Beauty

Sustainable Pampering at Citron Spa

Get the perfect summertime refresher in Wayland Square

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In the warm weather, there’s nothing better than loading up on a bag of fresh, local produce at the farmer’s market and taking it home to make something delicious. Christina Allen of Citron Spa loves to do that. But she takes it one step further, not just eating local, but using locavore products to make the seasonal spa treatments that aestheticians use in her Wayland Square spa. The minute I discovered this, I booked a Cyto Luxe facial and a summer Blueberry Lavender mani/pedi.

I always love going to Citron: even though it’s in the middle of Wayland Square, it’s tucked away enough to feel completely serene inside. I ran inside straight from work, running late of course, and calmed down the minute I walked inside the spa. The receptionist sat me down in the relaxation area with a warmed lavender pillow and a glass of sparkling wine with fresh blueberries floating in it. It was the beginning of a transportive experience. Nail artist Nancy Manso brought me into the nail room, which isn’t full of those loud, half-broken pedicure chairs you’re used to at cheap salons. There’s a white leather bench built into one wall, with spa tubs underneath. Nancy had already filled mine and had the bubbles going, as I fell back into the cushy seat, adjusted my pillows and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she took a handful of flower petals, fresh from the farm, and dropped them in the water. That’s right. I was literally bathing in a tub of flower petals.

Citron is an Aveda salon, so the products Nancy used in my nail services were Aveda’s, with some fresh additions. The scrub for this treatment was Aveda’s Sea Salt Scrub, with fresh blueberries and lavender added to it. The same with the hand scrub, which was a gorgeous bowl filled with more fresh fruit and flowers. As much as I loved the botanical experience, the best part of the treatment was Nancy’s nail art. She kept her cards close to the vest, but then I checked her Instagram and saw artful, intricate designs. We decided on white nails with pink polka dots, plus a pink on white flamingo on each accent nail. You know, subtle. It’s hard to find really great nail art in Providence, but Nancy is the real deal. Just don’t book her when I want an appointment.


While almost nothing beats a fresh mani/pedi, a fresh face definitely does. After my nail services, I had a Cyto Luxe facial with Lauren Kabbas. “It’s Citron’s most clinical anti-aging, results-oriented facial,” Christina had said, but it’s also completely natural. The service used cellular plant stem technology to dig deep into the skin, plus a super-gentle lactic acid chemical peel to encourage cell turnover to reveal pretty new skin. “Think rustic nature meets modern science,” Christina said. While the idea of a chemical peel made me a little iffy, she promised there would be no down-time or sensitivity to sun because of how gentle and natural the products were. She was totally right. There was no reason to worry about losing beach time that weekend. I just had a healthy glow that, for once, wasn’t from bronzer. It was the perfect summertime refresher.

Citron Spa
255 Wayland Avenue
401-861-0908
SpaCitron.com

Citron Spa, Julie Tremaine, Providence Monthly, Cyto Luxe facial, Wayland Square, manicure, facial, spa, salon, aveda

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