New West’s newest beauty spa promises a one-stop shop for hair and nail services.
Here, pedicure, manicure and hair stations co-exist — giving clients the option to get their nails taken care of while waiting for their hair colour to set in.
Called Dayna’s Beauty Spa (863 Carnarvon St.), the business is owned by Dayna Phong, who has 15 years of experience as a nail artist. Phong worked at Crystal Nails in New West for 10 years before deciding to launch her own business earlier this year.
What had Phong go from a nail designer to an entrepreneur was in part thanks to one of her regular clients.
Lorna Stewart, who used to run Essence Hair Studio on Carnarvon Street, visited Phong just down the street for all her nail needs. After three years of being Phong’s loyal client, she had a business proposition for her.
“One day, she said to me she wanted to retire and wanted to sell her business. She said that she thought about me because she saw me in her,” said Phong.
As Stewart wrote in a blog post on the business’ website, “She (Dayna) is certainly a hard worker, but more than that, Dayna has a smile that lights up a room; she is warm and friendly and quick with a hug.”
Stewart also added that Dayna had moved from Vietnam to Canada all by herself in 2007. “She only knew one person in her new country, her auntie, but she was determined to make a better life for herself and her family back home.”
Besides her will to make it in a new country, added Stewart, “the skills of her and her nail techs are absolutely top notch.”
Today, the beauty spa offers a range of artificial nail services, several manicure and pedicure packages and waxing services by Phong and her team on one side of the studio, and hair services by Stewart and her team of two stylists, on the other side.
As for Phong, she believes that with the new business, she has been "lucky.”
With a space that’s a hair and nail spa mashup, there is reason for New Westies to believe that they are too.
