©2016 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Maureen Werther
After 16 years on Henry Street, Simplicity, A Salon, now occupies space in the Embassy Suites hotel in Congress Plaza.
The space was available after a previous tenant vacated the premises. Co-owners Tina Levielle-Briscoe and her husband, Sahn, decided it was the right time to make the move.
“We loved Henry Street, but parking was becoming too difficult for our clients and we felt it was time to switch our energies to a new space,” she said.
Levielle-Briscoe said it all happened very quickly. Although they had considered making the move when Embassy first opened, another salon leased the space. However, in March of this year, they were given the opportunity to take the spot. Their lease on Henry Street was coming up for renewal and they made the decision to move.
The new salon, which is 1,650 square feet, has windows on three sides offering "amazing lighting," she said. It is also more spacious than the 1,000-square-foot location on Henry Street.
She said clients from the Henry Street business come into the new space and "their jaws drop."
The new space has eight styling chairs, as well as a partitioned wellness area.
"This will be a wonderful addition to our hair styling business," said Levielle-Briscoe. They offer private massage, yoga and a meditation practice called "access consciousness." The wellness area officially opened on June 3. Simplicity's owners are working with several well-known area practitioners to offer an assortment of packages.
In addition to being a licensed hair stylist, Levielle-Briscoe is also a certified kripalu yoga instructor. She said she is excited about the opportunity to offer a whole new range of programs to clients. She, her husband and their six employees are still getting a feel for their new space, but Levielle-Briscoe said the Embassy Suites staff has been "fantastic" and are working with Simplicity to promote their services to hotel guests.
The newly expanded menu of services offers wedding and group packages, as well as wellness packages for guests to access during their stay. They are also willing to accept walk-ins as their schedule permits.
Simplicity's hours of operations are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. "We are willing to come in earlier to accommodate our clients' schedules," she said. House my be expanded for the upcoming track season.