Recess: Get a greener manicure

For a mani-pedi with an eco touch, drop by Recess, a new L.A. salon with an eco-chic feel. Here you can soak your feet in a scented bath, dry them on bamboo towels, then add a massage with organic essential oils followed by a moisturizing treatment with paraben-free lotions.

The swanky and spacious 2000+ sq. ft. salon has a green mission, though the environmentally free details aren't readily noticeable. Recess' owner Nidhi Lal outfitted the salon with FSC-certified wood, low-VOC paints, LED lights and repurposed materials and is working on getting LEED certification.

Especially considering the swanky look of the place, Recess' services are quite inexpensive. A 30-minute manicure -- complete with a scented soak, warm towel treatment, and moisturizing -- costs $25, a similar 40-minute pedicure's $35. For $6 a pop ($8 for feet), you can add on extras like a salt and sugar scrub or an organic essential oil massage.

At the end of the treatment, you even get to take home the buffer, orangewood stick, nail file, and foot file used during your treatment. Recess prides itself in never re-using these items, and so gives them to you free.

The least eco part of of the salon, unfortunately, is the nail polish itself, even though the nail polish lines Recess uses -- SpaRitual and Zoya -- avoid the worst three ingredients found in some nail polishes: toulene, formaldehyde and DBP. That said, everyone from L'Oreal to Wet 'n' Wild have removed these three baddies, so Zoya and SpaRitual aren't exactly much more eco than conventional nail polishes today. Recess does still have that strong chemical smell you get at conventional nail salons; so to call the polish non-toxic may be a bit of a stretch, though it could be called less toxic.

Still, for those who can't give up their nail polish habits, Recess offers a greener option. The gorgeous interior even works well as a party spot, making Recess the perfect salon for mani-pedi parties.

Recess. 8408-B Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles. 323.782.9919

Earlier: Acquarella: A closer look at water-based nail polish

Photos by Siel

Comments

[emi]

Hi! Just wanted to note that SpaRitual was 3-free (of the three toxins you mention) from the birth of the brand and was one of the first lacquers to have all three chemicals out of the lacquers and more importantly, the brand takes a very active role in setting a high beauty industry standard by:

- Using Vegan ingredients that were harvested/sourced with awareness (sustainably) and biodeggradeable

- Packaging the products in only FSC-certified papers or already recycled glass bottles

- Using water-soluble soy ink to print on all the bottles/packaging

- Using FSC-certified paper to package materials as well as for all internal collateral

- supplying the spas with rubber-wood trays that can be used and reused for all collections instead of trays that must be tossed out and renewed

- and a collection of body/spa treatment products free of synthetic dyes, fragrances, parabens and petrochimicals

Therefore, while most companies have taken out the three chemicals, SpaRitual is a very "Green" choice for a luxury spa to use for the comprehensive aspect of the brand's eco-consicousness and lighter footprint to keep this earth healthier and better!

Thank you!