This December would mark the 20th anniversary of Dosha Salon Spa’s flagship location in Portland’s trendy Pearl District. The ultra-modern glass building was planned down to every detail to evoke an upscale beauty experience with the signature Aveda touch that many know and love. However, Dosha Northwest has undergone many obstacles during the past two decades despite its accolades.
2016 Flood
At the beginning of 2016, a flood in the building caused severe damage to Dosha Northwest. The water leakage started on the 4th floor and flooded down to each floor below, pooling several inches deep and destroying over 70% of the building. The flood caused a nearly total reconstruction that spanned several months. With a beautiful new interior, thought was put into every detail from the wood accent wall reclaimed from local cherry barrels to a brightly lit retail floor. Dosha Northwest gleamed with a fresh and new look and the team was happy to be home.
NW 23rd Gas Explosion
On the morning of Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 a subcontractor of Loy Clark drilled into a natural gas pipeline underneath the sidewalk next to Dosha Northwest. The Dosha team arrived as normal but quickly noticed the smell of gas. They notified the fire department and were advised not to turn anything on or off, even their cell phones while they waited for the dispatched team to arrive. Upon their arrival, swift action was taken as the building was quickly evacuated. Minutes later there was a series of three explosions that destroyed Dosha Northwest along with many other local cornerstones along the block in NW Portland.
The explosion decimated all three floors of the salon and spa, including all the brand-new construction that had just been completed that same year. The west wall of the building was completely crumbled exposing the spa from the sidewalk. In some areas the ceiling caved in, leaving behind a huge heap of destruction and rubble.
Beyond the immense physical damages to Dosha Northwest, the team and business was also highly affected. Dosha Salon Spa lost many clients and the team was forced to relocate and lose a large source of clientele and revenue.
The entire Dosha community rallied behind Dosha Northwest and worked diligently to rebuild. However, with the rising building and development costs, the insurance money was not enough to cover a new building.
Dosha Salon Spa vs. Loy Clark
Dosha Northwest was the largest salon spa among the 7 locations and a community favorite, so re-opening had been a huge priority. Without other options, Dosha reached out to Loy Clark in December of 2018 to come to a mutual agreement in order to help cover the costs to rebuild Dosha Northwest. Despite the claim by a Loy Clark spokesperson, Andrea Blessum to Oregon Live, that “we continue to work closely with our insurer to ensure that the remaining claims are handled as quickly as possible”, the Loy Clark attorneys have been uncooperative and slow to come to a resolution for Dosha Northwest.
A full year after trying to come to an agreement, Dosha Salon Spa has officially filed a lawsuit against Loy Clark Construction for the expenses that have accrued and loss of business since the gas explosion in 2016. This has been a tumultuous journey that Dosha Northwest has endured over the near two decades it has served the community.