Whether looking for a quick mani and pedi or an all-day spa retreat, Saphia Boynes has created a salon sanctuary that promises to pamper everyone in paradise.
“I wanted to create an environment where any one could come in and enjoy an upscale ambiance, feel comfortable and get services done in a timely manner,” said Boynes, owner of The Beauty Lounge Salon and Spa. “You can do a spa day and receive all our services in one day if you want, or you can simply walk in on your lunch break.”
Entering its seventh year, The Beauty Lounge Salon and Spa is simply thriving in its brand new location — having moved from its former spot above Sogo’s Restaurant to a spacious haven on the second floor of Mongoose I which opened its doors on November 10.
“This is the first week we are opened and we are already busy,” Boynes said. “We have grown tremendously. The type of services I wanted to provide weren’t working at my old location, but we can now accommodate more people than any other salon on St. John.”
With four nail technicians, six hair stylists, four massage therapists and two estheticians, The Beauty Lounge Salon and Spa provides it all.
“We do everything,” Boynes said. “We offer all types of hair services and styling, we have five different manicures to choose from, four types of pedicures, acrylics, massages, facials, waxing and body treatments.”
Boynes, born and raised on St. John, is no novice to the beauty industry. At the age of 14 she began shampooing hair and working as a receptionist and stylist assistant at the Grapevine Salon.
“I did an apprentice with one of the girls there and she showed me how to do all the treatments and I had clients who would actually call and ask for me,” she said. “And that is what made me want to do this.”
But even before she was a teenager, Boynes realized her passion.
“Before that, at the age of 12, I would charge people $20 to do a set of nails in my dad’s garage and they would pop off the very next day,” she laughingly recalled.
Today, there is no doubt Boynes has come a long way from her amateur manicure beginnings in her father’s garage.
After going to the mainland to complete college studies and attend beauty school in New York City, she returned to the island to open The Beauty Lounge Salon and Spa in 2003 and it has flourished over the years.
“Because I have grown so much as a person, as an owner, as an entrepreneur, I’ve been able to sit back and look at what the island needs,” Boynes said. “I do have a keen appreciation and a great understanding for the different lifestyles and backgrounds of our clients.”
Today, the owner has acquired a diverse staff large enough to accommodate an array of requests — from accommodating private parties to making a bride more at ease on her big day by driving out to her villa or hotel to provide services without ever having to close its doors to locals and visitors seeking services at the spa.
“We have a multicultural team of talented professionals from all different backgrounds and ethnicities,” Boynes said. “I have one girl who is German, a few stylists from New York, some from California and others from right here in the Caribbean. I am really happy with my staff.”
Grand Opening Party
On December 10, from 5 to 7 p.m., Boynes is inviting the island to check out the new location and meet her talented staff at The Beauty Lounge Salon and Spa’s grand opening party.
“Everyone is invited,” Boynes said. “We have 15 talented professionals that I want the whole island to meet.”
With free facials and massages on offer while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and wine, those attending the grand opening will have the opportunity to meet the spa’s staff one-on-one and the chance to receive spa gifts.
“We are a multicultural, talented team, and I want people to know we can accommodate anyone — from walk-ins and large groups to private and exclusive parties,” Boynes said.
To learn more about the services at The Beauty Lounge Salon and Spa, visit the website at: http://www.stjohnbeautylounge.com or call 776-0774.
