Vanity Hair Salon, Pa'ia, Maui

Vanity Salon, Pa'ia, Maui

Finally! A chic, high end salon has opened on Maui's northshore! Don't be fooled by the modest exterior. When you walk through the doors, you will be transported to a trendy, hip salon you might find in any big city on the mainland. Vanity Salon is located on Baldwin Avenue in Pa'ia and has the most talented hair stylists on the island. Opened recently by owner, Jeffie Harris, Vanity Salon is the place to go to get the best in hair services. Jeffie did a great job of refurbishing and decorating the shop in a classy mode with stylish details.

The staff is the best of the best. Sarah Nelson Evans invited me to have my hair done and I was so excited. A few years ago Sarah moved to Maui from Los Angeles, where she styled hair for models, actors and rock & roll stars. She brings to Maui her knowledge of the latest and healthiest trends in the hair styling industry. Sarah has styled for videos, photo shoots, weddings and will help you look your best for that special night out.

Sarah is not only a super sweet, talented stylist, she is also an entrepreneur as she is currently developing her own line of hair products. The line is called Sane and offers hair gloss, deep conditioner, and styling products that are made from gentle, pure ingredients from nature that enhance your hair's body, texture and shine. Sarah highlighted, cut and blew out my hair while she incorporated some of her handmade products. Afterwards my hair was completely soft, bouncy and super styley (and it smelled fantastic)!

I'm very impressed with this working mom's ambition and skills! I will let you know when Sarah's products are ready to sell. The Sunday after I was at the salon, Sarah, and her husband, photographer, Chris Evans, did a photo shoot for her product's upcoming advertising with model, Natasha Oakley.

I'm happy to know there is a high quality salon with Maui's most talented stylists, located in Pa'ia. I haven't met them all yet, but I do know my buddy, Collin Messer, has just started working at Vanity Salon as well. He and I worked together at the Grand Wailea's salon and his work is incredible. My friend, Rebecca Sargeant, is also working there now and she is also extremely talented. It's a friendly small town salon with professional and creative hair stylists, high fashion flare, and glamorous undertones.

To make an appointment, call 579-9580. I'm sure you will be happy to discover this gem of a salon!

Stylist, Sarah Nelson Evans

Natasha Oakley, Model

Jeffie Harris, Owner, Vanity Salon (photo courtesy of "Self Made in Hawaii")

me with my new do

Massage Therapist; Summer Gaddis

Are you planning on improving your health in 2012? Exercise, nutrition and meditation are all essential elements to a stronger body, immune system and spirit. I believe another essential key to overall health is receiving effective body work. I had the pleasure of recently experiencing a couple massages by licensed massage therapist, Summer Gaddis. Her massage studio in north Kihei offers a very peaceful, relaxing environment to get away from all your worries.

Now I have had a lot of massages in my life and I have to say that Summer gives some of the most effective Iʻve had. She offers a Relaxation Massage (a combination of Swedish, Lomi, and Reflexology) as well as a Therapeutic Massage (a combo of Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Hot Stone (Pohaku) modalities). She seems very knowledgeable of sports injuries and has an amazing intuitive sense of what oneʻs body needs. Although she checked in to see if the pressure was good and to see how i was doing, I didnʻt need to offer her any direction as she seemed to know what worked for me. I can vouch that she is a qualified, client-focused practitioner. As she works with her clients, Summer is fully present, a capable listener, and provides an excellent massage that is both caring and effective.

I felt the healing effects of Summerʻs massages for weeks after. I felt relaxed, refreshed and they seemed to jump start an energy flow of healing that took place deep within my muscles and spirit. I look forward to getting another treatment by Summer and highly recommend her to each of you.

Now that Christmas is over and you recover from the holiday madness, give yourself the gift of balancing and healing. She offers 60 minute and 90 minute treatments starting at $65. For an appointment, call Summer at 808-205-5855. I guarantee you will feel the aloha.

Ombelly Raw Desserts Workshop at O'o Farms in Kula

I had the great fortune to be invited to an Ombelly Raw Desserts Workshop last weekend. I know Verda Marley, owner of Ombelly, is an amazing raw desserts chef having delighted in some of her raw chocolate truffles, but I had no idea just how knowledgeble and extensive her talents are until now.

First of all, the location of the Ombelly workshops is at a spectacular paradise in Kula called O'o Farms. Garden after garden of organic vegies are raised and harvested for the farm-to-table fine dining oceanfront restaurants in Lahaina; Pacifico's and I'o. O'o Farms has an extensive outdoor kitchen equipped with food processors, food dehydrators and blenders - essential tools for this kind of raw foods mastery. The cool upcountry breezes, colorful trees and fluttering butterflies set the perfect environment for a relaxing, fun weekend of rich savory experiences.

Verda carefully explains each ingredient of her absolutely divine desserts as she includes the students in their creation. She educated us on the variety of raw, organic sweeteners, fruits, nuts and thickeners that can be blended in various forms to create pie crusts & fillings, exquisite desserts such as tiramasu, nutella cheesecake and decadent truffles such as coconut cinnamon and kumquat blue ginger. Her assistant, Jamie, cut coconuts with machetes as she extracted the sweet juice and savory coconut meat for a lilikoi and pomagranite pie. Verda carefully added espresso to the layers of raw, organic, sinfully delicious tiramasu.

I don't think i have ever tasted so many amazing, robust flavors in my life. Cacao beans, fresh coconut juice, creamy avocados, fresh dates, and fruit pies that made my mouth water. The desserts are not only outrageously delicious, they are very nutritional and absolutely beautiful. Luckily Verda gave each attendee a valuable recipe book that we each added notes to as she filled our brains with an immense education on fine raw dessert mastery. I am going to be utilizing that recipe book to wow my friends and family for years to come!

After a couple hours of preparing the desserts, Jamie cut some tasty vegies from the O'o gardens including kale, arugula, radishes and tomatoes for our lunch. Verda explained how to make a raw caesar dressing that is to die for! They added some organic goat cheese and olives to the salad and served it with some heavenly bread. We all got to know each other as we shared the savory lunch and wine amidst the rustic, glorious setting of the Kula countryside and its epic ocean views.

Verda holds her Ombelly Raw Desserts Workshops at O'o farms monthly. Check out her website to register for her workshops or order any of her incredible raw treats:
http://www.ombelly.com