Hyde-Edwards Salon and Spa and the Other Little Italy

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The festive downtown neighborhood of Little Italy is stereotyped as a cultural hub of Italian restaurants (mostly of Busalacchi fame) and elegant wine bars.

However, visiting Little Italy and missing the bold presence of urban art and design galleries and beauty and lifestyle boutiques sprinkled along Kettner would be just as wrong as strolling down India and missing the arrayed bottles of pinot noir paired with mounds of spaghetti bolognese.

With the first annual Taste of Little Italy freshly behind us, I invite you to put down your beloved fork and discover the other Little Italy. This tight-knit harbor-side community may begin on India, but the eclectic overflow onto Kettner embodies the heart of neighborhood. From Salon Tonic on India and Station Boutique just off India to the Museum of Contemporary Art and Hyde-Edwards Salon and Spa on Kettner, the buzz of art, beauty and lifestyle is alive and well in Little Italy.

To better understand this other culture, I spent an afternoon with Hyde-Edwards Salon and Spa. Just as Disconnected Salon is the spa-epitome of North Park and Lounge Esthetique is in all ways representative of East Village, every inch of Hyde-Edwards radiates with the boutique passion and entrepreneurial independence of Little Italy.

Visualize walking into Basic Urban Bar and Kitchen in East Village, stripping the industrial loft space of all beer taps and pizza platters, adding stark white accent walls adorned with understated murals and nature-inspired décor. Then, delicately place a twenty-booth salon station in the center, a mani/pedi lounge off to one side, and a hidden full-service spa in the back. Hyde-Edwards is to salon and spa-goers what Basic is to bar-hoppers; a straight-forward urban refuge for the undeniably hip.

My first-impression comparison to Basic was confirmed as I entered the huge, industrial glass doors only to be greeted by a champagne flute from Rebecca, the delightfully down-to-earth British owner of Hyde-Edwards Salon and Spa.

The original brick walls and wooden floors from the days of the old Macaroni Factory are again exposed, and the simple black leather lobby lounge furniture is shaded by a large stencil depiction of a gothic tree's black silhouette, detailed with tiny leaves and stems intermixed with abstract salon tools. Also in the lobby sits a petite mineral makeup counter and an impromptu boutique showcasing the jewelry designs of local artists amid shiny black stones.

Just off the lobby, tall faux greenery invites guests into the central salon. First, we meet the nail room: a mix of black and chocolate brown leather booths, complete with spa stations, welcome those manicure and pedicure-bound. Soft brick walls are broken only by a large window overlooking Kettner foot traffic. The main salon speaks in simplicity with twenty hair stations made of black chairs and tall black framed mirrors, and a wash and color room sits just off the main salon. Most notable are the strikingly tall ceilings - the original building's wood framing revamped with steel work perfectly executed by Rebecca's husband.

"I like simplicity." Rebecca explains. "We're about quality, not quantity. So many salons and spas try to do too much and be too much." Rebecca also jokes that her free-spirited salon stylists color the room with their bright personalities.

While Hyde-Edwards is most well known for the salon, I encourage all downtown San Diego beauty aficionados to discover the Hyde-Edwards spa. Hidden in the far back, this private full-service day spa is one of the most comfortable spa environments I've yet visited. As I left the industrial salon, I felt as though I had entered the comfortable-yet-lavish living room at a good friend's house.

The spa services are divided among three rooms: wet, refine, relax - housing vichy water treatments, facials, and massage, respectively. A fourth room is also available upstairs - and may soon be home to additional medical spa services. The downstairs spa domain is a completely different vibe than the salon. In contrast to the urban mood of the salon, he spa is lightly decorated with tall, slender glass vases filled deep with water and floating ivory candles.

I lounged on soft tan couches, sipped champagne, tasted fresh strawberries, and chatted openly with Adam, my massage therapist for the afternoon. In this friend's house metaphor, Adam would be the (dream) best friend - who just happens to be incredibly good looking and multitalented in all the spa gifts of massage.

If you've never experienced a water treatment with the Vichy shower (or the full-body sponge bath equivalent at a posh Hollywood hospital), it's about time you let your guard down and go for it. This luxurious Hyde-Edwards triple-service experience features a neck and back massage, a full-body scrub, and a full-body Vichy shower treatment.

Clad only in white towels, I felt surprisingly comfortable in the soothing, low-lit wet room. The massage relaxed my body, relieving all stress from the day. The exfoliating organic coconut and raw sugar scrub revitalized my skin, leaving only silk where trouble once was. And the Vichy shower felt almost too good to be true. From front to back and head to toe, my whole body was drenched in this decadent massage bath of perfectly warm water. During and in between steps, Adam also placed hot stones along problematic areas on my back. This blend of heat and massage stimulates the nervous system, increases circulation, and releases toxins. As I emerged from the wet room after what seemed like hours of indulgence, I felt completed energized and alive.

Other Hyde-Edwards spa services offered are: facials, hand and eye treatments, signature peels, arrayed massage, aromatherapy, masks and body wraps - in addition to waxing, make-up, nails, and hair in the main salon.

Little Italy is no longer solely a pasta and tourism centric community. Despite the proximity to the Star of India and the row of Italian restaurants and quaint wine bars, Little Italy is an up-and-coming neighborhood of artists and independent lifestyle and beauty boutiques. I encourage all twenty and thirty somethings living in the maze of high-rise condo developments in Little Italy to discover Hyde-Edwards Salon and Spa - a lifestyle and beauty boutique truly representative of the other Little Italy.

Insider Tip: Ladies - skip the carb parade on India and save your dough for an afternoon of beauty on Kettner. You definitely want to check out a Vichy treatment in the wet room at the "home" of my new friend Adam. What could be better than over-an-hour of spa indulgence with a beautiful male massage therapist?