The J Spot: Rittenhouse’s Wellness Revolution Started With A Jefferson Student’s Dream
After three years founder Jacqueline Clarizio has transformed a vacant 7-Eleven into a neighborhood’s stunning holistic sanctuary—proving Philly can absolutely have nice things.
When people told Jacqueline Clarizio “you can’t have something that nice in Philly,” she basically said “watch me” and proceeded to spend three years turning a vacant 7-Eleven at 501 S 22nd Street into what might be the most gorgeous wellness space this side of Broad Street. Weeks in, The J Spot is already changing the med spa game—and we’re here for every beautifully designed second of it.
From Aspiring Student to Neighborhood Fixture
Jacqueline has an origin story that hits different: She used to walk these exact streets as a Jefferson University Physician Assistant student, dreaming about the day she could open something here. “I was like, if I ever get to a point where I can open something, it’s going to be here,” she recalls. The tree-lined streets, the young families, the genuine sense of community—it all spoke to her future vision.
After a brief stint in New York (spoiler: the subway vibes were not it), she realized Philly offered something the Big Apple couldn’t: actual human connection. “When I was on the subway, everyone looks pretty miserable,” she notes. In Philly? People are real. They’ll tell you exactly how they feel, and you’ll see the same faces over and over. For someone building a community-centered wellness space, that authenticity was everything.
The Zoning Battle That Almost Wasn’t
But getting here required the kind of determination that would make Rocky Balboa proud. The space had been vacant for seven years because of CMX-1 zoning—the most restrictive commercial designation in the city. Most people saw that and ran. Jacqueline saw it and hired an attorney.
What followed was a masterclass in community engagement: going door-to-door collecting petition signatures (nothing says humbling like knocking on 100 strangers’ doors), presenting at two separate community meetings, and spending over a year not knowing if one “no” vote would end everything. When she finally got all yeses? Pure tears. “This is insane,” she remembers thinking.
The neighborhood’s response has validated every moment of that struggle. “The amount of people that live around here that are like, we are so happy this is not empty,” she says. “It’s beautiful. And people love it. They really do.”
Every. Single. Detail.
Jacqueline didn’t just design The J Spot—she basically lived in stone yards and paint stores for months. We’re talking mood boards for every room, hand-selecting every species of wood, and (our personal favorite detail) being that five-foot-one woman in stone yards making burly guys move massive slabs until she found the perfect pieces.
The inspiration came from places like Remedy Place in New York and HEIMAT in Los Angeles, but Jacqueline made it distinctly her own. Neutrals meet carefully chosen pops of color, natural materials create texture, and every element serves a purpose: rejecting the sterile medical aesthetic in favor of something warm, comforting, and actually enjoyable to spend time in.
“I always feel like the medical space is very sterile, and I didn’t want it to be that,” she explains. “I wanted people to enjoy being here for it to feel warm and comforting and cozy.”
The result? People walk in and their jaws literally drop. “Everyone comes in and they’re like, oh my God, this is crazy.” And honestly? Pictures don’t do it justice.
More Than Your Average Med Spa
Here’s where The J Spot completely breaks the mold: it’s not about rushing in for Botox and bouncing. The whole vibe is holistic—treating you as an actual individual, not a walking protocol.
The services menu is seriously comprehensive: microneedling, facials, peels, lasers, IV therapy, peptides, weight loss medications, and all injectables. Plus there’s a cold plunge and a three-in-one sauna featuring red light, infrared, and salt therapy. The skincare selection includes Alastin, Plated (exosomes from the Mayo Clinic, because why not), and Hydrinity Skincare, which was originally used in wound healing in operating rooms. Jacqueline even compounds her own prescription skincare.
The philosophy? Looking your best for your age while still looking your age. “We’re very big on that,” Jacqueline emphasizes. “I never want somebody to look unnatural. We’re here to just enhance people, not change people.”
In an industry increasingly dominated by cookie-cutter private equity operations, that individualized approach feels revolutionary. “We’re not just treating people by the protocols that skincare brands give us,” she says. “We’re looking at the patient. We’re actually treating them as an individual.”
The Café That’s Actually a Community Hub
The front of The J Spot features Jax café, that serves Herman’s coffee (Jacqueline is obsessed with his beans—”they’re never bitter, they’re brew quality”), Four Worlds Bakery pastries, and juices from ANEU Kitchen that apparently exist nowhere else in the city except Bryn Mawr.
But calling it just a café undersells what’s happening here. The space has organically evolved into a multidisciplinary community gathering spot that hosts Pilates events, run clubs, vendor pop-ups, birthday parties, bachelorettes, and Friendsgivings. Justin Rubin (formerly of Barry’s, now training at Equinox) recently brought his run club through. Multiple people have asked about private event rentals, which wasn’t even part of the original plan.
“As much as it’s a wellness space, it’s also a space for the community to use as they please,” Jacqueline explains. “This isn’t just my place, it’s the community’s place.”
Foodie Credentials Check Out
Quick aside: Jacqueline is a serious foodie who bases much of her hospitality approach on observing Michelin-starred restaurants. She literally cried when Amanda Shulman earned her star for Her Place Supper Club. “Women have to work so much harder, in my opinion, to achieve things,” she reflects. “And when she won, I was literally like, oh my God, no one deserves this more.”
Her current dining favorites? Friday Saturday Sunday tops the list (she’s spent every holiday there since 2021). The Lover’s Bar at the restaurant is a go-to for its marble, chill vibe, and à la carte options. Other favorites include Emmett in the Fishtown area and A.Bar for cocktails. This woman clearly knows her Philly food scene, and that attention to quality and experience shows in every corner of The J Spot.
What’s Next
Six weeks in and already building momentum, The J Spot is focused on continuing to evolve with the community’s needs. More events, ongoing innovation in functional medicine, and keeping that café space dynamic and responsive to what neighbors want.
The feedback has been “astonishing.” People genuinely love seeing a vacant space transformed into something this thoughtfully executed. And Jacqueline keeps proving her doubters wrong—turns out Philly can absolutely have nice things. We’re allowed to, actually.
For someone who once walked these streets as a broke student with big dreams, watching The J Spot become a neighborhood fixture in just six weeks must feel surreal. But knowing Jacqueline’s “glass half empty, I could be better” mentality, she’s probably already planning the next evolution. Which means whatever comes next will be just as meticulously detailed as what’s already here.
📍501 S 22nd St | 🔗 J Spot Wellness
Have you checked out The J Spot yet? We’d love to hear about your experience! Drop us a line at rittenhouseramblings@gmail.com—we appreciate you, fellow Ramblers!
