Rock Island’s new store, Splash, is helping people make time for some home spa pampering with their several bath time favorites. The owner, Christiana Headley, Augustana class of 1997, is ready to help people in the Quad Cities show themselves a little self-love.
Splash opened in early June and is offering bath bombs, shower bombs, soaps, candles and more. With some of the products designed for busy moms and college students alike. All of Splash’s fragrant products are made locally in the Quad Cities with ingredients bought in the United States.
“This business is her reminder that slowing down and taking care of yourself has to be a priority and she hopes to help others remember that through self-care,” Margaret Ellis, instructor of music and physical education and administrative assistant of music at Augustana, said.
Headley worked as a mental health professional after getting her masters in counseling. She was spending long hours taking care of other people and had been forgetting to take care of herself. That is when Headley decided to turn to natural ways to practice self-care. Splash is a way for her to help others pamper themselves naturally.
“She is amazing. She is the definition of an entrepreneur,” said Meghan Cooley, director of recruitment communications and manager of social media services at Augustana, “what is awesome about her shop is that it embodies all of the facets of who she is. She cares about people and wants them to have a better life.”
Headley feels that her time at Augustana prepared her to be flexible, adjust to any situation and to be adventurous.
“You can accomplish a lot by using the people that you know and the knowledge that you have,” Meghan Cooley said, “She has built on this foundation from Augustana and it has set her up for success.”
As a resident of Rock Island, it was a priority for Headley to open up her small business locally.
“We would like to see more growth in Rock Island, as far as small businesses,” Headley said, “So that really drove this decision to open up here.”
Splash is stocked with bath bombs, including an Augustana Viking bomb with the scents of blueberry and lemon blossom for Augie’s blue and gold. They even offer mani pedi bombs, miniature versions of the Splash bath bombs designed for an at home manicure and pedicure.
“She is helping improve the Rock Island District with her presence and really personalizes her items to embrace the Rock Island Community,” Ellis said.
The most popular item at Splash, according to Headley, is their shower bombs. The shower bombs are bath bombs modified for the shower. Headley designed these with the busy mom in mind. All you do is place the shower bomb in a dish in the shower and let the aromatherapy stimulate your senses.
“I think Augustana students should check out Splash because everybody needs to pamper themselves and because they have products designed just for the Augustana community,” Rachel Gustafson, Assistant director of Admissions at Augustana, said.
Headley thinks the shower bombs are a great product for Augustana students, who may not have access to a bath, to try.
“I just like that their products are hand made locally. I like to support local businesses, and I have four teenagers and so they are all big fans of really all of the products, but our family especially likes the shower bombs and bubble soap,” Alli Haskill, professor of CSD, said.
With the changing of the season, Splash’s products are adopting some fall scents and holiday themes. From skeleton soap to pumpkin spice lip scrub, Splash has a lot of fall influenced pampering products available.
“I just love the atmosphere of the store. It smells wonderful. It’s bright and colorful. You can smell things and try things and it’s just a welcoming place,” Rachel Gustafson, Assistant director of Admissions at Augustana, said.
Among Splash’s products are candles that customers can make themselves. There are several scents available that can be put into a jar with a wick. The colored fragrances can be stacked or picked separately.
Gift shopping at Splash has been a big part of sales, according to Headley. Splash is gift friendly, with premade gift baskets available. Headley will also make a personalized gift basket and ship them. Customers do not even have to come into the store to order these baskets.
“Because her products are homemade and one-of-a-kind, they make great gifts for family and friends at other schools. Also, because they have an online store, gifts can be shipped anywhere. Parents can even ship to their student on campus,” Ellis said.
Headley thinks they would be a good care package idea for college students whose parents want to send them something to pamper themselves.
“We’ve had a lot of support from the Quad Cities. So that’s been really encouraging,” Headley said, “We are going to be on Paula Sands in November. SO we are really excited about that opportunity to get the word out more that we are here.”