Beauty

Polish Your Hair and Skin at Luminous Salon

Clear a place in your schedule for some "me" time

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People – women especially – have a hard time giving themselves permission to take “me” time. Yes, there’s always a pressing thing that needs to be done, but that’s just the thing: there’s always a pressing thing that needs to be done. Once you can force yourself to clear two hours (no phone, no kids, just you and your favorite form of pampering), it’s so worth it – and it’s a lot easier to tackle all of the other not-so-great stuff you still have to do.

I felt especially overloaded the day I hurried into Luminous Salon and Spa, near Wayland Square. It was one of those days where I definitely wasn’t feeling like I had two hours for myself. I walked into a bustling salon on a Wednesday afternoon to be greeted by salon owner Debbie Vitale, who opened the spa door and showed me into a serene oasis: dim lighting, soothing scents, cucumber water waiting for me. As soon as I sat down in the relaxation room, I was glad I had made the time.

First up was a Tranquil Spa Facial, which was exactly what the doctor ordered. Aesthetician Talia Coppola started with me face down with 15 minutes of an aromatherapeutic massage using the “raindropping” technique, which involves dripping essential oils on the spine to simulate rain. Developed in the 1980s, raindropping is a massage technique designed to soothe the mind and body, reduce stress, relieve muscle discomfort, detoxify the body and promote emotional wellbeing. The added aromatherapeutic bonus was that my mind calmed down almost immediately when I smelled the lavender, sweet orange and peppermint. After that, she gave me a facial using Eminence Organic Skincare from Hungary. My skin hadn’t been dealing well with our frigid spring, so she focused on getting all of the dry flakes off my face and hydrating my skin.


Afterwards, I was feeling refreshed, and ready for a new hairstyle to match my newly fresh face. Rick Costa, a senior stylist at the salon, sat me down for an Alex Anthony Shampoo and Style. Alex Anthony is a salon specializing in curly hair in New York, started by Rhode Island native Alex Mnayarji, and they have a line of curl products carried at Luminous. Rick gave me a shampoo, and then went through the steps: Revive leave-in conditioner, hydrating curly mousse, applied individually to each curl and maracuja oil to smooth and shine. I was sure that my hair would be crispy afterwards – the bane of every curly girl’s existence – but my hair was soft and miraculously frizz-free. I left feeling like a new me – and really glad that I had taken those two hours.

Luminous Salon
133 Pitman Street
228-7008

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