Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/292821
18 When you walk into the Violet Skin Boutique spa in downtown Hingham, you know that you are in for a treat. The chic interiors, calm atmosphere and highly trained staff put this new beauty spot on the 'must see' and 'must try' list. It's not just the overall feel and aesthetic of the spa; the services and products that they offer are second to none and they're guaranteed to change how you take care of your skin. With a highly sought after line of natural, anti-aging skin care products and a full-range of spa services—such as facials, skin consultations, massages, body treatments and hair removal— the Violet Skin Boutique's newest spa is a much needed addition to the South Shore's beauty offerings. The women behind this business certainly know their stuff. Twins Rousana Gevondian - and Susanna Nassar have worked with their mother, Violet Mkhitaryan, in order to expand this growing business beyond its roots on Newbury St and their other spa in Brookline. According to Susanna, who also has a nursing degree and an MBA, their natural skin care lines and popular full-service spas offer something unique and special to their clients. There are no harsh chemicals or synthetic preservatives in their products and they source the best natural ingredients that the world has to offer: from Bulgarian rosewater and Moroccan argan oil to Seabuckthorn oil from Russia. Their products are freshly made on a weekly basis and some of them are so fresh that they require refrigeration. Local, as well as global expansion, has been afoot for this company, and they opened the doors of their Hingham spa in September 2013. What prompted a second spa in Hingham? According to Susanna, they started to notice that a lot of their clients at the Brookline spa were traveling up from the South Shore in order to have treatments and purchase Violet products. With this in mind, it made perfect sense for the Violet Skin Boutique to open up a second location on 99 South St in downtown Hingham. A short time after the Hingham spa opened its doors, its lead aesthetician, Kate Casassa, noticed that people were coming in with different kinds of skin issues than in Brookline. These included problems like broken capillaries, skin pigmentation, and other sensitivities. Kate states, "Because the South Shore community does a lot of boating, beach-going and skiing, we see people come in with very sensitive skin, a lot of rosacea and a lot of sun damage." She adds, "Those activities can really ravage skin. The skin problems down here are different than what we see in the city." What can you do to combat damage from the sea, sun and slopes? First off, the Violent Skin Boutique offers a free skin consultation to all new clients and their website has some great deals on both spa treatments and products. If you're interested in trying one of their services, Kate firmly recommend that you start with a facial. The by RT Conroy, photography by Susan Hagstrom