For many St Pete families, this has been an incredibly challenging season. Through some magic of…read morethe algorithm, burned-out after two of the most stressful weeks of my life, I saw a post by the generous owner of Toma Head Spa offering to support those impacted by the hurricanes. I cried and messaged her with embarrassment that I had not had a wash day in over a week (we returned from Milton evacuation to unexpectedly find sewage backflow). She booked me an appointment for the following afternoon.
To say I felt pampered doesn't even cover it. From start to finish my whole experience was one of kindness, gentleness and care. Traffic was a disaster so I was running late, and then on top of that I went to the wrong location (don't make the same mistake I did, they have a studio in Salon Sequence, which has more than one location in St Pete; Toma is on 1st Ave N close to US-19, whereas at first I accidentally went to a Central Ave address).
Tania greeted me at the entrance, and we walked to their quiet fully private space, where she explained the services to me and discussed my hair type to make sure my treatment would have the best results. My hair is dense + thick 3A curly, and was quite knotted when I arrived, which Tania let me know isn't ideal as they are not a salon, but she completely understood the circumstances and rolled with it, brushing me out gently before getting into the treatment.
It's important to note that Toma is staffed by licensed estheticians, not cosmetologists, so their goal is to treat the skin, not deal with any styling of hair. This said, it was amazing to see with their special camera tool just how stressed my scalp was when I arrived- flaky with natural and product buildup, irritated in some areas, and overall an accurate reflection of how gross and exhausted I was feeling.
After changing into a spa robe and getting on the table, I was treated to an hour of steam, massage, shampoos, aromatherapy, and cascading water from their unique head spa fountain. It was the most calming, relaxing experience, so much different than other treatments I've had. I'm no stranger to facials or massage, but something about the scalp given particular attention was so rejuvenating and restorative.
And the results were undeniable- a repeat look at my scalp showed a completely different situation than when I'd arrived. Clean and fresh, with healthy open follicles; it was so satisfying to see the results, but even more-so to take in how different I felt after the session. The sense of relief and peace after 90 minutes focused on taking care of me was the best transformation.
I am now a regular client and am looking forward to my next session. Thank you Tania and the Toma team for truly turning around a tough time for me.