Getting one’s nails done in the new Eastern Breeze spa in Roslyn is more like meditating on a remote mountaintop. The wall’s leafy wallpaper bordered by bright green potted plants and an immersive soundtrack that features near constant bird-chirping makes the rest of Roslyn feel worlds away.
And that was exactly what owners Frank Yao and Cindy Hu intended.
Eastern Breeze is crafted to be “healing, calming and relaxing,” Yao said, “a destination spa, not just a local spa.”
This is the couple’s second spa on the North Shore. The other, in Woodbury, opened in 2011. They also have five locations under different names on the South Shore.
Roslyn’s space is the largest and offers the most services, said general manager Dina Zhang. They invested $1.3 million in creating the space, Yao said.
Eastern Breeze offers everything from manicures and pedicures to hot stone and couple’s massages. Unlike Woodbury’s location, Roslyn’s also has showers, steam rooms and offers a body scrub treatment.
It even has a $55,000 device imported from France meant for body slimming and the reduction of cellulite. The device is a rarity in Long Island that “all the movie stars use” in Los Angeles, Yao said.
The Roslyn location has two sections for spa services: an area for couples or male clients and a full spa for women.
Visitors are asked to silence their phones, and technicians guide them through the space to keep them relaxed and comfortable throughout the experience, said general manager Rachel Wang.
“It’s a place for them to escape,” she said.
Woodbury’s loyal customer base grew through word of mouth, Wang said, and more than 80 percent of clients are return customers.
Priya Shahani has been going to Eastern Breeze since it opened in Woodbury.
“They cater to the customers’ needs, whatever it may be,” Shahani said. “They take a lot of pride in making sure everybody walks out of there happy.”
Shahani travels frequently and experiences a range of manicure services when she does. Nothing compares to Eastern Breeze, she said.
“I’ll run right back in there the day I get off the plane,” she said.
Yao and Hu, who live in Great Neck, embarked on entrepreneurship almost 20 years ago.
Wang graduated from college and was unable to find work in his chosen field of computer engineering. Hu was already licensed in nails and waxing, Zhang said, and saw potential in the industry.
“I said let’s develop this type of business because my wife has experience with this,” Wang said.
They only hire experienced technicians, Wang said, and they prioritize sanitation in their operations.
Customers who receive pedicures, for example, have a personal package with skin products rather than products shared with other customers, and bowls are lined with protective linens.
The new location in Roslyn provides a getaway for special occasions, like anniversaries or birthdays while also expanding Eastern Breeze’s loyal “community” of customers, Wang said.
She has been with the company since its Woodbury location opened in 2011. She’s seen customers go from being fiancés, to married couples to parents and also often knows about their lives in great detail, she said.
“I know what happened to her in-law last week,” Wang said, describing the type of intimate details she’s often filled in on. “I know the kids wanted to bring their girlfriends over but their parents don’t want them.”
As she keeps up with their lives, she knows what their stressors are and the refuge that the spa can be for them, she said.
“Of course when they came in they wanted to relax,” she said, “I know exactly why they wanted to relax … I make sure to tell the staff ‘make sure you take 110 percent care of her because we want her to leave here with the smile.'”
