also.
”Especially to our patrons … without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you for finding value in what we offer. It is an honor and a blessing to help people the way we do. I have always told people who think of us as a “spa” or a “luxury” that we are more healthcare than spa. We provide preventative health services that should be the first investment anyone makes to save time from unnecessary doctors visits, prevent diseases, and to live life with integrity as we age. We have helped folks with stress reduction, weight loss, joint mobility, recover from surgery, range of motion, and so much more. Some of our clients are going through big things like cancer, the sudden loss of a loved one, domestic violence, major trauma, and more. We take our work very seriously and have always tried to give the best possible care to everyone. We have also had a lot of fun with specialty workshops like Glow Buti Yoga, Bellydance classes, Happy Hour Yoga, Yoga at Atlantic Brewery, yoga for the high school football team, spin classes for the high school swim team, and so much more.
“My favorite and most fulfilling times have been spent with those who have accessed our services for free because of financial limitations. If I could, I would do what I do for free forever. It is the most rewarding feeling.
“We recently offered a day of free float therapy appointments and we booked up solid. After the Bluenose Inn Fire, we offered a week of free 30-minute massages to first responders. We have donated thousands of dollars of services to local non-profits, schools, and other organizations.
“We have partnered with Healthy Acadia to offer discounted massage services on a scholarship program. One in particular was a woman who endured traumatic domestic abuse and suffered from a great deal of pain. I will never forget her and the relief she felt after each session. She left a huge mark on my heart that will last forever. She is just one of many.
“When we began building at 124 Cottage St. in November 2019, nobody could have predicted what was to come. We were 3/4 finished with construction when the global pandemic hit and with that came immediate uncertainty, anxiety, and fear in a world and economy that changed things forever.
“We had no choice but to keep moving forward and opened on July 27, 2020 under severely limited conditions but remained optimistic that things would go back to the way they were pre-covid with a thriving year round business. We had spent the previous 5 years renting space in Bayside landing where the former “Cattitude” Yoga studio resided. We had a very successful year-round business in downtown Bar Harbor and eventually outgrew our space. That is when I purchased the lot at 124 Cottage that had been vacant for at least 10 years.
“Here we are almost four years later with the realization that things are not going back to the way they were pre-Covid. The wellness industry has changed with more people streaming classes from their homes, more people working from home and small businesses left with numerous challenges like staffing and the increased cost of absolutely everything.
“Things changed a lot over the past four years in Bar Harbor as well. Paid parking meters, property taxes more than doubled, and with the new proposed budget looking to raise property taxes by another 20.2% in Bar Harbor, water and sewer rates going up, electric rates doubling, we have finally realized that a year-round wellness center in downtown Bar Harbor is no longer sustainable. We have worked tirelessly just to pay the bills and we simply can’t go on this way any longer. The lyrics that keep coming to mind are “you got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em." It is time.
“There has been a great deal of emotion for me around this decision because I have spent my entire adult life … 27 years providing quality wellness services to people. With that said, and as much as I love the building we are in, we have accepted an offer on the Destination Health building and will need to be moved out by April 30.
“What does this mean for our patrons and members? Most everyone has known that our property has been on the market, so it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise that we are asking anyone with gift cards to book your appointments and use them up ASAP. We will need time to liquidate things and move out so we are asking that all gift cards get used up within the next 30 days or no later than March 26. There will be no refunds on unused gift cards. Same for any sauna or class passes. If for some reason, you can’t use your class pass due to limited class offerings, we can apply the balance towards another service. We will do our best to accommodate after work and weekend schedules. You will just need to call to arrange the appointment as soon as possible.
“Destination Health will relocate on a much smaller scale and when we have figured that out, we will certainly let everyone know.
“If you are interested in purchasing anything, we will be selling a lot of what is in the building for wholesale pricing. We will be having a big indoor liquidation sale on Saturday, March 16, and suggest that if you are a massage therapist or studio owner, reach out in advance. We also have esthetics and nail equipment as well as fitness and massage.
'“Larger items like weight room equipment we would like to sell as a whole to another studio or gym. We are also selling our IR Sauna and Float tank. We have professional sound systems as well as professional streaming equipment for any teachers who offer live streaming.
“We know that this will be very difficult for those who rely on our services for your health and will do our best to direct you to other businesses like Acadia Yurts who offer most all the same services as us until we are up and running in a new location.
“I know I am speaking for Mara as well when I say that our work is our passion and to be able to serve our community in the capacity we do, should never be overlooked or down graded to just a ‘luxury.’ We truly help people and hope to continue on for many years to come.
“With love, respect, gratitude and all the feelings, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will see each other again soon, I hope.”
Sheridy Olson, founding owner
Mara Raskin, owner
Destination Health
Correction/Clarification: The property’s sale has not been 100% finalized, but is in its final legal steps.