Skintastic expands, now tends aches, pains

LAKEVILLE — Colleen Kopec’s skin glows, which is perhaps the best advertisement for Skintastic, her skin care salon. The salon, which has had several locations, has been settled comfortably for the past few years at 336 Main St., across from the post office. It shared the space most recently with the Shine hair salon, which closed last fall. That gave Kopec the opportunity to expand — and she needed the extra room.Although she considers skin care and skin rejuvenation the focus of her business, Kopec offers many other salon and grooming services, including waxing, manicures and pedicures, makeup application (she works with many bridal parties) and even airbrush tanning. The expansion gives her (and her clients) more room to stretch out and be comfortable. And she now has room for massage therapist Leslie Eckstein. Eckstein does sports massage, pain management, trigger-point therapy and Swedish massage. Her clients range from teenage athletes to retirees who are recovering from knee replacement surgery to regular folks with work related injuries, chronic headaches, arthritis and stress injuries.Though they each do their own bookings, Kopec and Eckstein can easily coordinate their schedules for clients who want to indulge in a day of beauty and take advantage of a variety of services.Kopec has been in the skincare business for more than 10 years. After working as a medical aesthetician in Dr. Ari Namon’s office she opened Skintastic in 2003. Kopec has been caring for others, in some capacity, for her entire working life. In addition to having an aesthetician’s license, she is also a licensed nurse practitioner and used to work in the Alzheimer’s unit at The Kent retirement center. “I’m still taking care of people, but in a different way,” Kopec said of her new career. When Kopec learned she would be able to expand the salon, she decided immediately to find a massage therapist whose work she felt was in sympathy with her own. She views beauty, health and wellness as intrinsically connected. Although she considered several massage therapists, she chose Eckstein not only because of her reputation as a therapist but also because of her generosity and her willingness to be available seven days a week.Eckstein has only been practicing since August 2010, but she has quickly developed a following. Many people have come to know her through the work she donates at events such as the Tri-State Trade Festival and the annual Sharon Classic Road Race. In addition to her hours at the salon, Eckstein works out of her home and makes house calls. “I get so much from working with people, helping to relieve pain and injury,” she said. “If someone calls at seven at night with a problem, I take care of them. I’ve never turned anyone down.”Eckstein is a single mom, the mother of four children under the age of 15. Doing massage therapy allows her the flexibility to take care of her children and her clients. “When I became a mother I realized how much I enjoyed the nurturing aspect. It’s therapeutic for me, too. I might be going full bore and then I start a massage and it calms me down, too. In a hectic world, it’s a very calming place to go.”Eckstein can be reached at 860-364-1633. Skintastic is open Tuesday through Saturday, by appointment; walk-ins are welcome. Call 860-435-0546.