Mona Lisa eco Spa’Lon opens its doors in Avon Lake

AVON LAKE, Ohio — Another new business has sprung up in Avon Lake, this one in an almost secretive location on Lake Road.

Call it a speakeasy for hair and skin care.

The Mona Lisa eco Spa’Lon has opened to great fanfare earlier this month, featuring a bazaar with local vendors, food, festivities and even chair massages.

Located at 33467 Lake Road in the alley, in Suite 110, the new hair and skin care salon is eclectic in style and makes no apologies for bringing a little glam to Avon Lake.

Founded and owned by the daughter of parents who fled communist Romania in the 1980s, when she was 11 years old, Mona Hirst has been a stylist for nearly 30 years and an outspoken advocate for beauty and creativity.

Known for its commitment to eco-friendly practices and certified natural products sourced from Italy, Mona Lisa eco Spa’Lon offers a full range of salon and spa experiences in a relaxing, boutique environment.

They offer hair and skin care services to both men and women, although Hirst acknowledges that the vast majority of her clientele are women who want to look and feel their best.

She calls opening her boutique in Avon Lake a homecoming, after having to shut down her former Avon Lake salon a few years back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many such service businesses to close.

She then opened a shop in Lorain. And while that shop will remain open, she is looking forward to seeing many of her old Avon Lake clientele again.

She lamented that even though her shop in Lorain isn’t that far away from Avon Lake, many of the patrons simply didn’t want to drive there.

So she’s had her sights set on reopening in Avon Lake ever since.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I think it’s all about making women feel powerful and bringing out their natural beauty,” Hirst said.

“It’s what I live for. I truly enjoy it. I love giving the makeover treatment, doing something different. Maybe a fresh color or a new skin treatment.

““We offer the best stylists and a truly relaxing salon and spa experience where our clients are pampered and unhurried,” Hirst said.

“Our focus is on natural products and hair color — no keratin, perms or relaxers. I like to bring out everyone’s awesome.

“To me, it’s about creativity and artistry, and applying that to making someone look and feel their best.”

But there was a time when Hirst certainly didn’t feel either. At only 11 years old, her family fled Romania during the communist revolution and the eventual overthrow of its communist government.

Her family fled to Egypt before ultimately arriving in Bay Village, where the young girl first attended school.

And she didn’t speak a word of English.

She shares great stories about what the time was like, learning English from her teachers, television and friends.

There were times when her classmates would teach her curse words, which she would then innocently ask teachers about, as she was unaware of their meaning.

But she soldiered on from the initial teasing to speak perfect English with no noticeable accent — something she said she is very proud of and worked very hard at for years.

Originally as a youth, Hirst said she wanted to be an artist, and several of her original paintings hang in the boutique.

But she was a pragmatist who understood that she needed a reliable income. So she traded in a cloth canvas for a human one.

“This is my art,” she smiled. “And I’m excited to return to where it all started.

“Avon Lake is a great place to own a business, and our new location will be more convenient for our clients from Avon Lake, Bay Village, North Ridgeville and Avon.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Mona Lisa eco Spa’Lon back to the city,” said Avon Lake Community Development Director Ted Esborn.

“Businesses like Mona Lisa enhance our community by providing high-quality, natural beauty and wellness services, and promoting the importance of taking time for self-care to individuals’ overall well-being.

“It is great to have them back in Avon Lake for our residents.”

For more information about Mona Lisa eco Spa’Lon, visit mlspalon.com.

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