Cash-strapped consumers across the country are tightening their belts, but they’re not squeezing out manicures, massages and other spa treatments, according to local stylists and salon owners who say their establishments are a great escape for people stressin’ about the recession.
A number of Concord spas and salons are reporting numbers that contradict economists who say things will get worse before they get better, their businesses bolstered by customers budgeting out little luxuries like twice-daily lattes, rethinking four-figure vacations and opting for trips to places in town where they can pamper themselves.
“People still want to be happy, they still want to look good, and they still want to feel good,” said Debbie Mikkelsen, a stylist at Naturally You, a six-month-old concept salon on Church Street in West Concord. “They’re finding a way to treat and pamper themselves and to find another kind of escape.”
At Naturally You, the stylists massage customers’ shoulders and serve tea with haircuts. Some customers are cutting back on big-ticket items like full-body massages and facials, but many report needing the Aveda experience more now than ever before, stylists there say.
“We like to think we go above and beyond cutting your hair and sending you out,” said Trinity Lourdes, a hairstylist at Naturally You. “We give people really an escape from the hectic, and make sure they really want to come in. They come in there and it’s like an oasis.”
During past economic downturns, The Mane Escape Salon and Day Spa suffered from customers foregoing nail treatments, waxes, facials and massages. But this time around, the Thoreau Street salon is thriving.
“That’s usually the first hit with the recession, but this time it hasn’t happened,” said Mane Escape owner Dee Joyce, who has been in the business 13 years. “I really think the bottom line is that people are still spending the little bit of money it takes to make themselves feel better. It’s not a $5,000 vacation; it’s an $80 facial or $100 highlight.”
At 1 on 1 Self Indulgence Spa, a Beharrell Street day spa about to celebrate its fifth anniversary, clients are coming on board faster than ever before, according to owner Cindy McCullough, who said she recently added two new masseuses to her massage team.
“We’re actually seeing an increase, but I won’t say that’s across the board, because a lot of spas and salons are closing,” McCullough said. “I think it’s really who your customers were in the beginning and how your customer service is. If you weren’t meeting the needs of your clients in the beginning, those are the [salons and spas] who are probably not going to make it through.”
Joyce and McCullough acknowledged that being located in an affluent suburban community has almost certainly helped business during these tough times. However, spa treatments are much more than a luxury, they say, and many people on the job-search look at facials, manicures and massages as an important aspect of personal health and interview preparation.
“People are taking better care of themselves, I think, and if they can’t invest in other things, they’re investing in themselves,” McCullough said. “People are coming in and wanting to do a series — to come in on a weekly basis — it’s something that can release the stress of life. It really isn’t a luxury. Taking good care of yourself is making you more valuable, especially as an employee, it makes you a better thinker.”
Routine recentering
On a recent Saturday, Brownyn Fryer and Monique Sternin emerged from massages at 1 on 1 feeling light-headed, as if they had just enjoyed a glass of wine.
Although it was their first time at 1 on 1, the women — both of whom are transplants to the Northeast — said they are well versed in the healing powers of massage, which they say New Englanders are very repressed about.
“It’s not just physical, it’s not just massaging your body, it’s being able to heal the whole person,” said Sternin, who came to Concord from France by way of southeast Asia. “It’s helping to realign things to get recentered.”
Spa treatments are something people must have time and money for, but Fryer, a journalist who moved to Lexington from California, says they’re well worth it, especially for those looking to leave behind their worldly worries for a few hours.
“It’s most important to budget something like this in,” Fryer said. “When people are under stress, the last think they do is take care of themselves, and it should be the first thing. … This is the kindest thing you can do for yourself.”
More and more people are wearing more and more hats as the busyness of every day life increases and companies cut headcounts. For Cindy Mello, a Maynard resident who handles corporate meetings for a biotech company, the best stress relievers are the massages, manicures and pedicures at 1 on 1, which have become an indelible part of her routine.
“I’m doing fine with my job and what have you, but if I was in a position where I had to cut things out of my budget, I think I would chose things other than my treatments,” Mellow said. “It’s a respite from everyday life. Honestly, I had to cancel a vacation recently, and I think of them almost like a staycation. If I can’t get away, I can go there and just relax.”
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