The owners of HAIRMODE in Great Neck Plaza are seeking to expand their services to include facials with upper body massages, but the village’s board of trustees delayed a decision until legal questions concerning their application were answered.
“I think there are certain things we will have to check out,” Mayor Ted Rosen said.
HAIRMODE located at 5 Great Neck Road is a hair salon that offers a variety of hair styling services. But now business owner Michael Dong wants to begin offering facials with upper body massage.
The added service would be provided in the salon’s basement, which has already been renovated with separate rooms and massage tables.
Plaza Building Superintendent Richard Belziti said he saw the massage tables when inspecting the business previously. Upon seeing them set up, he told the business owner they would need to come before the board to be permitted to provide such services.
Dong denied that his business had already been providing facials and massages after being asked by the board numerous times.
The salon owner went before the board to modify his permit to allow facials to be offered at his salon, which his current permit already grants.
What is not permitted in Dong’s permit are massages, which he said would be limited to the shoulder area during the facial. Hong Yoaoun, who would be employed to provide the facials, said an upper body massage is standard during facials.
While Yoaoun said she is a licensed beautician who can provide facials, she is not licensed as a massage therapist. She told the board a massage therapy license is not required to give facials nor the customary shoulder-area massage.
Cosmetology licenses only permit an individual to provide services for a client’s hair, head, face, neck or scalp, according to New York State licensing laws.
The board questioned whether Yoaoun was permitted to provide the shoulder massage during a facial, asking to delay their decision until provided an official answer.
Yoaoun also said the facial services would be limited to women, only permitting a man in the basement when getting a facial with his wife. She said men who request a facial could be serviced on the main floor of the hair salon in a hair washing chair.
Rosen also questioned whether this constituted discrimination. The village’s attorney Richard Gabriele said it would not be considered discrimination since services could still be provided to men just in a different area.
With also needing to seek information on whether Yoaoun was licensed to provide upper body massages, Rosen said they can also seek clarification on if this would constitute illegal discrimination.
The board will take the next two weeks to seek these answers, Rosen said, before the business owner continues his hearing to modify his permit at the village’s next board of trustees meeting.
In other news, the village approved a $488 monthly contract for the next five years with DMGT Telecommunications to update the village’s phone system. The upgrade would move its phone system to a cloud-based server.
Gil Romano, the owner and president of the company, said the village had experienced issue with its phone system recently that prompted them to seek an upgrade.
The new contract will cost the village $20 less per month. Currently, they pay $508 a month.
The contract is for 21 phones in the village, which O’Byrne said she would verify with Romano next week. If the village needs fewer or additional phones, Romano said the contract could then be amended for the amount needed.
The board also certified the results of its election Tuesday night.
Great Neck Plaza’s Mayor Rosen, Trustee Pamela Marksheid and Trustee Michael DeLuccia were all re-elected to serve another five-year term on the village’s board.
Rosen received 228 votes, while DeLuccia and Marksheid received 214 and 207 votes, respectively.
The Village of Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees will convene again on April 3.