A town hall from 1800s Vietnam, Victorian antiques and curated color come together to create a unique wellness experience at Folklore Spa.

After three-and-a-half years of planning and preparing, Folklore is open for treatment at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs.

The details: Owners Kim and Whit Hanks designed Folklore to encourage engagement, rather than silence and solitude.

“We built it to be more of a social spa,” Kim Hanks said. “We're not going to shush you. You're going to have conversations and play games in these spaces.”

In addition to the therapeutic design elements, personal touches from Kim and Whit Hanks are sprinkled throughout, from the custom tiles of their wedding to the treatment rooms. Each room is named after a place that the couple has enjoyed traveling to together.

What they offer: Folklore’s providers offer a variety of services, including HydraFacials, custom facials, massages, body rituals and “Folklore Stories,” which are longer bookings featuring multiple services. Stories range from three-and-a-half to six hours long.

• 3509 Creek Road, Dripping Springs

Austin area residents will soon have a new option for convenient fueling of vehicles, boats and fleets.

What you need to know: A franchise of mobile fueling service Juiced Fuel will open in Central Texas, primarily serving the greater Austin area and Highland Lakes region, a Feb. 2 release from the company states.

Juiced Fuel was founded in Charleston, South Carolina, by Army veteran Korey McDavid and his wife Caroline.

About the owners: Ownership of the Austin-area franchise is based in Round Rock. It is owned by partners Clint and Amy Kiemsteadt and Mike and Lisa Hassel.

The details: The company brings fuel to the dock, driveway or job site to eliminate trips to the fuel pump or having to transport containers of gasoline. When the Austin service area is launched, customers can set appointments to have their vehicles or boats fueled at their convenience through the company's website or app.

From a Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient facility to a new McDonald’s and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Round Rock: The Department of Veterans Affairs will construct an outpatient facility with a dedicated parking lot for visitors and staff, as well as a service access area in Round Rock.

2. Pflugerville: Two office warehouse buildings, totaling 68,924 square feet, will be built by Workhub Developments to accommodate start-up and flex space for businesses

3. Buda: Illinois-based collision repair provider Crash Champions will build a 15,131-square-foot garage and office space constructed from a pre-engineered metal building.

4. Cedar Park: Another McDonald’s will bring its popular menu items, such as the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder, to the Bell District.

5. Austin: A 6,445-square-foot QuikTrip will soon fuel up South Austin, bringing a full-service pumping station alongside a made-to-order kitchen with grab-and-go options.

Travis County has reinstated a burn ban for unincorporated areas that was lifted Jan. 26.

The Travis County Commissioners Court approved implementing a burn ban effective immediately at its Feb. 10 meeting. The burn ban will last 30 days unless lifted earlier by the Travis County judge or fire marshal.

The update: The burn ban comes after Travis County responded to 20-25 fires Feb. 8, Gary Howell, Travis County Chief Fire Marshal, said at the Feb. 10 meeting.

The ban applies to outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of Travis County, excluding prescribed burns, outdoor welding, cutting, grinding or other hot work operations when conducted in accordance with the Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office guidelines.

Also of note: The Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office is also urging residents to:

• Avoid activities that could generate sparks.
• Use caution when grilling or barbecuing outdoors. Residents should keep a water source or fire extinguisher nearby when doing so.
• Call 911 if they notice a fire that may be out of control.

In the upcoming March 3 primary elections, Texas voters will have the opportunity to nominate their chosen candidates for the November midterm election. From top state officials to county commissioners, primary elections shape who is ultimately elected to dozens of seats, driving the future direction of the Lone Star State.

Yet less than one-fifth of registered Texas voters participated in recent primary elections, data from the secretary of state’s office shows.

The big picture: March Matters, a group that works to get more Texans to the primary polls, found that 146 of Texas’ 150 state House races were effectively decided during the 2022 primaries, with just four competitive seats during that year’s midterm election.

Data also shows that primary voters tend to be older and represent the more extreme wings of their political parties.

What they're saying: "When primary voter turnout is so small, when only a fraction of voters are voting, your vote counts more,” said Mark Strama, who leads the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas.