Carpe Diem Salon opens its doors

By Stuart Hedstrom

Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Three familiar faces are now in a new place at the recently opened Carpe Diem Salon at the corner of North and Summer streets. Carpe Diem welcomes men, women and children of all ages, and the full-service salon offers cuts, colors, perms, waxing, manicures, pedicures, facials and tanning as well as a variety of massage services along with healing techniques and treatments.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

CARPE DIEM SALON — Last month Carpe Diem Salon opened its doors by the intersection of North and Summer Street in Dover-Foxcroft. The full-service salon staff is comprised of, from left, Stylists Jean Correa and Christina Marsh, Licensed Massage Therapist Melissa Veraldo and Stylist Brittany Ames.

Carpe Diem Salon opened at 31 North Street, the space was an optometrist’s office before being remodeled, on Oct. 13, and the establishment features stylists Christina Marsh, Jean Correa and Brittany Ames. The three have worked together for about four and a half years, with Marsh and Correa having worked together for approximately seven years.

“Our customers seem to be happy with the change,” Marsh said.

Marsh explained she had seen the Latin expression carpe diem or its common English translation of “seize the day” a number of times, such as on another vehicle traveling down the highway. “I just felt like the saying was always in my face,” she said. “I felt like it was just time to get up and do it,” Marsh added about opening the new salon.

She said she was trying to decide on a name and thinking of the expression she saw so often, “I thought that would be a great name. It’s welcoming, come in — men, women and children.” Marsh added, “I just feel like living in the moment, we don’t do enough. I was tired of talking about it, just do it and seize the day.”

Marsh said building owner Don Moore “has been absolutely wonderful to work with” as the home of Carpe Diem Salon has been renovated for its new use. She also thanked Jim Macomber for all of his assistance, such as with the technology aspects of the business.

The three stylists each have more individual space to work with compared to their previous locations. “I feel like we have more privacy for our customers,” Marsh said.

“We each have a station so we are not on top of each other,” Correa said. “You have your own cubicle to hang your coat or your purse and it’s awesome,” she said about individual areas for customers who stop by. “With more space everything runs smoothly, everyone does their own thing.”

Correa said the location has a back room full of salon supplies as well as a washer and dryer. “We didn’t have this in the old place,” she said.

“We have private rooms for different things,” Correa said. “You can come in and get tanned, it’s private.”

In addition to the room with tanning bed, Carpe Diem has another private room for massage and other healing techniques and treatments. Licensed Massage Therapist Melissa Veraldo from Don’t Worry Bee Happy Farms in Dover-Foxcroft now offers various sessions as part of the salon team. The sessions include chakra balancing, reiki, reflexology, ear candling and lunch time specials — head and neck massages and Swedish massages.

Marsh said she and her colleagues are planning to participate in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28. “We are going to have different giveaways and light refreshments,” she said.

Plans are also being made to participate in the Hometown Holidays celebration with an open house on Saturday, Dec. 5. Marsh explained complementary services will be offered at Carpe Diem Salon in exchange for donations to go toward the activity funds for residents at both Pleasant Meadows Estates and Hilltop Manor.

“Two Saturdays in a row we will have things going on,” she said, with the open house having a “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” theme.

Carpe Diem Salon is located at 31 North Street in Dover-Foxcroft, and can be reached at 802-8169 or carpediemsalon564@gmail.com. The salon also has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/carpediemsalon564.

Monday through Friday Carpe Diem Salon opens at 9:30 a.m., closing whenever the day is done, as well as being open from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Marsh, Correa and Ames and Veraldo are willing to come in earlier or stay later with appointments, as they understand customers are busy and they are willing to work around schedules. Appointments are encouraged but walk-ins are accepted depending on availability.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

MASSAGE SESSIONS — Licensed Massage Therapist Melissa Veraldo demonstrates some techniques. Veraldo recently joined the new Carpe Diem Salon in Dover-Foxcroft, offering massage and healing techniques and treatments such as chakra balancing, reiki, reflexology, ear candling and lunch time specials — head and neck massages and Swedish massages.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

NAIL CARE — Christina Marsh touches up her colleague Jean Correa’s fingernails. Carpe Diem Salon offers manicures and pedicures and related services.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

PAIR OF SHAMPOO BOWLS — Brittany Ames simulates one of the shampoo bowls at the new Carpe Diem Salon in Dover-Foxcroft. The salon is newly renovated, providing ample space to serve customers.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

TANNING ROOM — The tanning bed at Carpe Diem Salon can be booked for various sessions, and bed users can utilize a private room.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

TRIO OF STYLISTS — The three stylists at Carpe Diem Salon, Brittany Ames, pictured, Jean Correa and Christina Marsh have worked together for four and a half years and now are at a newly-renovated salon.