At-home services add a bit of luxury to the lockdown

For a price, anyone can skip to the front of lines and avoid the crowds

In the bedroom of her East Village, New York, apartment, Alison Mazur relaxed into her chair and sighed contentedly while an aesthetician coated her nails in taupe polish. It was the first professional manicurepedicure she’d had in four months, since coronavirus restrictions forced salons across the country to close their doors.

Mazur had to put her normal beauty regimen, which included regular manicures, on hold during the pandemic. But between anxiety about the virus and the stress of running her photography business, she eventually realized she wanted to take a little time for herself.

“I was like, what the heck, I live in New York City — there’s got to be a company that’s doing something to accommodate self-care during this time,” she said.

A Google search led her to MySpa2Go, which is based in the city and provides at-home nail services, waxing, facials, makeup, eyelash extensions, haircuts and massages, for a premium price. A deluxe manicure-pedicure runs $125, notably higher than the usual price at a New York City nail salon.

“Considering that I hadn’t gotten one in so long, it was a special treat,” Mazur said.

Before the pandemic, getting a manicure, buying a movie ticket, attending an exercise class or going on a shopping trip were relatively affordable pastimes for the upper-middle class. But the virus has increasingly made these pursuits even more exclusive — available at a premium for those affluent enough to enjoy them in a private setting.

Miss going to the movies? For about $350, you can rent an entire auditorium at Moviehouse & Eatery, a luxury theatre chain in Texas. Eager to get back to your exercise routine? Gymguyz, a personal training company based in Plainview, New York, offers socially distanced one-on-one workouts in customers’ homes or backyards for $70 to $100.

These offerings are an extension of a trend that predates the virus, an invisible velvet rope rising between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else. They allow wealthy customers to skip to the front of lines and avoid crowds, hassle and wasted time.

But in a COVID-19 world, crowds and lines are more than just inconveniences — they are threats to health and, in some cases, to survival.

Thus, the pandemic has given wealthy customers an even stronger incentive to take advantage of luxury services that physically separate them from the masses.

“The idea that we’re all in this pandemic together is in some ways right,” said Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University. “But it quickly gets undermined when it becomes clear that millions feel trapped and a select few have their own private yacht or luxury jet as an escape hatch.”

Demand for MySpa2Go’s services quadrupled after the pandemic hit, and the company has a waitlist of 10 to 15 people on any given day, its owner, Lori Traub, said.

“People have been calling and begging for services, telling us that they would pay any amount of money to have services done,” she said. “They were literally saying: ‘Charge me double. Charge me triple. I’ll pay anything to get service.’ ”

Blade, a private helicopter and jet company, has seen an uptick in customers for its flights, like one that goes from New York to the Hamptons for $795. Elite Adventure Tours, based in Los Angeles, is getting more requests for yacht rentals for socially distanced summertime excursions, costing $15,000 a day. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, set on 2,000 acres in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, is offering a socially distanced retreat experience. For as much as $900 a night, guests get a butler who plans private leisure activities, including watching movies solo at the resort’s theatre or enjoying private use of its tennis courts, museums or shops.

Parents are also finding ways for their children to continue pursuing athletic ambitions. In Hopkins, Minnesota, 43 Hoops Basketball Academy offers private training for $75 to $90 an hour. Elite Method, in Englewood, New Jersey, provides “concierge-style” one-on-one sports coaching and mentoring to children in their own backyard for $250 for a 90-minute session.

“The people that can afford this, the people that can pay private educators $50 an hour to come in and teach their kids, or hire a camp counselor to create summer camp for their children, are really the upper echelon of society,” Provinziano said.

The pandemic has given wealthy customers an even stronger incentive to take advantage of luxury services