Sandy and Cosmo Barbetta, owners of Cosmos Salon and Day Spa, are celebrating 30 years of living and working in Northeast Mesa.
“Cosmo and I credit our ongoing success to working hard to be on the cutting edge of our field, through training, education and dedication,” Sandy said. “Our business philosophy is family comes first, and job is second. You have to have that balance for yourself and your staff.”
And the whole Barbetta family works in the salon together. Daughter, Terese Barbetta, and daughter and son-in-law, Dana and Chris Chapin, all are stylists.
The family initially moved to Arizona from Chicago for their daughter’s health, selling their salon business and building there. For a while, Sandy and Cosmo worked together at a high-end Scottsdale salon. They soon decided to open a business of their own again, and constructed a 2,500 square-foot salon building at McKellips and Gilbert roads.
Cosmo claims they were the very first computerized salon in Arizona. “In 1985, we hired a computer expert from California to set up a computer program for our business,” the salon owner said. “He spent three months living in our basement while we worked on the project,” Cosmos related with a laugh. “When we first introduced the computers to the workplace, everyone hated them. A few weeks later, everyone was loving them, and couldn’t do without them.”
In 1998, they expanded their salon to 5,000 square feet, and opened the first day spa in Mesa.
Sandy is well known in the Valley as the stylist to many local TV celebrities. “It all started when several photos of my hairstyles were published in hundreds of style magazines worldwide,” Sandy related. “Some local TV producers noticed them, and asked the former Miss USA and TV anchor Jineane Ford to have me do her hair. Soon after, Carey Peña and others, like Catherine Anaya and Nicole Crites, became clients. It spread by word of mouth, and I have been fortunate to style many lovely women over the years.”
About the time they moved to the newly opened Las Sendas community, Sandy and Cosmo wanted a new and innovatively functional space. “The children were anxious to design our space to provide for our new look and trendy architecture,” Sandy said. “We also wanted to increase our spa services. Since we lived in Las Sendas, we decided to open our new location where we could be close to home.
“When we first moved to Mesa, Las Sendas didn’t even exist. Now, our whole family lives there, and all our grandchildren go to Las Sendas Elementary School,” Sandy continued. “Giving back to the community is great. We love it,” she exclaimed. And to prove it, the Cosmos staff is participating in the Las Sendas PTO Funtastic Harvest Festival, on Oct. 22, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., by offering prizes of a free feather hair attachment every 15 minutes, as well as raising funds for the school by selling the popular hair feather extensions at the event.
In addition, to celebrate, Cosmos is setting Saturday, Oct. 29 as Customer Appreciation Day. Every product in the salon will be 30 percent off. “From our family to yours, thank you for 30 fabulous years. We appreciate each and every one of you,” Sandy exclaimed.
For more information on Cosmos Salon and Day Spa products and services, call (480) 844-0707, or go to www.cosmosalonandspa.com. The salon is on the northeast corner of Power and McDowell roads in The Village at Las Sendas.