Island spas

Whether it’s your nails the day before or hair and makeup on the day of, finding a place to take care of your beauty needs is key to easing the pressure and helping you relax on your wedding day. Here’s the lowdown on some of what the Island has to offer. The PDF you can download below will show you the pages as they appeared in the magazine.

When it comes to your hair

Sometimes a bride doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of a day spa. In that case, there are a number of top-notch salons on the Island specializing in hair and makeup for brides and bridesmaids. Stylist and owner Rosemary Gambino offers brides forty years of experience and a peaceful setting for hair, makeup, waxing, and nails, with a complimentary first consultation. Her classic updos repeatedly win praise.

Maggie Mae, owner of Maggie’s Salon on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven, learned the ropes from Rosemary and now runs her own chic, boutique salon. When local celebrities Peter Farrelly and Carly Simon need a trim, they call Maggie’s. The crew styles hair and does makeup year-round. Her favorite moment on the job is watching a bride’s reaction after a styling session: “They look in the mirror and just start to cry,” Maggie says. “Thank God we have waterproof mascara!”

Not all options are limited to the down-Island towns. Panache Salon in West Tisbury is a two-story salon offering hair styling downstairs and manicures, pedicures, facials, and waxing upstairs. The salon specializes in brides and staff will travel on-site, as will folks from Rosecuts and Maggie’s.

[Originally published in the 2009 issue of Martha's Vineyard Magazine's Island Weddings; reviewed for updates in 2012.]