Kristin Kronafel mixes a marvelous mojito, but she also rolls out a hot poultice massage.
The Retreat barmaid now works a second job as a licensed massage therapist at Garbo’s Salon & Spa, 732 S. Crouse Ave., on the Syracuse University Hill.
While standard therapeutic massages remain popular, Kris takes her hands-on work to new levels with hot stones, green tea and lavender linen wraps and detoxifying mud wraps. Besides relaxing muscles, Kris polishes skin with a pomegranate sea salt body scrub and detoxifies skin with a caffeine-infused sugar scrub. Sounds delicious!
Then there’s the hot poultice massage. Kris uses a moist-hot herbal ball from Thailand to decrease inflammation and release tension or spasm in muscles.
“The scent of the steamed herbs is very relaxing as well,” she says.
Prices range from $40 for a standard 30-minute massage to $95 for the hot poultice treatment. Eight-dollar add-ons — such as hot towels, aromatherapy and hand or foot paraffin wrappings — are a real bargain.
Garbo’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; 422-6007; GarboSalonandSpa.com.
Squeaky clean
My Sept. 5 column on squeaky doors at village businesses received plenty of response. I’m proud to say my inky urgings resulted in the quieting of at least one of the offending hinges. At Emerald Cleaners, co-owner Shawn Liggett swiftly silenced his front door at 309 Vine St.
At Nichols Supermarket on First Street, owner Mike Hennigan called in a contractor to rid the store’s entrance of its incessant whine, but as of last weekend, the automatic door continued to squeal whenever it opened and closed.
Meanwhile, Ophelia’s Place founder Mary Ellen Clausen graciously gifted me with a trusty spray can of WD-40 and suggested “vigilante” justice. I believe I’ll start by oiling Ophelia’s creaky entryway at 407 Tulip St.
Sadly, the front door still squeals at the new White Water Pub on South Willow. They say they like it that way.
Sunny skies
The 2012 Liverpool is The Place Summer Concert Series concluded Aug. 22 with a performance by folk singers Alan Taylor and Two Feet Short honoring the late John Denver. Three large boxes of non-perishable food donations were made by audience members that evening, and I delivered the vittles to the St. Joseph the Worker Food Pantry.
For the first time in the last dozen years or so, there were no complete rainouts at Johnson Park this year, as each and every one of the 24 concerts was performed. Drizzle canceled a couple second sets, including the opening night’s scholastic jazz performance on June 4, but for the most part, the shows were staged under sunny skies.
Borek times three
Here’s a trivia question from the 2012 Liverpool Is The Place Summer Concert Series.
What Liverpool musician performed most often this year at Johnson Park?
The answer is saxophonist Carl Borek. The versatile reed player who doubles on clarinet performed patriotic music with the Liverpool Community Orchestra on July 2, played polka tunes with Jasiu Klocek’s Salt City Brass on Aug. 8, and then blew Dixie and swing standards with the Bear Cat Jass Band on Aug. 15. At that performance Carl played every saxophone imaginable, from the bass sax to the soprano sax and everything in between. His duets with fellow reed master Tom McKay on tunes such as Sidney Bechet’s “Petite Fleuer” were particularly impressive.
A few years ago Carl performed at Johnson Park with his own Little Jazz Trio. He also plays reeds with the Keyna Hora Klezmer Band which entertained Sept. 9, at the Jewish Cultural Festival in DeWitt.
Jason Maddison benefit
Speaking of live music, the Liverpool Volunteer Fire Department will host a benefit concert from 5 p.m. to midnight, on Saturday, Sept. 22, to help out Lt. Jason Maddison, who was recently diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease. Alex Boatman and The Boatmen will perform, and the headliner is Bob Greco, former lead singer from Nik & The Nice Guys.
Saturday’s concert will be staged at the fire department’s Station 2 on Seventh North Street. For info, call Capt. Charles Iavarone at 876-7613.
