Idaho
Spa owners open resort in Idaho Falls – East Idaho News
Cabins available for guests at Xhale Resort and Spa at 1421 1st Street in Idaho Falls. Take a look at the amenities in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
Owners of new local resort want to help you relax
IDAHO FALLS – People have enjoyed getting massages, facials, pedicures and other services at Xhale Spa for years, and the owners recently added a resort to go with it.
Xhale Resort & Spa at 1421 1st Street in Idaho Falls includes two businesses under one roof. Rachael and Brock Merrill started taking bookings for the resort on Aug. 1.
It’s open to adults only and includes seven cabins for an overnight stay, hot pools, waterfalls, fire pits, pickleball courts, cornhole, seating areas for couples to relax and other amenities. Take a look inside in the video above.
Rachael tells EastIdahoNews.com the resort’s purpose is to give couples a place to get away and relax.
“We do a lot of couples massages and facials (at the spa) and most of the time they’re celebrating an anniversary or a birthday. A lot of events are celebrated here, so we wanted to (offer more amenities for them to celebrate),” Rachael says.
Xhale Spa was previously near 17th Street in Ammon but recently moved to 1st Street after the Merrills, who also own Orange Leaf, bought the property.
The building on 1st Street used to be the home of Dr. Hatch, a well-known physician in town during the 1930s. Rachael doesn’t remember his first name but says he had a farm and owned land in Falls Valley where Falls Valley Elementary now sits.
“The Hatches lived here, and their daughter-in-law, who used to come here when it was their home, brought us some of the old deeds for the property. A judge had claimed the land back then. He built the house and then the Hatches purchased it from him in the ’30s,” Rachael says.
Rachael thought the property was an ideal location for a spa and resort.
She’s excited to be up and running and invites the community to come for a getaway.
To schedule a stay or learn more, visit the website or call (208) 227-3529.
BIZ BITS
SnakeBite Restaurant in Idaho Falls will be featured on ‘America’s Best Restaurants’
IDAHO FALLS – The SnakeBite Restaurant in Idaho Falls will be hosting a visit from “America’s Best Restaurants” in early September.
America’s Best Restaurants, a national media and marketing company focusing on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants, will bring its ABR Roadshow to the restaurant on Sept. 9. Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interview with key staff about the restaurant’s special place in the community. The episode will be aired extensively on social media channels at a later date.
Now operated under the 100 Proof Hospitality hospitality group, SnakeBite has been in operation since 1994. The downtown building dates back to 1907.
Popular menu items that may be featured on the episode include the fan favorite Grand Teton burger, topped with Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, lettuce and avocado; the “famous” waffle fries with homemade fry sauce; fish tacos; and the Hoback Chicken Sandwich, a house seasoned grilled chicken breast with fresh sprouts, avocado, tomato and red onion.
The restaurant’s finished episode premiere date will be announced on its Facebook page and will be featured on its website.
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PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
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