Old Robin's drive-in converted into new Grantsville day spa and salon

Walking into Melaties Day Spa and Salon in Grantsville, one wouldn't know it was once a fast food drive-in, surrounded with kids coming to get ice cream cones, burgers and fries.

But now, lifelong Grantsville resident Melody Taylor, 41, has transformed the old Robin's drive-in into a tranquil day spa and salon. When Taylor was a young girl, she couldn't have known that Robin's, where she would often go and get ice cream at the walk-up window, would someday house her lifelong dream.

"I lived just right up the street and I remember I used to ride my bike there and get an ice cream cone," she said. "There's a lot of memories in this place."

She also recalls when she was older going through the drive-through window.

Taylor said she purchased the vacant building two years ago, several years after Robin's closed down.

"It's great to be able to restore something you've got a lot of memories in," she said.

It's rumored that timbers in the original structure came from the Grantsville Dance Hall, Taylor said.

Although she purchased the building two years ago, Melaties -- a nickname Taylor's husband gave her -- opened about a month ago.

"It's been an ongoing process," she said.

Her husband Edward, a mason by trade, did all the remodels and construction on the building himself. They worked nights and weekends to get it done.

"I want to thank my husband for putting his own business aside. It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for him," she said. "It's just been a lifetime dream to be able to do it."

Instead of tearing down the old structure, she and her husband added an additional 800 square feet, doubling the building's size.

"There are a lot of memories here, so we didn't want to get rid of all the historical structure," she said.

A stunning rock double archway Taylor's husband built separates the salon area from a sitting area, complete with a fireplace and welcoming leather chairs -- a space that used to be a video game area at Robin's.

"We wanted to provide a warm and inviting environment for our customers," Taylor said, "where you feel like you're at home."

Trisha Brown, a stylist at the salon, described the atmosphere as "warm and homey."

Taylor has been doing hair for 20 years. Previously, she had a salon called Mel Brooks -- Mel from her name, and Brook from her business partner's name.

The business closed right before they moved to Melaties, so a lot of the lifelong clients have made the move with them.

There are seven stylists at Melaties. They currently offer hair services and tanning. In February, massages, waxing, pedicures and nail services will also be added. Taylor said their prices are comparable to other salons in the area.

Melaties is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Their phone number is 884-4450, and they are located at 204 W. Main St. in Grantsville.

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com