Ageless Organic Salon & Spa going green with personal care

Joe Riscinti used to live in New Jersey near a salon and spa with a smell that reminded him of a “body shop — painting cars.”

When he’d get a massage or a manicure, he’d notice the employees wearing masks. “They’re wearing a mask, what does that tell you? You’re sitting there inhaling all the fumes,” he said.

Riscinti, a retired police officer, followed his brother to Lynchburg and opened the Ageless Organic Salon & Spa in Forest in May.

The full-service salon and spa uses products that are either “organic, natural or vegan,” Manager Stacy Crites said. Hair-coloring products, for example, contain no ammonia, she said, and have a “minty” aroma.

One exception: acrylic nails.

The spa and salon also sells organic products including laundry detergent and a spray for dog’s fur.

“I try to keep the motto of going green,” Riscinti said.

“(Organic products are) better for the employees, for the clients and for the environment.”

Organic practices are becoming more prevalent in the spa business, said Hannelore Leavy, executive director of the Day Spa Association. “Consumers are looking for spas with that philosophy,” she said.

Julie Britt, a client at the Forest day spa, said she has been to a lot of spas and “I like the fact that it doesn’t have a strong chemical smell.”

The employees who have worked in other salons and spas note the difference, too.

“As far as the fumes in the air, it was heavy in my chest and in my breathing,” said Alissa Kuminski.

She worked with perms, colorings and nails and said the fumes would be “just as heavy as if someone were smoking.”

She added: “I’d cough. I don’t get that in here at all.”

Riscinti said that organic products can be more expensive, but he absorbs a lot of the costs to stay competitive.

“In the long run, just the idea of organic, I want it to catch on.”