Who has time to take long chunks out of their work day for necessary beauty maintenance?
Not me.
That’s why I always find myself bribing salon receptionists for the coveted Saturday afternoon appointment. A lengthy color treatment is now eating my weekend, but at least I’m not biting my nails, staring at my watch to make sure I’m back in the office for a 2pm conference call.
This is why I jumped at the opportunity to check out the Xac Anthony Salon in Chelsea, fabled to be a party and beautification palace all in one. Friday the salon is open till 10:30pm and the drink is expertly mixed margaritas. On Thursday, Cosmos and martinis are passed around so you can and primp and pre-game simultaneously till midnight.
Talk about spicing up the typically boring, magazine-flipping visit to the hairdresser!
I stepped in the 2,200 square foot salon on a Friday evening and felt instantly relaxed. Maybe because I was instantly offered alcohol and chocolate bon bons. The salon’s DJ mixed lounge-like beats and ladies walked from pedicure appointments to blowouts to make-up application with drinks in hand. In short, this is a sophisticated one stop service for all your beauty needs with a focus on fun. In the summer, you can even have your hair cut and colored outside while sunning on the furnished rooftop. There’s a spa offering facials and five different types of massage downstairs. And if you want to get really crazy, the celebrity tattoo artist Friday Jones can give you ink.
Xavier Cruz, celebrity stylist and trendsetter with an impressive resume, gave my hair a deep conditioning treatment. For me deep conditioning treatments have always consisted of getting my hair lathered with a thick chunky substance and being left under a dryer for forty minutes.
Not here!
Cruz gave my head an intensely pleasurable Japanese massage, healed my highly damaged scalp, and conditioned my hair with a wonderfully orange smelling substance, methodically, section by section. Instead of passing me off to an assistant, he took me to the sink himself. After filling the basin, he lapped warm water over and over again on my head for ten minutes, explaining that the conditioner absorbed into my hair best if left submerged. I felt like a mermaid. Oh, and the Japanese massage continued with my hair under water. By the time I was getting my hair blown out and styled, my scalp was tingling with happiness – and it wasn’t because I was on margarita number four.
I left the salon feeling empowered to hit my Friday night running. And if you bring two girlfriends, the three of you get 20% off all services.
I resisted asking Cruz if I could move in with him.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:50 am
Omigod, this place sounds amaaaaaazing. I want to move in.