A longtime veterinarian is bringing a new kind of dog spa to Midlothian, one that looks less like a grooming shop and more like a wellness retreat. Jaime Pickett plans to open Canine L.I.F.E. Spa at 14231 Winterview Parkway in Winterfield Crossing, a 1,400-square-foot space built around nutrition consultations, red light therapy and warm-water movement sessions for dogs.
Pickett recently announced the plans, according to Richmond BizSense, which reports the business's name is an acronym for longevity, immunity, function and energy. The spa will offer nutritional assessments and lifestyle consultations alongside red light therapy, warm-water tank exercise, massages, and bathing and coat care, the outlet reports. Pickett described the concept as something close to a human wellness destination. “It's almost like a med spa, but it's not injections,” she said, per the same report, framing Canine L.I.F.E. as a nonmedical wellness business rather than a veterinary clinic.
What the Space Will Look Like
The build-out calls for a treatment room with four tubs for water movement and two massage tables, along with an underwater treadmill and a consultation area, the report notes. The site previously housed an Apricot Lane Boutique location, and it sits next door to Drybar in a shopping center that already includes a human spa, giving Pickett what the station's report describes as a favorable customer base for the services she's planning.
Canine L.I.F.E. will sell both individual services and monthly memberships. A one-time, 60-minute lifestyle consultation and assessment runs $120, while a one-hour warm-water movement session costs $95 and a one-hour red light therapy session costs $85, according to the same account. Packages bundling multiple services range from $320 to $650.
Red Light Therapy's Appeal and Its Caveats
Red light therapy has become a selling point at wellness-focused pet businesses, and veterinary experts say it can be useful for relieving arthritis pain and inflammation, particularly in senior dogs, according to NBC News. The outlet also notes that while the therapy is generally considered safe for dogs when used correctly, higher-powered devices carry risks of eye injury and thermal burns. Canine L.I.F.E. Spa says on its own website that its team is led by a veterinarian and trained in the services it offers, and that its nutrition consultations evaluate a dog's current diet, life stage, health history and wellness goals, per Canine L.I.F.E. Spa.
A Scenthound Location Comes First
Before Canine L.I.F.E. opens its doors, Pickett is preparing to launch her first local Scenthound franchise location at 13618 Hull Street Road in Chesterfield's Harbour Pointe Village shopping center. That Scenthound, like others in the chain, will focus on baths, nail clipping and teeth brushing, while Canine L.I.F.E. is designed to handle the higher-level wellness services, per Richmond BizSense's reporting. Pickett hopes to open Canine L.I.F.E. soon after the Scenthound location debuts, likely within about a month or so, the outlet reports.
There's already one other Scenthound in the region, which opened in Short Pump in 2024 under a different franchisee, the station's report notes. Scenthound itself was founded in 2015 and has around 180 open or coming-soon locations, per the same account — though a separate PRNewswire release states the company has finalized plans for more than 300 franchised and corporate-owned locations across 30 states. Scenthound's standard membership structure, described on the company's website, includes bathing, ear cleaning, nail trimming and teeth brushing across three membership tiers.
More Locations on the Horizon
Pickett isn't stopping at two storefronts. She's interested in potentially opening another Canine L.I.F.E. spa in Short Pump and is eyeing Chester for her next Scenthound, according to Richmond BizSense's report. She previously told the outlet that her Chesterfield Scenthound would be the first of around 20 locations she intends to open across the Richmond and Raleigh markets, and separate reporting from a previous Richmond BizSense article quotes Pickett on the broader shift driving her expansion. “Consumers are increasingly viewing pets as family members,” she said. “We've humanized pets, and they're willing to spend on preventive (care) and wellness.”
That shift shows up in national numbers, too. The 2025 APPA National Pet Owners Survey found that 95 million U.S. households own a pet, according to the American Pet Products Association. And the pet-wellness trend extends well beyond Midlothian: the perception that grooming is essential to wellness has shifted the industry from basic hygiene services toward tailored health and holistic care, the New York Times reported, adding that a booming human wellness industry is increasingly extending its own health beliefs and practices to pets.
