If Carole Houle and Cassie Cloutier wanted to get into the gossip business, it wouldn’t be all that hard.
“We always joke that we could write a great book of all the stories we’ve heard,” said Cloutier.
Over the years, people have trusted them with some of their biggest secrets. From pregnancies to romances, they have heard just about everything.
“You definitely get to know people. Sometimes you know changes in their lives before some of their families do,” said Houle. “But one thing you learn as a stylist is to not talk about the stuff people tell you.”
It’s all in a day’s work for Houle, the owner of the Beauty Lounge, and Cloutier, the Utopia Day Spa owner. Think of them as therapists who don’t cost a lot, but provide you with some much needed pampering. And it just so happens the two businesses are housed in the same building on South Street.
Houle opened the Beauty Lounge in 2008 on South State Street after years of working as a hair stylist. She spent nights trying to come up with the right name. Apparently the other finalists – we’d have suggested Get Your Mop Chopped Here – just didn’t have the same ring to it. Then when she decided to move her full-service salon and boutique, Houle made a call to Cloutier.
“When she opened this place, I was one of the first people she called,” said Cloutier.
The two had worked together before and the new location was too big. In addition to the large front room, where Houle expanded both aspects of her business, there was a small room and garage off the back she had little use for. That’s where Cloutier and the spa came in.
“I think it’s always a work in progress with a small business,” said Houle.
With a number of salon/spa combinations in the area, Houle thought it would be a perfect space for Cloutier, an esthetician, to work her magic. Turns out, so did Cloutier. It’s like they can read each others minds.
“I had actually said I never wanted to (open a business),” said Cloutier. “It’s been a really big change, but in a good way. I love working for myself, being the one to call all the shots.”
From the very beginning, Houle wanted Cloutier to take the remaining space and create a spa she could call her own. The only thing standing in the way was that Cloutier happened to be nine months pregnant at the time. So when the new and improved Beauty Lounge debuted about two years ago, it was an additional five months of renovating and decorating before Cloutier’s Utopia Day Spa was ready for its grand opening.
“It was a mess and needed quite a bit of work,” said Cloutier.
But don’t let the different business names fool you. They’re as closely linked as possible. They share a front door, a front desk and even a bathroom. Utopia was also once known as the Spa at the Beauty Lounge. If that’s not a close connection then we’re not sure what is.
Yet you’d never know it if you looked at the two businesses independently.
“It’s like fire and ice is what we say,” said Cloutier.
Houle uses a color scheme consisting of red, black and gold with vibrant green and black salon chairs lining the right side. On the parallel wall sits a three-chair hair washing station, and in the back corner is where Houle does her clients’ styling.
“My personality is really laid back, and I wanted an environment where people feel comfortable,” said Houle. “I feel like it’s a very warm space.”
The room is filled with all sorts of vintage pieces. A pink beach cruiser sits in the middle, with knit hats and cowls for sale. We’d definitely take that thing for a trip down the Hampton Beach strip this summer, but unfortunately we were told it’s not for sale. There’s also one of those old stand-up hair dryers that reminds you of 1950s television.
“I would definitely say I’m pretty eclectic,” said Houle.
There are paintings covering the eye-level wall space where giant mirrors don’t hang. The front end of the store has jewelry, purses and sunglasses for sale, and the collection of hair care products would make Jennifer Aniston’s stylist jealous.
And the great thing about it? All the merchandise that makes up Houle’s boutique is created by local artists.
“I started to realize how many artistic friends I had and I wanted to pay homage to the local art scene,” said Houle.
When you walk into Cloutier’s space, the colors are more subtle. There’s a light beige that covers most of the room where delivers her daily pampering, like pedicures and manicures, to the women of Concord and beyond. One baby blue wall accents the main room. It’s made up of only two plush brown leather recliners separated by a gas fire place set atop a platform with light green foot tubs. There are 12 rows of about 15 nail polish colors each and one table for Cloutier to apply them.
“I’m able to make my own hours and do the services I really want to do,” said Cloutier.
The former garage is now a soft gray where Cloutier performs facials and waxings, with just a single bed in the room. The intimate space works for Cloutier.
“I want the emphasis to stay with the quality of the experience,” said Cloutier. “I always try to put myself in the seat of my clients.”
And a year and a half in, things could not be going any better. They have done quite well sharing all aspects of the building, and many clients as well.
“I’ve gotten a lot of her clients in my chair and vice versa,” said Cloutier. “It’s a one stop shop.”
The goal for both Houle and Cloutier was to offer a comfortable place to be pampered. So far, so good.
“I think we’re creating an experience for every client,” said Houle.
