By April MacIntyre Jul 1, 2010, 7:36 GMT
Pacific Northwest natives Julie Serquinia and Domingo Serquinia have brought Seattle cool to 3rd Street in Los Angeles. Together they opened their diverse beauty oasis the Paint Shop in a village-y part of LA that boasts great cafes, shops and an unpretentious feel for those turned off by Beverly Hills' marble and travertine-fronted establishments.
Paint Shop on 3rd serves all people, ethnic hair, straight hair and is an acrylic-free zone
The neighborhood vibed just right, reminding them of their beginnings in Washington state, where the two met and married. They took their stylish ways to California in 1989.
Tucked off of 3rd Street is where they set up Paint Shop for the clientele to duck out and kick back, as 'happy hour' is the ethos that defines the feel of this ethnically rich cabal of creatives who can make you look gorgeous, no matter what type of hair you have.
They also serve an array of drinks to help get into their happy hour state of mind. The Paint Shop's collective wheelhouse includes great haircuts, pitch-perfect color, Brazilian Blowouts and luxe, professional manicures and pedicures that take some time, a minimum hour is booked, as a team of five trained techs make sure you have the very best mani/pedi of your life.
Julie told Monsters and Critics that you need to experience her star creation, tailor-made for the hot weather: The Limoncello Double Peel Smoothie begins with a bath filled with fresh slices of lemon, hot rocks and extra Virgin olive oil. Her patented "Callus Eliminator" will rid your heels of the hard stuff, then feet are insulated in plastic bags and hot towels to further the exfoliation of dead skin. This is followed by a lemon scrub and application of The Paint Shop's own Cooling Leg Gel covered with cold towels. While all this maintenance work is going on you get to kick back with a glass of Limoncello liqueur while your pedicure is finished off with hot towels and final smoothing polish.
The salon is neither intimidating nor bank breaking like comparable establishments a few miles West. Domingo and Julie serve up atmsopheric hip music and create a chill, overall happy feeling that has attracted Beverly Hills-level talent.
Even though it is a more low-key experience, the celebrities keep coming in; Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Janet Jackson, and Victoria Beckham, have appeared in national magazines and publications touting their hand and foot care products and services. Tyra Banks loved her Limoncello Double Smoothie Pedicure before she snagged her daytime Emmy.
The day Monsters and Critics stopped by, 3rd Street neighbor cafe Plancha brought trays of their specialities including Chipotle Prawns, street tacos and fresh salsas made with Farmers' Market fresh produce, and Arandas, Jalisco Mexico's Camarena Tequila was pouring the complimentary Agave nectar. Kiss My Bundt bakery (also nearby on 3rd) delivered the finishing Dolce.
Julie's husband Domingo Serquinia is a top, sought-out Beverly Hills hairdresser, who shared his vision for the spot with Monsters and Critics, "I wanted to create a salon that would cater to everyone, a 'Cheers' kind of a place where my wife and I could work together," said Domingo. The couple also have a virtual store where you can purchase their personal line of Paint Shop hand and foot care products.
Domingo was schooled by Vidal Sassoon, having met him several times. He has cut hair for 25 years and worked his magic in Beverly Hills at Juan Juan, Esthetica and Nelson J. "I only cut hair, Julie and I have found specialists for every kind of hair, and we specialize in African-American hair as well as cutting edge cuts for straight hair too." Monsters and Critics asked Domingo what was hot currently for fashionable cuts. "My favorite hair cut currently is the shaggy bob with lots of texture."
Julie and Domingo both sang the praises of a colleague they now counted as key staff, their colorist Shanice, who they've know professionally for over 15 years. "Shanice grew from being a top colorist's assistant years ago to developing her own clientele, and she knows all the in's and out's of color and correction; together she and Domingo are a fabulous combination," shared Julie.
Los Angeles Magazine picked The Paint Shop as LA's premier nail salon. Julie shared with me the level of professionalism her team of five techs bring to the nail game. "There are a variety of differences between the mani/pedi experience you get at the Paint Shop versus a quickie cheap nail salon, mainly the time invested and their expertise, and the complete care our nail techs devote to the one-hour manicure. They meticulously groom and push back the cuticle and don't nip and cut away too much like so many salons. The cuticle is what produces a healthy nail, so you cannot rush doing this step. They examine and really give a fantastic thorough manicure and pedicure that is a rejuvenating experience for our clients."
Julie also noted that one of the salon's popular services was a relatively new process for straightening hair. "We also feature a specialist who brings the Brazilian Blowout to the salon, a smoothing treatment that actually will improve the health of the hair, so you will have less time drying hair, it's much healthier for the hair overall."
www.paintshopbeverlyhills.com Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, Sunday mani-pedi only.
7938 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles California, 90048 323-658-1930
April MacIntyre is Monsters and Critics' smallscreen and people/celebrity editor who loves to snoop around in makeup trailers when she can. You can follow her on Twitter.
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