The name Farashe - "butterfly" in Moroccan - hints at the transformation that the owners of Columbia's newest day spa are so keyed into.

Ranjana Bhasin and Nanousa Sidhu have taken a dream and turned it into a business, and created a haven for meditation and manicures in a shell of office space in Town Center.

Now they are hoping to sustain a successful day spa in the location where one closed about a year ago by offering rich aromas, decadent surroundings and a dose of Eastern traditions.

"We're into energy, traditions and health as much as the outer body," Bhasin said. "We want people to let go of all their stresses."

But while Bhasin and Sidhu are working to relieve others' stress, they will have pressure of their own to deal with. As one of the most affluent counties in the nation, Howard seems to have a spa on every corner. Some of the spas also have Eastern philosophies as part of their offerings. The two owners of Farashe are starting the business in a recession that is being felt at day spas across the country.

Hannelore Leavy, executive director of the Day Spa Association in Union City, N.J., said business picked up in the industry in the earlier part of this year, but flattened over the summer.

"The economic slump has kind of taken over right now," she said. "Right now, [spas] are trying to recuperate with the holiday season, and gift certificates are very, very big in the spa industry."

But Bhasin and Sidhu say their customer service and charm will help them through what could be a tough first few years.

"With each of our treatments, we try to add a little extra," Bhasin said, like rose petals in the pedicure basin, a hand massage with a manicure and hot towels before a massage. She also said their prices are competitive.

"If you get more for your money and that little something extra, we think over time people will see the difference," she said.

Farashe opened about three weeks ago, offering much of the typical day spa fare - facials, manicures, body wraps - and a few unique offerings such as a shirodhara treatment, in which a fine stream of warm oil is poured onto the middle of the forehead for 60 to 90 minutes, a shower given on a table with several heads to focus on the body's pressure points and one-on-one meditation consultations.

Although new treatments such as Botox are very popular and a good revenue generator with several spas, both owners say they oppose the use of anything other than touch in their treatments.

"It's a more holistic approach," Sidhu said. "It's through our touch we promote health and well-being."

Farashe is a second career for Bhasin, who for 14 years franchised a string of Physicians Weight Loss Centers, and a continuation for Sidhu, a licensed massage therapist and skin care specialist who practiced her trade from a studio in her home in Ellicott City.

Although the company has a client base from Sidhu, more of the owners' time has been spent selling gift certificates than providing services. So the owners are using the extra time to train staff members in new massage techniques and products.

If the business grows, the two say they would like space beyond their 2,100 square feet to offer more services and teach meditation. But now, they are content to wait for clients to discover their beaded corner of the world.

"We'd love to have every room booked, but it takes time," Bhasin said.