Jennifer Lewis owns Bliss Skin Care in Nobleboro. (Hailey Bryant photo)
Bliss Skin Care, a salon offering facials, manicures, waxing, and more, has moved to Nobleboro after three years in Damariscotta.
Owner Jennifer Lewis, a resident of Nobleboro, was renting space at Pine Grove Plaza in Damariscotta when she decided it was time to buy her own building. She bought the new space, at 24 Center St. in Nobleboro, in September and opened Oct. 6.
Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Lewis said that business has been steady, which she attributes to the stress of the pandemic and the election. “People need to focus on self-care,” she said. She also noted that during her time working in the area, she has built a loyal clientele.
The new location of Bliss Skin Care, at 24 Center St. in Nobleboro, opened Oct. 6. (Hailey Bryant photo)
When Lewis bought the building, the interior was one open space. With the help of her husband, a contractor, she added walls and created separate rooms.
One side of the 1,200-square-foot building houses the manicure and pedicure area, where a plastic curtain separates the customer’s chair from Lewis, and a room for facials. As of October, Maine salons can once again perform services, like facials, that require customers to remove their masks.
The other side of the building is rented by two massage therapists. One massage therapist, Camilla Alexander, is accepting new clients, which Lewis said is rare amid COVID-19 restrictions.
The new shop is bigger than the Damariscotta location, which gives Lewis the space for a small retail section. Along one wall of the shop, she sells spa products, soy candles, tea, and makeup.
Plastic shields separate the customer and worker at the manicure and pedicure stations at Bliss Skin Care in Nobleboro. (Hailey Bryant photo)
The shop is frequently cleaned and sanitized. “We’re trained in this business to be super-clean and disinfect everything anyway,” Lewis said. “When you make it part of your routine, it’s easy.”
All of the salon’s chairs are covered in plastic wrap, and there are plexiglass shields on the counters.
“Part of me thought that I was crazy to expand the business during a pandemic,” Lewis said. However, she feels like there has to be a silver lining to a difficult situation, and her work provides her with the structure and social interaction she needs.
“I’m grateful that I get to come to work every day. I get to have that routine,” she said. “I get to help people relax and feel good about themselves.”
