When raising a child in New York City the saying “it takes a village” could not be more appropriate. Being an Aussie living in NYC comes at a cost, one being no family here to help take care of your newborn when you need to work or in my case visit the luxurious ‘Plaza M’ for a salon review – my job is so tough. After enlisting the help of my friend (who by the way has three children of her own) to look after my little darling I set out to her rather beautiful loft apartment located in Tribeca. Those of you who know anything about children (which I am slowly discovering) they set the pace, the time you get to your destination oh and the condition of your attire when you arrive. Let’s just say as we are walking out the door of my apartment my little sweetheart vomited (also known as spit up) all over herself and me, cue outfit change for the both of us. I mean seriously it was like someone had poured a cup of foul smelling milk all over the both of us. No sooner had I changed her clothes when I heard a rather large ‘rumble down under’ and there it was – a poop explosion (as I like to call them), which required another change of clothes. After an hour of this we were about to step outside for our 30-minute walk to my friend’s house when it began to rain. “Noooooo I said to myself I didn’t know it was raining today, what?” (oh yes I have recently taken to talking to myself). Let’s be honest a new Mom doesn’t have time to check the weather app – I noted to myself to change that in the future. Thankfully the rain only lasted an hour so my delay was a mere 2 hours (for a control freak like me it felt like an eternity). We finally arrived at our ‘drop off’ destination and I marvelled at the ease of how my friend added my little cherub to her army of kids (aged 14 months to 6 years) – yikes, I thought to myself, I could barely handle a newborn. As I ventured down the cobble streets of Tribeca I fought back mother’s guilt at leaving my baby girl and focused on the task at hand – indulging in a decadent mani/pedi all in the name of work. From the moment I walked through the doors of Plaza M I was taken back by the immediate sense of relaxation that overcame me – the soaring ceilings, chic modern décor, open minimalist plan, chilled music and attentive staff all contributed to this feeling. This was a dream review, and my nail technician Summer was chatty, engaging and charismatic as she began my ‘bourbon SUPER scrub pedicure’, that consisted of brown sugar whiskey exfoliate, callus elimination, cactus hydrator, and a 10 minute coconut reflexology massage. The massage was one of the best I’ve had and if time permitted I would have extended it. Summer (also known as Sunny) began to tell me of her travels to Australia where she went to school for massage – this was someone invested in being the best all-round beauty practitioner who has trained globally for her job and I was impressed. Summer was a perfectionist and took her time to ensure my treatment was completed to the highest of standards; halfway through another technician began my manicure, as they knew I was on strict time limit. I went with polishes from the RGB collection ‘Violet’ for my toes and pale pink tone ‘Moon’ for my fingers. The cleanliness of this salon was exceptional, from the stone footbaths to the individually wrapped and sanitized tools. I loved the comfy lounge style chairs and didn’t miss the traditional massage chair that I am normally accustomed too. The herbal teas on offer were a nice complement to the relaxing experience. This salon is part of four others throughout the city; ‘Salon M’ is located on the Upper West Side and in Tribeca and ‘I Plaza’ can also be found in Tribeca. Apparently this salon is frequented by the likes of Jessica Alba and other celebrities, although sadly I spotted none on my visit. I walked out of the salon feeling beautiful and relaxed, which is something I haven’t felt in a while – what with sleep deprivation and learning how to be a new Mom, this was one review that did not feel like I was working. Although a little pricey compared to other salons in the area, the experience was well worth it.
Until next time,
Ruth
PLAZA M NYC – 64 NORTH MOORE St, TRIBECA, NYC
Ambience: Soaring ceilings, chic modern décor, open minimalist plan, chilled music and attentive staff all contribute to the relaxing ambience
Cleanliness of salon: Exceptional
Polish: RGB ‘Violet’ (pedicure) and ‘Moon’ (Retails $14-$18)
Polish job & chip factor: 5 days
Brands they stock: Essie, OPI CND & RGB
Color range: Good quality polishes with a small to medium color range
Customer engagement: Friendly and charismatic
Price range: Manicure $17, Spa Manicure $39, Pedicure $37, Bourbon Super Scrub pedicure $75
