By Zoe Galland
Marina Baceher from Russia and Elena Tackis from Lithuania worked at Elizabeth Arden on Fifth Avenue before they decided to open Beautiful Spa. Jeff Goldfarb, a friend and self-described spokesman for Baceher and Tackis, said the women wanted their spa to be “intimate and personal, done with a European style that a lot of American salons don't have.””We have a different touch,” he continued. “We have different attitudes towards wellness, nutrition and skin care.”Along with the usual spa services like facials and massages, the spa provides special services for couples, including hot stone treatments and aromatherapy. Tackis, who also worked at spas in Lithuania, showed off a room that had two twin massage beds side by side, so couples can receive their treatments together. She said wine and cookies are offered with the treatments.She also mentioned the different kinds of “couple packages” available, which all last from an hour to an hour and a half. The Deluxe Romance Package, for example, includes a chocolate cake body scrub, a Vichy shower (customers lie down for the shower and are treated with body cream afterward), and chocolate cake aromatherapy.The women commute to work from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn but are considering moving to Bayside or another part of Queens. They go back to their countries once a year to see their families and to look for new products for the spa, Goldfarb said.Baceher pointed out some of her favorite products, including a Thalaspa seaweed cream and a Caviar facial treatment, both from France. “They're basic products,” she said, “natural good stuff.”Goldfarb, who also lives in Brooklyn, said Bayside was appealing because of its residents. “I know Bay Terrace, I know the Bay Club. I'm partial to the neighborhood,” he said. “The upscale women who live in the heart of Bayside, who were probably having some of their work done in Manhattan, can now have it done in Bayside.”He said that although business was occasionally slow — “it's like any business, quiet at the beginning” — Valentine's Day saw a surge in sales. “I preached to the girls last week that guys have a habit of waiting until the last minute,” Goldfarb said. “On Valentine's Day, right before we closed, a lot of guys came running in, guys looking for a nice last-minute gift.”Goldfarb added that he liked the spa's proximity to the Long Island Rail Road. “Operating in Bayside is a little more expensive than other parts of Queens,” he said. “We looked at Forest Hills, for example. I'm not so much concerned about operating costs as I am about the quality of the clientele.”He noted that “we get some women who come here after work, when they get off the train. It's very convenient.”Goldfarb also praised the nearby Donovan's restaurant. “One of the things that I like very much about our location is the stability. It's good being right next to Donovan's, a neighborhood institution which has a steady flow of clientele.””I like strong communities,” he said. “I always viewed Bayside as one of them.”
