ABOUT US

For three long years, I spent fourteen-hour days on stiletto-clad feet as a restaurant manager. When I left the hospitality industry-to marry my husband-, I was equipped with a reputation as a strict "germ-o-phobic" enforcer of the public health and safety codes, know-how on managing and operating a business, plus some solutions for relieving aching feet.

The quest begins. I’d learned to deal with my sore, beat-up toes with frequent pedicures, which turned into a new obsession — the quest to find the perfect pedicure. New York City has a nail salon on every corner; you'd think a girl would be able to get a decent pedicure? I found two choices: the "chop shop" salons with contaminated files, rushed service, mysterious pink lotion and unsanitary portable pedicure tubs or fancy day spas where nails were an afterthought. Those places were so expensive I had no money left to buy Manolos!

The solution was simple. I knew there had to be a market for a fun-to-go-to salon dedicated to nail care. I told my shocked husband that his “germ-o-phobic” wife was going to beauty school and would be touching strangers’ feet. My mother fainted then began her silent treatment. School was anything but glamorous. I felt like a cliché — after all, 80% of nail salons in New York are Korean-owned. The hardest part was the self-doubt. What if I fail? Or worse - lose the investment? My unbelievable husband said, "You have a great concept. I'll be by your side and help you. You can't go through life with 'what ifs'."

A dream made real. We opened the first Rescue Nail Spa in August, 1998. It was such a success, thanks to the support of loyal clients who have become friends, that we opened the Rescue Beauty Lounge in NoLIta in June 2000. Our latest (and largest) is Rescue Beauty Lounge on Gansevoort Street, which opened in the Meatpacking District in 2004, with a shop and treatment rooms for facials. Our product line and website followed soon after. Sadly, our first location lost its lease on August 2005. But never fear stay tuned!

My search for a perfect pedicure has happily ended: my mother finally answers with a proud smile when asked what I do. And my husband works hard by my side as promised, seven days a week. (He’s the handsome guy who always suggests “Chinoise” when a client asks for a recommendation.) I’m confident I never would have made it this far without his unflagging support.

Rescue's Promise:

No matter which Rescue Beauty Lounge you visit, you will discover it’s kept to hospital standards of cleanliness. Hand sanitizer for everyone, surgical gloves for all technicians, individual porcelain sinks at every nail station, no whirlpools! All metal implements are sterilized in auto clave, all non-metal implements are discarded after each use. Not one buffing file re-used or shared. (All my fellow germ-o-phobes will feel right at home!)