Chilled Out ‘CBD Spaces’ Are Taking Over Beauty Sections

Beauty stores have always tried to be calm, welcoming places for a simple reason: the more relaxed you are, the longer you’re likely to stay (and the more you’re likely to buy). Over the years, they’ve used many different ploys to achieve this effect, from pleasant scents to flattering light. Now, some stores are taking things a step further with dedicated CBD spaces.

The move makes sense on an intuitive level: CBD has become the world’s biggest beauty trend (according to Wall Street, anyway) largely on the strength of its ability to reduce anxiety. And while it might be increasingly popular with people of all ages (even seniors), millennials are still its biggest fans — as well as the most coveted customers for beauty brands.

Since CBD is now synonymous with non-intoxicating relaxation, it makes the perfect bait for attracting curious shoppers, and the high-end design of beauty stores’ CBD spaces make sure they leave with the best possible impression of the products and services offered. Just as many people believe wine tastes better in a restaurant, customers are more likely to leave with a good impression of a given CBD product if they were first introduced to it in a state of complete bliss.

But how exactly are beauty stores making this magic?

What Will You Find In a CBD-Infused Beauty Section?

Few stores have taken their infused relaxation spaces to such lengths as the iconic Saks Fifth Avenue, which recently started carrying CBD products. There, customers will find the CBD Beauty Corner, the brainchild of famous colorist Joel Warren and one of the savviest marketing teams in the industry.

“By creating an experiential ‘shop in shop’ with beautiful branding, leading formulations and tranquil treatments, we get to be your CBD connoisseurs, guiding you through a journey that will surprise you throughout the year with new brands, events and innovation,” said Evie Phillips, a CBD Beauty Corner partner. She’s also the founder and creative director of Creeds Collective, which bills itself as “an influencer and social media tech agency” — which provides an idea of how CBD beauty spaces are built from the ground up to appeal to Instagram-loving millennials.

Like most such spaces, there’s a commitment to tranquil aesthetics. The walls have wood panels and minimalist gold shelves, and there’s an abundance of greenery, cork blocks, and slate-like floor tiles. Few are likely to mistake it for a hippie refuge, however, due to the many gold accents.

Standard Dose, another high-end New York City establishment, has taken their CBD-infused makeover a step further by making extensive renovations to their premises. They’ve added skylights, rendered the walls in blush pink plaster, replaced old concrete floors with natural wood planks, used high-gloss ceramics to bounce light around the rooms, and even carved shelves into the walls themselves.

Many stores with dedicated CBD spaces are also offering perks and services not normally found in such places. For example, at Saks Fifth Avenue customers can unwind after a busy day of shopping with a CBD-infused hand massage or even a full body treatment in one of the area’s VIP rooms. At Standard Dose, on the other (thoroughly relaxed and moisturized) hand, there’s a meditation room for some reason.

Other enterprises, like Seventh Sense, are taking this trend to its logical conclusion and making the entire store a CBD space, with organic-themed decór in every location and nothing but CBD products on their shelves. It’s too soon to tell whether this will become the new normal for beauty stores across the country, but for now it certainly seems like it could.