Lulu Guerrero and Reset Salon stylist Lexy Ramirez during “Back to Confidence Day”. (Photos courtesy of Resèt Salon & Head Spa)
By SOPHIA KURDES
But last week they arrived at Resèt Salon & Head Spa for a day of day of rest and relaxation. The pair had been “mominated” by the S.M.A.R.T. Foundation, a non-profit agency that assists single mothers, to spend a day have the spa all to themselves.
Their “Back to Confidence Day” started with breakfast in the salon lounge. Bagels, parfaits, and a beautiful charcuterie board lay on the table as the ladies met their hair and face specialists.
In a room full of smart and talented women, the atmosphere was incredibly uplifting. It was clear that the stylists had a passion for their work and a desire to deliver a soothing experience to the women.
Jennifer Jordan gets the full spa treatment at Back to Confidence Day.
“It feels amazing to help and to be able to connect with people regardless of who they are or where they come from, ” said hairdresser Lexy. “Beauty is more than the outside, it’s also how you feel on the inside. She wasn’t single, but my mom struggled when raising me too, so being in a place today where I can help people that share my experience makes me feel like a million bucks.”
After breakfast, they were brought to the spa for a customized scalp ritual and facial. Slow massaging combined with the basin’s warm water deeply soothed the ladies. When they ended this stage, both said they felt completely rejuvenated.
Guerrero is the founder of the Hidden Hues of Motherhood, a group that provides support to mothers and organizes events.
“A lot of what I do in my business is trying to create safe spaces for moms to come and take care of themselves for a change,” she said. “When moms take care of themselves, they can take care of others better, so being here and being able to be cared for in this way helps a lot.”
Jordan is a musician who performs with her family all over New Jersey.
She loves being together with her children, Jordan says, but there are struggles.
“It’s the questions your children have that you just don’t have the answers to,” Jordan explains. “As a single mother, you’re looked at for all the answers, and you’re supposed to know everything. Our children are more exposed to dangers today than when I was younger, so it makes me wonder… How do I protect them?”
Resèt’s owner, Danielle Fiorentino, and the S.M.A.R.T foundation’s founder, Nicole Guzzardi, came together with the goal of giving women like Guerrero and Jordan love and care.
To Fiorentino, going to the salon is often treated like a luxury, and she wanted to make it accessible to hard workers in her community.
“I see single moms who sit in my chair all the time,” she said. “I reached out to Nicole because as a mom myself, I know how demanding the job is, but I especially can’t imagine doing it alone.”
S.M.A.R.T. Foundation founder Nicole Guzzard (left) and Resèt founder Danielle Fiorentino.
Guzzardi created S.M.A.R.T because she dreamed of having a community of other women that could help each other with school, bills, extracurriculars and more. Today, the S.M.A.R.T foundation has closets in Red Bank, Patterson, Jersey City, and Rahway, which deliver hygiene products and clothes to families.
Besides Back to Confidence Day, Reset Salon (17 Broad Street) is donating ten percent of its profits from September to November to the SMART Foundation,
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
