Long Island salons do more than just hair
Beehive Salon on Main Street in Islip uses soy-based, chemical-free products such as the spray being used here by salon owner Jeanine Longo, right, on Laura Kim while salon assistant Chelsie Lopresti shelters her eyes. (Feb. 7, 2012) Credit: Doug Young
Got split ends and need to hit the gym? Not to worry. There's a salon for that. Interested in ammonia-free hair color and manicure that's low on chemicals? Yup, that's covered too.
A number of newer salons have set up across Long Island offering customers a variety of services all under one roof.
516-535-3907, studio360mineola.com
Studio 360 is already a unisex salon and gym -- a boutique with clothing and accessories, and cafe serving up coffee, wraps and baked goods, are scheduled to open there next month.
"Everybody is so one-stop shopping and they don't have enough time," says hair stylist Liz Carroll, who owns the studio with her husband, Rich. "While you're here, you can work out, take a shower, get your hair done, grab something from the cafe and walk out."
Rich leads personal and group training, as well as boot camps at Invictus Athletic Club. You won't find flashy flat-screen televisions, but there are plenty of giant tires, sandbags and weights.
Americana Manhasset, 2034 Northern Blvd., Manhasset, 516-472-7997
Call it a product-junkie paradise. With hundreds of hair, skin and cosmetic goodies from 34 brands -- many high-end and hard-to-find -- Beauty Bar may appear to be a luxe retail outlet, but it also offers facials, makeup application and waxing. Best yet, the location boasts what is described as Long Island's first "blow-out bar" -- where patrons can get their hair blown and coifed by nuBest Salon stylists. "People like that they can just come in here and get everything done and be on their way," says manager Maryn Koppelman. "For a night out, you can get your hair done, get a facial and you're good to go."
455 Main Street, Islip
631-650-6767, thebeehivesalon.com
Jeanine Longo was looking for ways of keeping herself healthy in the salon business when she came up with the concept for The Beehive Salon. "Your skin is your biggest organ," she says. "So what you're putting on your skin and your hair goes directly into your bloodstream."
With that in mind, this unisex salon offers several product lines (KeraGreen, Longhairlovers) free of sodium lauryl sulfate -- a common harsh chemical detergent. Also available is a hair-coloring system that is 100 percent free of ammonia and contains organic botanicals. That's something that 21-year-old Ivy McNamara noticed when she got her hair colored. "I love it," says McNamara, of Bay Shore. "The ammonia is not in the color, so it doesn't tickle your nose."
