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Escaping the hustle & bustle at Dyanna Spa

“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name… And they’re always glad you came…”

I was never a big fan of the show Cheers but I must confess that I sometimes find myself a little chocked up whenever the theme song comes on, picturing this Utopian place where everybody knows everybody and are thrilled to get together. Well, the other day, as I sat at Dyanna Spa in NYC, I couldn’t help but silently sing that song again and again as regular upon regular walked through the door.

The super friendly staff greeted their long time customers with the same ease that I greet my good friends, brightly inquiring after their spouses, sons, daughters, so-and-so’s wedding, knee surgery, and trip to Vegas. The woman sitting next to me at the pedicure room was so comfortable at this place that she simply uttered, “You know what I like” when asked what color she wanted on her toes. And lo and behold, her attentive manicurist came back with a robust red with golden tones that magically matched the gown she was wearing to a party later that week.

While I sat, feet submerged in a gelatinous substance that promised smoother feet for weeks to come (appropriately named Jelly Pedi ($35). Whatever they add to the water, it works! After almost 2 weeks, my soles are as smooth as a baby’s bottom), I witness something that doesn’t come by often in NYC: complete strangers happily chatting with one another, completely at ease sharing private details (the woman to my right was having a ‘full service’ in anticipation of her Australian boyfriend’s arrival; the one to my right was a bit apprehensive about having allowed her 2 sons – 22 and 18 – to have the Hampton house for the weekend – “You know how boys are,” she said, sighing deeply). The older woman on the far right, while only sporadically joining the conversation about funny nail polish names and essential qualities of a good carrot cake, was deep in conversation with her manicurist about some bill she had been trying to pass in Washington (about which apparently the manicurist had previously expressed concern). Was I in NYC? Not long before this I had sat in a similar chair in an upscale salon but all I heard around me was silence interrupted by either the directives (“don’t cut – file!” “Can you turn up the AC?”) or the occasional complaints of a woman who saw herself as too important and unable to wait the 5 minutes it took her manicurist to fix the water jet in her tub.

Perhaps Dyanna Spa attracted a different clientele – people who are, for sure, interested in meticulous manicures and pedicures and leaving the place with pristine painted nails, but also people who couldn’t help but fall in love with a staff so professional yet warm. I know that I’ve become one of them. My Brazilian Keratin Manicure ($16) replenished much of the moisture my skin lost due to the constant hand-washing that follows gardening. The nail polish collection, including offerings from the common OPI and Essie, also showcased edgier brands such as Zoya and Duri.