When nuBest opened 45 years ago, the full service salon and spa was moving into the building left vacant by Best and Co. in the early 1970s.
Owner Michael Mazzei, who opened the salon on his birthday, chose the name as a play on the former department store’s departure and a new company prepared to stay on Manhasset’s Miracle Mile for decades.
“Celebrating nuBest’s 45th anniversary feels like a dream. It has been an incredible experience to witness firsthand how the salon has evolved over the years,” Mazzei said. “I am so proud of what my family and I have been able to achieve with nuBest — we have created a community for our clients, with the help of some of New York’s best stylists.”
NuBest touts itself as the first full-service salon in New York since its start on June 19, 1973, Public Relations Director Richard Piana said, and during its history, the salon has been renovated from top to bottom to provide the ideal experience for its clients.
With more than 20,000 square feet of space at 1482 Northern Blvd., the salon is divided into wings for hair, nails and spa treatments, changing the large space into intimate pockets where clients can relax and enjoy an hour or a day of pampering.
Spa manager Yvonne Roth, who said she was a customer long before she became an employee, said the more than 125 staff members across the salon’s departments take a personal interest in their clients, knowing when birthdays and anniversaries are coming up or when someone has an illness or a death in the family.
Though a large company, nuBest was founded as a family business, and the next generation of the Mazzei family, including his son Jamie Mazzei and nephews Vincent Cascio and Christian Fleres, continues to innovate and keep the salon’s reputation as a trendy spot for quality care.
“I would love to thank the Manhasset community for their loyalty for 45 years and hopefully we continue for another 45 years,” Cascio, senior creative director, said.
The salon, which was featured in the 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan,” has also been seen in Elle and Glamour magazines during its run. The salon and spa has also been a stomping ground for celebrities such as Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Adrienne Bailon, Renee Graziano, Paula Garces, Kym Johnson, and Tony-nominated couple Orfeh and Andy Karla.
In 2004, the salon was completely renovated, Cascio said, removing the dated ’70s feel and modernizing it. During the renovation, departments were also reorganized for a more consistent flow and a dedicated, confined spa section was added, Roth said.
Though a large and often crowded salon, friendly staff members are stationed throughout it, constantly concerned about the needs of the clients.
“Our staff is friendly and nice, and we groom them that way,” Cascio said. “They come here as babies, and they work there way up, starting at the sink, then assisting us before getting their own chair. It takes a couple of years.”
