by Ardeana Hamlin
of The Weekly Staff
Bangor entrepreneur Cyndi Rollins dreams of going someday on a vacation to the Seychelles, an archipelago rimmed with beaches that lies east of mainland Africa and northeast of the island of Madagascar. But until that day arrives, she has immersed herself in creating Seychelles Spa & Holistic Center, located at 176 Mount Hope Ave. in Bangor.
Her choice in naming her new business reflects her dream of traveling to the Seychelles. “And I just love the sound of the word,” Rollins said as she conducted a tour of the new facility.
When clients step through the door on Thursday, May 1, when the spa opens for business, they will be greeted with these words painted on the wall of the one of the hair styling rooms: “Every day should be beach day.” They also will read on another wall, “Be your own kind of beautiful,” a mantra to encourage clients to embrace the idea that every woman is beautiful in her own unique way.
The decor Rollins chose for the spa center helps create the flowing, relaxed atmosphere she has envisioned for the spa: silver and blue, pale seafoam green, seashell pink, sand, silvery gray and the violet hues reminiscent of a tropical sunset. The theme is the sea, echoed in accent pieces such as lamps, and prints and paintings adorning the walls.
Each of the spa’s eight rooms has its own decor and its own specific use. There is the hair styling room, a room for washing hair, a private room for women dealing with hair-loss issues due to illness, or who for religious reasons cannot reveal their hair in a public setting.
There is a manicure room, an air-brush tanning room, a pedicure room, a massage room lit with fairy lights, a shower room for use after wraps and other body treatments, a permanent cosmetic make-up room where lips, eyebrows and eyelids can be enhanced, and where body piercing and body wraps also can be done.
The waiting room is furnished with comfortable chairs upholstered in a modern print in colors that coordinate with the spa’s beach color theme.
“I wanted to bring in the holistic aspect,” Rollins said. “I wanted to create a place where women can come to get beautiful on the outside and calm and peaceful in the inside.”
The spa can be likened to a mall where the pursuit of beauty and holistic treatments are contained in one conveniently located building.
Staff members at Seychelles Spa are:
• Crys Bruschi, aesthetician, certified makeup artist and nail technician.
• Lauri Matheson, who specializes in airbrush tanning, pedicures and hair styling.
• Ginny Jacobs, a cosmetologist who teaches at Empire Beauty School in Bangor, offers hair styling and nail shellacking.
• Erin McPherson, cosmetologist, with specialities in pedicures, hair styling and nail shellacking.
• Andrea Tibbetts, a licensed massage therapist who does Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal and hot stone massage.
• Becky Nelson, who offers massage, Reiki and cranio-sacral work.
• Rose Corriveau, cosmetologist, who does hair styling, pedicures and manicures.
Staff members are filled will anticipation as the opening date approaches. “There’s so much energy; we’re all building this together, to provide an exciting new venue for clients,” said tanning specialist Lauri Matheson.
Erin McPherson said she was looking forward to wedding season. “I love creating up-dos for brides and bridesmaids,” she said.
“I’m excited about working here,” said Ginny Jacobs. “It’s a one-of-a-kind place, everything is in one building.”
“I’m looking forward to working one-on-one with clients to help them with their concerns, be it skin care, dark spots … it’s nice to be a part of the solution,” said Crys Bruschi.
Rollins said it took her six months to find the right building for the spa and a few weeks to get it into shape in terms of electrical and plumbing work, painting, decorating and other work. Her son, Greg Rollins, and the building’s owner, David St. Germain, provided a lot of the muscle to help prepare the building for the spa. Bob Currey did the electrical work, and Gary Briggs did the plumbing, she said. “They all made it work,” she said in praise of their efforts.
Rollins said her goal for the new business is to expand it to a room at the rear and to the second floor of the building. She expects to do that before the year is out.
“I feel so fortunate,” Rollins said, “the people with me in this are phenomenal. I have a good crew.”
The list of services Seychelles Spa offers is comprehensive: hair styling, pedicures, manicures, foot and body massage, airbrush tanning, holistic services, permanent cosmetic makeup including scar and stretch mark camouflage, body piercing, facials, body wraps and beauty day spa parties for girlfriends, bridal couples, mothers and daughters, and brides and bridesmaids.
“I like to be challenged, I like going into an old environment and making it new,” Rollins said. Rollins is employed full time as an insurance agent at Sargent, Tyler and West in Bangor. She also operates Dogn’i, an online business with a boutique at Bear Brook Kennel in Brewer, that sells dog apparel, collars, leashes and related items.
When Rollins opens the door to Seychelles Spa and Holistic Center, she hopes to see lots of women coming through the door to see what the spa is all about. She hopes women stop by and try new nail colors, investigate the idea of permanent eyeliner, or consult one of the staff members about a new hair style.
“Mount Hope Avenue is a nice address to have,“ Rollins said.
For information, call 922-2821 or 299-3820, email Seychellesspa@roadrunner.com or visit www.seychellesbangor.com.