A celebrity-loved New York beauty salon got a blast from the past when a client came in to redeem a gift voucher that they had received for Christmas over 30 years ago.
Mario Badescu, the famed beauty brand founded by a man of the same name back in 1967, took to Instagram recently to share an image of the ‘relic’ gift card, while detailing the moment that a woman, known only as Susan, walked into the New York location and tried to redeem her gift from 1985.
‘Imagine our surprise when this relic—a gift certificate from 1985 (!)—was redeemed at our salon *just* last month,’ the brand wrote.
Bold move! A customer successfully redeemed a gift card from 1985 at celebrity-loved New York salon Mario Badescu
But despite its age, the brand chose to honor the certificate; when asked by a commentor if the woman had been allowed to redeem it, a representative responded, ‘Yes we did!’
To accompany the dated piece of paper, the brand also highlighted similarly vintage items, like Badescu’s second book ‘Mario Badescu’s Skin Care Program for Men’, which was published in 1981.
Guru: Celebrity facialist Mario Badescu opened his NYC salon in 1967 to spread his signature European-style services
One of the brand’s cult favorite products, the Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater, which was launched just a few years later, in 1988, was also featured in the image – as was another much-loved item, the blemish-fighting Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.
Romanian-born Badescu arrived in New York in the 1960s keen to spread his European-style facials, and transformed his Midtown East apartment on Manhattan’s 52nd street into a spa in order to pursue that goal.
Fast forward to the present and Mario Badsecu’s New York facialists perform over two hundred services a day in the same building, which has since been converted into a 36-room treatment studio – and thankfully for Susan, the location clearly still treasures pieces of its history, like her gift certificate.
Customizable facials at the serene location start at $50-$65, significantly less than many of New York’s other top spas.
While it is unknown how much Susan’s gift card was purchased for, it appears to have been a Christmas present from someone named Warren, according to the signature across the bottom.
Skin heaven: The midtown New York spa where a woman successfully redeemed a gift card purchased in 1985
Celeb favorite: Mario Badescu counts Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey as fans
Fans of the brand praised its decision to honor the voucher, with one social media user even recalling a similar experience when a gift card dating from the 1980s was recently accepted at the restaurant chain Ruby’s.
It’s estimated that stores could make up to $372 million in profit every year from unused gift cards.
Badescu’s best-selling eponymous beauty line is now comprised of over 200 products and is stocked at retailers such as ULTA, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Blue Mercury.
Some of the most famous products, including the baby pink-hued Drying Lotion, were formulated as far back as the 1960s.
While he is now barely visible in the public eye himself, Badescu’s high profile devotees include Opray Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, Liv Tyler, Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell, Martha Stewart, Brad Pitt and Leighton Meester.
The celebrated skin care brand previously went viral when a jealous boyfriend seemingly got the wrong end of the stick about exactly who Mario Badescu is.
A screenshot of an iMessage did the rounds in April 2017, purportedly showing text messages from a jilted male grilling his girlfriend about who Mario Badescu is – seemingly convinced that he was another man in her life.
‘Actually don’t answer,’ the second text read, before the boyfriend concluded: ‘I hope he makes you happy.’
Viral: A jealous boyfriend became an instant meme when he questioned his girlfriend’s love for Mario Badesc