Nicole Goldsmith has a feeling heart. That’s why, when this holistic esthetician opened Parallel Skin Spa in 2017, she wasn’t content to focus just on her clients’ outer visage. Instead, with treatments ranging from lash lifts to hydro facials, Goldsmith greets each client with positive energy, focused intentionality, and honor for their most genuine selves.
“I try to work not only on the skin, but on the soul,” said Goldsmith, a Southwick native who calls on her skills as a licensed esthetician, Reiki master, certified yoga instructor, and sound healer to transform what could be routine age or acne management into an individualized, elevating, whole-person experience.
Sometimes, Goldsmith begins a skin session by coaching a client through deep breaths, helping them release the day’s baggage before sinking onto the bed. Other times, she leads with reiki or a sage smudge. Whichever approach fits a client best, “I really like to connect to the person,” Goldsmith said. “During the whole facial, I repeat affirmations for them in my mind, and I think that comes out through my hands.”
Goldsmith’s brand of blending clinical skin care with nurturing energy work fills a need many clients never knew they had. “Where energy used to be considered ‘woo-woo,’ people are gravitating toward these services,” Goldsmith said. “In this corner of Massachusetts, there are so many people who want more. The world is shifting. With everything that’s going on, people want something that’s going to work for them.”
Indeed, attention to energy is a part of everything Goldsmith does. At home, she dedicates 20 minutes of every day to Kundalini yoga, nourishing herself with breathwork, positive visualization, and manifestation before breakfast.
Now, the life she once only visualized for herself is quite real.
In just four years, this 29-year-old business owner has grown roots so deep in the community, she brought on two estheticians, Jessica Boisvert and Stephanie Cordiano, to meet growing demand. “Jess and Steph are wonderful team members,” she said. “They allow a fit for everyone. I’m the most soul care/skin care, Jess is the most results driven, and Steph is a mixture of both of us.”
Goldsmith also transformed her spa - beautiful, post-and-beam rooms above Sheldon’s Ice Cream in Southampton - into a cocoon of caring spaces with names such as “Starry Night” and “Sirocco,” (from the Arabic for ‘desert breeze’). She has two, luxurious treatment rooms, two waiting areas, 24/7 online scheduling, and a micro boutique where guests can purchase skincare products and distinctive gifts such as custom candles, funky jewelry, upcycled flannels, and gemstone collections to attract blessings such as health, fertility, or companionship.
Upstairs, Goldsmith repurposed the building’s attic into a bohemian-style loft. Welcomingly adorned with cushions and yoga mats, it’s a charming retreat for the spa’s transcendental workshops, which include guided meditation, sound healing, women’s circles, centering, and more.
“Those are amazing events. I love them,” smiled Goldsmith, touching a mallet to a crystal singing bowl. The movement released an expansive note that filled the room like a zephyr before fading away. “To me, wellness is something that starts internally, with your energy; with doing things with intention.”
If you’ve ever met someone with perfect looks but bad energy, you know what Goldsmith means. Impossible to see yet impossible to hide, energy is the accessory that makes us seem welcoming or distant, present or distracted, cold or kind.
Goldsmith’s own energy is open, purposeful, calm.
“I feel genuinely at peace here,” Goldsmith affirmed. “This is my passion. I’m not looking for the next thing. This is super fulfillment.”
