bambini spotlight: Expect Something Different at polished: the skincare lounge

by Noelle Graf

Wild Blueberry Martini, Citrus Fizz, Caribbean Cooler, and Cherry Berry Jubilee are just some of the cocktails you can order from the polished Beauty Bar. But these concoctions won’t leave you feeling hung over; instead, the specialty skincare treatments offered at this hip, fun Long Island spa will help you feel refreshed, revitalized and rejuvenated.

The unique retro atmosphere at polished manages to be both energetic and serenity-inducing at the same time. With its mood lighting, swinging tunes, and ‘50s cocktail lounge vibe, polished is definitely not your mother’s new age day spa. You won’t find angels, harp music, and cloud motifs at polished, but owner Lisa Jaconi promises you will end up feeling totally pampered and indulged.

While the vintage chic, eclectic décor at polished may be reminiscent of the 1950s, the treatments are anything but. The focus here is on advanced skincare technology, including microdermabrasion, oxygen facials, and LED treatments, in addition to innovative body exfoliation and wraps, classic facials, waxing, and air brush tanning. From delectable facial libations and corrective concoctions to totally indulgent top-shelf treatments, the body cocktails and beauty shots at polished are designed to give you a stress-free glow that leaves you looking and feeling your best. Lisa says she was tired of trying to find her inner child every time she got a facial but she couldn’t find a hip, cool spa, so she decided to shake things up in the spa world and open her own. She had plenty of experience after years of working as an esthetician with dermatologists and in Manhattan’s top spas, including the Clarins Institute and the Four Seasons. She’s also freelanced at New York City’s Fashion Week, and continues to train at trade shows and spa conferences in New York, Philadelphia, California, and Texas. She has been featured online and in local and national magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Jane, Allure, and Marie Clair.

Lisa spied the spa of her dreams—in a beautiful tudor on a lake—while driving home from a fall festival. She told her husband John, “One day I’m going own a spa just like this!” She sent in her resume, and began working there a few weeks later. Unfortunately, the job lasted less than a year before closing its doors. But Lisa loved her customers and was given permission to take her client list with her to open her own spa.

Her first location and a bottle of hair gel provided the inspiration for polished. The space was older, so Lisa put together an eclectic collection of vintage furnishings and decor to go with the tin ceilings and tempered glass door. Next, Lisa says, she racked her brains for a name. She wanted something, “hip, cool, and fun…how you want to feel.” While getting dressed one day, she glanced down at her hair gel bottle—which promised shiny, polished hair—and polished: the skincare lounge was born.
The doors officially opened in December of 2001, but the location was less than ideal. Lisa still dreamed about the tudor on the lake. She’d heard it was set to be demolished and condos built in its place, but fate stepped in. The zoning wasn’t approved and she was driving by just as the “For Rent” sign was being hammered in the ground. She had the keys in hand two days later—nearly seven years after she first fell in love with the location.

For first-time visitors to polished Lisa recommends their signature Mixer as a way to experience all that polished has to offer. The Mixer begins with a therapeutic foot soak: a mineral-rich blend of Dead Sea Salts, Epsom salts, and essential oils, followed by a foot scrub and lower leg massage. The next step in the Mixer is the Back Relaxer, an exfoliating sugar scrub blended with essential oils, followed by a back massage with a hydrating whipped body soufflé. Next, drift into the perfect balance of relaxation and repair with the Instant Radiance Facial, which also includes a hand, arm, neck and shoulder massage. The Mixer also includes a deep-moisturizing Cranium Cooler, revitalizing Sensational Eye treatment, and finishes off with Hot Lips, a three-step citrus lip treatment.

With all that, who needs harps?

polished: the skincare lounge
589 Montauk Highway
Bayport, NY
631-218-5888
http://www.polishedskincare.com/

Photos courtesy of polished: the skincare lounge

Noelle Graf is a freelance writer specializing in features about people, places, and things. Visit her blog or email noelle823@yahoo.com for writing services.