May 18, 2025
Jena Burgess Singleton opened The Rest Spot in 2024 for women seeking a place to relax and rest.
A Smyrna, GA, woman, Jena Burgess Singleton, opened up a private, women-only wellness campus called The Rest Spot in June 2024 with one mission: to help women find a safe space to rest. Singleton’s business, catered towards especially Black women, was born from a journey of personal healing for her, and evolved into a goal to achieve communal healing when she realized that fellow women were struggling for similar things.
In an interview with Essence, Singleton recalled her life back in 2023 when she felt that she was being weighed down with the anxieties of her life, career, and caregiving.
Singleton recalled, “I was forced to rest. My body physically reacted. I would constantly shake from my cortisol levels; I had facial paralysis. My nervous system was fried.”
Singleton was forced to focus on her healing after her doctor ordered her off her job due to her health concerns.
“It took a toll on me in a way because you hear all of the stories and you are becoming a safe space for so many people,” Singleton stated. “I think between that and just my own personal journey of my father needing a kidney transplant, I had a daughter, I got divorced, COVID happened, and George Floyd happened. Everything was really intensified.”
Singleton turned her own healing into something to share with others — an effort which would lead to the creation of The Rest Spot.
The entrepreneur transformed her home into a space of healing, developing nap rooms and creative spaces. The small-scale sanctuary quickly had to expand when requests for women wanting a safe space came in at a greater-than-expected rate.
Now, The Rest Spot sits on an acre of land in Smyrna. The location is nestled in lush green gardens and intentionally curated vibes built on calming scents for all who attend. The main house of The Rest Spot includes two different common rooms, snacks and teas, a library, and more — all of which are curated to foster an emotional release for those seeking rest.
Singleton described going from working out of her own home to where The Rest Spot is today.
“I’d say come over, I’ll watch the kids, and they’d go upstairs and take a nap,” Singleton said. “I had a larger home, so I had two extra rooms, and I started designing them. I just wanted to make them really comfy and cozy, and it became a fun project for me.”
Now, The Rest Spot has a large following of members, around 90% of whom are Black women, who can reserve time in different themed suites and spaces with a focus on different kinds of replenishment to assist in sleep, self-reflection, or even honest expression. The Rest Spot has tools to help women in creative, mental, and emotional rest.
The Rest Spot has space even for mothers, and does not allow the burden of childcare to prevent women from seeking its benefits.
Singleton’s business includes a child care suite and certified staff to care for children of mothers who attend.
Singleton expressed, “For a lot of the Black women who are members, this is the first time they’ve given anybody the baby. That gets me very emotional because you see that they’re in postpartum. You see that they’re shaking.”
Singleton emphasizes the accessibility of The Rest Spot by developing a membership model without the traditional barriers of other wellness resorts. Both meals and childcare are included in the membership price tag.
The pricing ranges from $135 to $189 for monthly memberships.
“We don’t penalize women for being moms. We meet them where they are,” Singleton explained.
“Loneliness is an epidemic,” she continued. “We have quite a few women who are single, who do not have children or pets or significant others. Women want to feel connected, and they want to be with like-minded individuals. Every Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m., we have social hour, and the chef makes appetizers; we have drinks, and that’s another way they get something included in their membership.”
Singleton hopes to expand the wellness business to other parts of the Atlanta area and to build out the current campus to include seven different suites.
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