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Orange Skye Body and Beauty Bar
Historic house becomes home to
tranquil day spa
MIDDLETOWN - Thinking about going organic? Perhaps a trip to the spa might be in order. Orange Skye, Route 35 and Pine Street, is a new and completely chemical free day spa devoted to pampering the body inside and out, sans artificial ingredients, harsh toxins or manmade preservatives. Owner Maggie Paterno has transformed a neglected gem into a warm and cozy, right-off-the-highway retreat. The historic building, once a rickety old house that sat vacant for years, now boasts six service rooms, wrap-around porch and patio. The entire building has been meticulously restored with many of the original built-in cabinets and other features left intact. The labor-of-love effort earned Paterno a special citation from Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger. "They came in and really kept the house intact and refit it for a spa," the mayor said of the building. Scharfenberger attended the July grand opening of the establishment. Downstairs, upon entering, guests are greeted in the old foyer and sitting room. This waiting area, which features a unique stone fireplace and plush Victorian style furniture, offers a peek into the manicure and pedicure center located in the home's original dining room. Those in the mood for artificial nail tips will have to look elsewhere. The spa offers only natural nail treatments such as French manicures, at $25, and pedicures with a paraffin dip, $50. Paterno likes to customize her manicures to each customer, allowing them to choose their personal scents, treatments and snacks. Hot stones and reflexology can also be added to any pedicure. Paterno especially favors the hot stones, which she says is great for releasing toxins from the body. Upstairs the four bedrooms have been reborn as space for massage and facial treatments. The master bedroom, by far the most impressive of the suites, includes a two-person dryheat sauna, two massage tables, a café table set for two, and a special footbath called the Aqua Detox foot spa, a machine that deep cleans toxins from "the 4,000 pores on the feet," according to the spa's menu of services. Paterno is marketing the room as a couple's retreat, with a one-hour aromatherapy massage, one-hour chocolate body wrap, champagne and facials, and candlelight meal. Prices range from $275 to $400. All of the food at the spa is also organic, catered by nearby Whole Foods. Any customer can choose to add lunch or dinner to their treatment for about $20. The spa offers up to eight different types of massage: Swedish, sports, deep tissue, prenatal, aromatherapy, hot stone, shiatsu and reiki. Prices vary on length and type. For example a Swedish massage runs $45 for 30-minutes or $110 for 90 minutes. Facials are also customized to each patron, with deep-cleansing and enzyme masks, extractions and gentle massage included in most. A mini massage costs $45, while a European facial costs $75 and includes an entire upper-body massage and various products. All makeup applied and sold at the spa is made of minerals, is talc-free and contains an SPF of 20. A stack of eight mineral colors, $45, can be blended into lipstick, gloss, eyeliner and nail polish, according to Paterno. "No one believes me when I tell them," Paterno said of the chemical-free makeup kits, adding that each stack of eight colors is coordinated to a particular skin tone. Other services include "moon tanning," an all-natural spray tan process, hair appointments and services for men. For more information, visit the spa's Web site at redbank.orangeskye.com or call (732) 530-9003. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The spa is closed Mondays. Paterno recommends booking an appointment at least 24 hours in advance
PAMPERED PROFITS –WOMEN-OWNED FRANCHISES By: Esty Atlas 08.13.07 A lot of women in their 40’s and 50’s are deciding it’s time to reinvent themselves. They’re actively looking to trade in a high stress or dead-end job to run a business that makes people happy, minimizes their financial risk, and has proven to be profitable. Women-run franchises are on a major upsurge, especially for the kind of woman with spunk and ‘moxie’ to pamper others as she would like to be pampered. In the $16 billion dollar a year and growing spa industry, more than ever before, women, and an increasing number of men, are realizing how important it is to look and feel great. The big question aspiring entrepreneurs want to know is: “What is an affordable business that I would enjoy running and putting my energy into, but get the support I need?” Enter Orange Skye Body and Beauty Bar; the brainchild of Littleton resident, Linda Dillon with a unique philosophy. “I’ve been to hundreds of spas and I felt they were missing the boat by catering to the upscale clientele when in today’s hectic, stressful world, a good massage, facial or body treatment is no longer a luxury, but an important part of how people feel about themselves and that should be an affordable part of everyone’s life.” When Linda researched other spa franchises, she found the going investment range to be between $285,000-to one million dollars which again, went against her basic philosophy of affordability. In the meantime, she founded MOON Tans, a sunless airbrush tanning product, now in 750 spas across the country. “As I was meeting other spa owners, this gave me an even greater insight into the mistakes, as well as the good ideas, people were making”, says Linda. And so a passion was born in Sheridan, Colorado with her very first spa. The goal was to create a spa business, consumers and entrepreneurs alike would find comfortable, appealing, and geared toward the mainstream market. A woman in New Jersey found Linda’s company online and, after researching other spa companies, found the marketing, training and product support offered by Orange Skye to be the best investment for only $147,500. This mother of three has taken the bull by the horns to transform an entire community into a healthier way of thinking and living. “People are constantly stopping and taking pictures of this 100-year old colonial house I’ve renovated and thanking me for making it into a homey place where people can come and be pampered inside and out”, said Maggie Paterno. Also unique, are the treatment services. Instead of ‘eating’ calorie-rich chocolate, guests can be ‘wrapped’ in Moor mud and detoxifying salts that comes complete with a warm shower and finished with a decadent body nourishing chocolate oil massage. There are treatment packages that offer anti-aging benefits, retreats for couples, and restorative sports pedicures for the abusive athlete to name a few. Some entrepreneurs have even partnered up with nearby boutique hotels who don’t offer in-house spa treatments and run a concierge car service to the spa for ½ and full day treatments for their hotel guests. Others are teaming up with a holistic nutritionist or health-conscious food caterer to provide lunch or dinner packages with spa treatments. At Orange Skye Body and Beauty Bar, franchise owners have the opportunity and flexibility to pursue their ideas, backed up by a well-trained, marketing driven support team where, the earning potential is, as Linda likes to say, “The skye’s the limit!” Orange Skye is also operating in New York City and franchises have just become available in several other key locations, as well as Colorado. As with any new business opportunity, ask a lot of questions, read the fine print, and determine if you are a good candidate to grow a business for yourself as a franchise spa owner.
A Historic Grand Opening
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