Beauty & Spas in Hopatcong

An armory of products by Mitch, Paul Mitchell's selection for men, brings order to scraggly heads, which peer hopefully at The ManCave's poker table and flat-screen television. Gents twirl in padded styling chairs, listening to the shouts of excitement that drift beneath sports memorabilia and a tyrannosaurus rex bust. Neon beer signs cast their colorful warmth across the ebony-hued leather of long couches, and a puck ricochets sharply off the rim of an air-hockey table, allowing patrons to showcase athletic skills far from the suit-ruining fur of shedding mascots.

Gabanti Salon & Spa’s full juice bar, cozy fireplace, and gently heated floors demonstrate owner Denise Oliveto’s attention to detail and commitment to customers’ comfort. Every eight minutes, a double-filtered, sanitizing air-circulation system refreshes the interior of the two-story facility, where stylists coif chic styles in the spacious salon, and licensed cosmetologists perform beauty services in the tranquil day spa. If desired, clients can bring in photographs of their favorite looks for stylists and makeup artists to replicate, allowing mascara ignoramuses to take their Robert Smith impersonations to Vegas. Nail technicians apply lacquers to fingertips, cosmetologists target problems such as acne, aging, and allergies with custom facials, and massage therapists draw on a variety of techniques to ease aches and pains. Signature wedding packages, which include limousine services and exclusive use of the facility, pamper brides-to-be and their wedding parties with hair, makeup, and spa services.

Amid live greenery and plentiful sunlight, Lucia C. Salon's talented stylists prune quick-growing hair into sculpted coifs with the latest cut and color techniques. The crew sinks dry or damaged strands into a helping of reparative conditioning treatments before cutting excess length or straightening curlicues. Their color treatments bless hair with new hues, as quick foil sessions help hair absorb shimmering highlights and patrons practice for school musicals in which they play baked potatoes. In the privacy of a secluded room, the crew wields warm wax to swiftly strip away fuzz from the face and body and infuse skin with a natural-looking glow with the help of airbrush-tanning solutions.

At the precocious age of 22, entrepreneur Linda Cesario started her own salon—but a fire soon destroyed it, and Cesario was forced to go to work for other salon owners. With time, Cesario gathered the courage to strike out on her own again, and she named her new salon Lighten Up as a nod to her career philosophy of always striving to lift her clients' spirits. Now at Lighten Up, Cesario is again her own boss, which means she has to email herself when she wants to play hooky and then confront herself when she does. She draws on more than 38 years of industry experience as she helms the salon’s dedicated stylists, who tame tresses with INOA hair color and products from Redken and Paul Mitchell. The salon also coddles appendages with manicures and pedicures, waxes away fuzz, and massages sore muscles.