Our Story
The Day Spa Industry was first created by Noëlle founder, Noel de Caprio in the early 70s.
Modern Salon Magazine dates its creation as 1972, but its beginning was somewhat earlier as Noel dreamt of bringing European-style spa services to her local Connecticut clientele.
A Brief History
At the time - 1960 - she was one of four partners who owned an upscale salon at 976 High Ridge Road in Stamford, CT. Its name was HRH, or Her Royal Highness.
Spa services mixed with traditional salon services fused to become the first “day spa”. Noel developed what she called a “Day of Beauty” - a package that married the familiar hair and nail services with more exotic facial and massage services. The “Day” was an instant hit with her existing clientele and became a sensation with a wider audience after a rave review appeared in the New York Times about this latest thing. Success was rapid, eventually attracting the attention of the Gillette Corporation. A strategic alliance agreement between Noëlle and Gillette in 1982 was intended to open Noëlle Spas nationwide. With two of the new ventures opened, one in Atlanta, GA, another in Bethesda, MD, and a third due to open in Eastchester, NY, Noel was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The prognosis, delivered in the lobby of Sloan-Kettering Hospital was “not good”. Noel was given three months to live and told to “get her affairs in order”. She listened politely, pretty much ignored the pronouncement, and lived for another fourteen years.
During that time, she continued to improve her business, raised a family, offered help and guidance to hundreds of women in similar circumstances, and generally lived her life to the fullest.
This business, with its worldwide reputation, is part of her legacy. As always, Noëlle Spa for Beauty and Wellness will be a testament to her courage and her love of life. It is a grand story.
A Remembrance
It was seemingly a dark time, yet also hopeful, life-affirming, and ultimately enlightening. Noel was given her diagnosis in a room stuffed with white-coated doctors who were straightforwardly predicting an abbreviated life. What she heard was something to the effect of “get your affairs in order”. She smiled, thanked the good doctors for their help, and went out of the room as though graciously leaving a social event. She and I had held ourselves in check perhaps more from shock than any notion of keeping a stiff upper lip.
Once the emotion hit, the wave of what she faced nearly drowned us both. Noel had friends and family who were intimately involved in medicine, health & healing, and spiritual matters. She had faith, strength beyond measure, and iron will, yet, for all that, she initially chose to hide and deny reality. The staff at Noelle was sworn to secrecy, her family only told the bare essentials, and she refused to let the news flow to her fledgling relationship with Gillette Corporation, fearing the consequences of such a disclosure.
That changed when her chemo sessions were no longer in New York City and came to Stamford, her community. Those initial fears were somehow distilled into actions. She felt that broadcasting her situation would help her community weather similar storms. Her rallying cry became “show them how to have cancer”. Her ability to publicize her plight created an inspirational sphere that would touch and help hundreds of women in similar straits. Anyone who reached out received advice or admonishment or a pep talk or a scolding - whatever the situation called for - whatever the particular person needed to hear.
In doing those encounters and living completely and tending to her own well-being, totally, she added fourteen years to her initial prognosis and forever changed how our lives proceeded.
Now, we are here, at a crux again, maintaining our history, reckoning with a present that is chaotic, and planning for a future that is always full of promise and hope.
It was seemingly a dark time, then, and yet out of that came such light, such understanding, such growth. I and we and this company - as has been for over 60 years - will continue to be a refuge, a hospitable place to unwind, rewind, look and feel ourselves again.
Welcome - we look forward to seeing you.
-Peter de Caprio