ARCHITECTURAL AUTHENTICITY With 25 years of worldwide architectural experience under his belt, architect Carmine Carapella has moved his firm from the Strip District to 425 Cochran Road. Carapella Architecture comprises owner and principal Carmine Carapella and graduate architect Benjamin Schanfish. Carapella, Longridge Drive, made the decision to move to a new space as he wished to be closer to home. Carapella’s focus is residential architecture. He has worked with Mt. Lebanon clients in the past and is excited to further these relationships and increase exposure of his services with this new location.
His designs reflect traditional architectural styles. This approach, in his opinion, evokes a stronger feeling of a real home and not just a simple dwelling.
“Our architectural built environment, especially here in Mt. Lebanon, is composed for its vast majority by traditional homes, some of which are really gorgeous,” says Carapella. “So designing a traditional home helps in preserving the authentic identity of our community.”
Carapella has gained architectural knowledge and experience from a global perspective. Born in Italy and educated in Italy, Germany and the United States, Carapella has a cultural and historical outlook of architecture which has shaped his vision and philosophy.
“I do believe that all of these experiences built a unique cultural blend so I can move and master any traditional style, from authentic Italian-Tuscan home design to a typical American-Georgian house,” says Carapella.
Carapella says his firm’s philosophy is based on the principles of delivery, service and long-term client value in addition to maximizing the potential of a site or existing structure and using high quality materials. Carapella Architecture is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Details: carapellarchitecture.com [1].
BRAZILIAN WAXING There’s a famous scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin where Steve Carell’s rather hairy character gets a particularly painful body waxing, he screams in pain and invokes the name of Kelly Clarkson. Even Kelly Clarkson thought it was funny.
But in real life, waxing should not be excruciating enough for you to shriek the names of pop stars. At the newly minted Brazilian Wax and Spa by Claudia, 660 Washington Road, owner Rachel Goldman wants you to have a totally relaxing and lush experience “from the lobby to the treatment room and back,” she says. The spa, which specializes in hair removal and facial treatments, offers the exclusive sugaring process, which removes hair with just three ingredients: sugar, water and lemon juice in an organic, custom-blended formula.
Clients can also have hair removed by the threading process, which uses a twisted thread to smooth the skin. The spa also offers traditional waxing, IPL laser hair removal and endermologie treatments, called Detox. Sessions can be purchased individually or in a pass that gives free treatments with the purchase of multiple sessions. Brazilian Wax and Spa is a franchise owned by Claudia Rissardi. Goldman worked for Claudia at her original spa in Charleston, South Carolina before moving to Pittsburgh when her husband, Evaldo Nascimento, relocated his flooring business here. Goldman cleaned houses for three years to save money to buy her own franchise.
“I fell in love with Washington Road and how tight the community was,” she says of her location. “It just felt right with my soul.”
The spa, which has a staff of five, has a retail section that sells vegan facial products, body scrubs, bath products, soaps and body oils, as well as treatments you can use before waxing to numb the skin. Clients are welcome to complimentary wine, coffee, tea and lattes at every visit.
Waxes change every season. The summer’s coconut blend morphed into a honey blend for fall this year. “It’s like a candy shop,” Goldman says of the spa. The spa is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 412-668-0260 or go to www.byclaudiaspas.com [2] to book a session. The spa also has an app for smartphones.