BY ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
Staff Writer
Artist’s rendering of Lookin’ Good Salon and Day Spa, Edison.
Caroline Seidner has made it her business to make sure people know that they don’t have to leave the local area to look and feel as pampered as a celebrity.
The owner of Edison’s Lookin’ Good Salon and Day Spa, an upscale unisex center dedicated to boosting and preserving the well-being of both mind and body, has expanded its size and its services.
The business, which has offered an array of specialty services catering to beauty and wellness since its inception in 1998, will open a new 4,400-square-foot facility on Oak Tree Road sometime in the summer, Seidner said.
For many years, it was located at Inman Grove Shopping Center, and the spa is now temporarily located at Oakwood Shopping Center.
When her lease ran out in Inman Grove, Seidner decided the time was prime to make a move to provide more space and service to customers while staying loyal to her hometown of Edison.
As construction broke ground on the new $1 million luxury retreat’s quarters at 2110 Oak Tree Road recently, Seidner reflected on why such a business appeals to people in today’s hectic climate.
"I like people to feel really good about themselves," she said. "It is so important in the high-pressured society in which we live to have time to heal."
And healing, or at least temporarily shielding the body and soul from what ails it, is what Seidner says her business does best.
The graduate of Rutgers University’s Douglass College, New Brunswick, with a bachelor’s degree in history and business, has lived in Edison all her life and thinks it is "important not only to provide this type of service to people, but to keep this sort of upscale place in Edison.
"That is why I wanted to keep the business in Edison. The community deserves to be linked with upscale amenities. I am committed to providing that right here. I want to give back to this town and make people see that Edison is a beautiful place to go."
The creature comforts Seidner’s business will cater to include everything from a cappuccino bar, to facials, pedicures and manicures, as well as holistic healing seminars, hiking and riding clubs, and hot stone massages. Also available will be limited out-patient plastic surgery at the hands of board-certified Dr. Arnold Breitbart, chief of plastics at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York.
The spa will also feature handbags, jewelry and more. "We have the whole gamut," Seidner said. "Whatever you can think of, from hair care on down, it is here."
A special addition with the new facility will be the nutrition, exercise and wellness seminars, clubs and exercise classes hosted by a staff of experts. The classes are designed to "bring people together and create a social connection that is so critical for the overall health of our clients," Seidner said. "This is going to be a grand scale operation … Our facility will offer an unprecedented array of services to make our clients feel and look beautiful."
And people aren’t the only thing that will be looking good.
The look of the new haven for pampering will be top notch, Seidner said. Designed by renowned spa architect Michael Napolitan, most of the interior and exterior will literally be set in stone and marble. The first floor will feature a manicure and pedicure area as well as a boutique, hair salon and cappuccino bar.
A circular staircase will lead to a second floor with a large spa where clients can get massages and facials, tan and have minor plastic surgery procedures, such as collagen and Botox injections.
Until the new quarters open, Seidner said she’d like to remind people that the service the spa is known for can be enjoyed at the temporary quarters in Oakwood Shopping Center.
"A spa like this is not easy to find without crossing over into Manhattan, but we are here, committed to quality and service," Seidner concluded.
Holiday and Mother’s Day gift certificates are available by visiting or calling 732-906-0601.