nuBest Salon and Spa in Manhasset celebrates 40 years of hair, and more
This June, nuBest Salon and Spa in Manhasset is celebrating just that milestone – its 40th anniversary. Credit: Handout
Forty years of anything is quite significant, but in the trendy business of hair styling, it’s HUGE. This June, nuBest Salon and Spa in Manhasset is celebrating just that milestone – its 40th anniversary.
The enormous 20,000 square foot beauty hub opened on June 19, 1973 (that's owner Michael Mazzei’s birthday . . . he’s not saying which one). Today, the modern, silvery building houses a staff of 125 beauty professionals who work on everything from hair design to hair color, from skin treatments to makeup applications, from nail services to waxing.
The place has exhibited staying power in good and bad economies in part based on Mazzei’s focused mission to keep current. “You’ve got to stay with the trends and keep knowing what’s going on. You can’t just lay back on a couch. You got to keep doing, and doing and doing. And education and training are the most important,” he says.
And for sure, during the salon’s history, hair trends have come and gone:
- When the shop opened in the 70s it was all about center parts and feathery-layered locks…think Farah Fawcett
- In the 80s the mantra was “the bigger, the better” and ladies such as Joan Collins boasted enormous, curly, crimped mop tops.
- Come the 90s hair got smooth by way of the flat-iron and razor cutting which created a new texture and enabled transitional layering – hellooooo Jennifer Anniston.
-Today, while there are still major trends – who doesn’t love those lush long locks on the likes of Scarlett Johansson? Or those adorable pixie cuts on luminaries such as Halle Berry and Michelle Williams? There’s a lot of individuality.
Throughout the month of June, nuBest is celebrating its longevity. The salon has doubled in size during the years and 12 years ago added a sophisticated spa wing that offers traditional spa treatments along with med-spa services such as laser skincare and Botox injections.
While Mazzei still cuts hair and is ever-present, he gains inspiration from his son Jamie, and nephews Vincent Cascio, and Christian Fleres who carry on the tradition of high-end haircuts, coloring services and spa treatments. “The driving force is keeping in the moment,” says the senior Mazzei.
