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Cosmetic tattoo artist Ashley Ciepiela and licensed esthetician Rebecca Moore stand beside the separate signs of their cosmetic tattoo and facial treatment businesses that share a location in the Union Block in Dalton.
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Ciepiela and Moore say they wanted to create a welcoming and accepting environment for their patrons.

Arch and Rose Quartz SPAtique Opens in Dalton

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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Ciepiela and Moore said they have been working on the space since first seeing it in March. They opened for business on Saturday. 
DALTON, Mass. — The Arch and Rose Quartz SPAtique, located at 395 Main St., opened its doors this weekend. 
 
Cosmetic tattoo artist Ashley Ciepiela and licensed esthetician Rebecca Moore have worked together on this dual business venture to create an inviting space where people feel comfortable sharing their insecurities. 
 
"Being a cosmetic tattoo artist, I'm asking people to come in and let me stare at their insecurities. I'm asking them to come in and talk about something that they probably don't like about themselves. That's why they're coming in," Ciepiela said. 
 
"So to have that safe space where people can come as they are, and leave even better is probably everything that we've ever dreamed of. Because we want people to feel comfortable, and we want them to come in and feel safe in the skin that they might not feel is theirs." 
 
Rose Quartz SPAtique provides services such as facial treatments, eyelash extensions, facial waxing, reiki services, and more. 
 
In the next month or so, Moore plans to have her favorite professional-grade skincare lines available for purchase which includes HydroPeptide, Sorella Apothecary, Green Envy, and SkinCareRx. 
 
"They're all clean, nontoxic, beautiful products that are results driven. I have all sorts of price ranges so it is affordable, and I want people to feel comfortable knowing that they can come here instead of a big box store and playing the guessing game," Moore said. 
 
"So many people use drugstore quality products but they don't realize how many toxic ingredients and hormone disruptors and nasty stuff is in there because the FDA is not the best, so to be able to offer beautiful clean beauty products is huge for me."
 
Moore was inspired by her grandmother, who would always wear makeup — even just to get mail. 
 
"My passion for the most part is facials. I love being able to help people feel comfortable in their skin ... my Nanny was actually the one that got me into skincare and makeup," she said. "She inspired me because she's like, if your skin is good your makeup is gonna look good."
 
Book an appointment with Rose Quartz SPAtique to receive facials and skin care treatments here
 
The Arch provides microblading and faux freckles services but is looking to expand to include paramedical aspects, such as scar camouflage.
 
Ciepiela's ultimate goal with paramedical would be to provide breast and areola tattoos for breast cancer survivors. 
 
Each category for paramedical services has separate training courses. She hopes to have scar camouflage by spring and a few other services by summer. 
 
Book an appointment with The Arch to receive microblading or faux freckles services here
 
In an effort to collaborate with smaller local businesses, they decorate their storefront with homemade goods. 
 
"We just want to lift people up by giving them that space to do their thing. I mean, we love the look of everything that is handmade by them so why not decorate our space with them," Ciepiela said.
 
"Like we don't want to sell people's things. We want them to sell their own things. But in a space where people will see them a little bit more."
 
Berkshire County has a lot of small businesses and they want to be able to lift each other, which is different from the competitive business rivalry mindset that existed when they were growing up, Moore said.
 
"I'm in competition with myself every day to better myself. So to be able to offer space for other small businesses to come and sell their products that they make with love and passion it really makes our hearts happy to offer that to the public," Moore said.
 
The duo leased the space in March and since then have worked often into the night to make it their own. 
 
"We signed the lease for this space, when we saw it in March, immediately. The character that this place has feels like home to us," Ciepiela said.
 
"We've put so much work into this since then. It is absolutely our baby, for sure. This is a place we want to be when we're done working. And we don't even want to go home."
 
Ciepiela and Moore put their "blood, sweat, and tears" into renovating the space to suit their needs and create an accepting environment for their patrons. 
 
The duo painted over the once green walls to white. They received help from New Moon Gifts owner  Robert Bourdon, who sprayed the ceiling black. 
 
They hired a licensed contractor to build another room so that they were able to house both their businesses under one roof.
 
Both businesses will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 until 5:30 by appointment only but people are welcome to request an appointment later in the day or on a day that they are closed if it works better for them. 
 
Ciepiela and Moore noted that serving the community is important to them and that making their services as accessible as possible is a way they can do that. 

Tags: new business,   spa,   tattoos,   

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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