Natura Spa, on Steinway Street in Queens, is busy on a September Saturday.
By Daniel O'Connor
December 8, 2023
On a Saturday morning in one of the most diverse neighborhoods on Earth, the primpers of Astoria, Queens were ready to change their looks as summer turned to autumn. There are dozens of salons on Steinway Street, a bustling thoroughfare sporting signs in Arabic, Spanish and Greek, but many Astorians in the know made their way to Natura Spa, a Brazilian-owned beauty salon that owner Lilian Metzger said prides itself on giving clients the haircut they need — not necessarily the haircut they want.
Under an impressive arch of flowers, the salon’s physical footprint — three stories — is striking. Inside, the weekly brunch was in full swing. As well-groomed stylists from around the world worked on hair, backs and feet, clients sipped mimosas and grazed on a spread of pastries and fruit.
Flower-decorated booklets describe Natura’s treatments. A lip wax, their cheapest service, is $10. But Natura’s most popular treatment, the balayage hair coloring, costs between $140 and $450.
Weaving gracefully through the salon’s chairs was the flower-tender, mimosa-maker and spa owner, Metzger.
Metzger had no formal training in hairdressing, waxing or massage when she started Natura Spa 17 years ago, but by learning from her team, she built a salon that was ranked the 18th best spa in New York City by TimeOut magazine last May.
Originally a clothier in Brazil, Metzger moved to Astoria, where she developed a loyal client base in the neighborhood’s Brazilian community and beyond.
“I have a client that’s been with me for fifteen years,” she said. “Their daughters become my clients.”
Her stylists are central to her growing business and she is picky in hiring. Most of her stylists are required to practice spa services on Metzger herself as a part of the interview process.
“If they don’t know [the skills] then I end up getting hurt,” she said, laughing. Burns, bad haircuts and waxing mishaps are a part of the job.
Metzger trains her stylists to wonder not what a client wants, but what will look best. If a client wants a treatment or haircut that would not suit them, Metzger said she will try to persuade the client out of it.
“I am a Latina. Many people like me… want to be blonde, but the hair, my hair cannot take a bleach because it’s going to break,” she said. “We try to guide, show something else.”
Some salons would follow customers’ orders regardless of what look will work for them, but not on Metzger’s watch. If a blonde woman were suddenly to want to dye her hair black or green, Metzger said she would take her into a side room to discuss what’s really going on in her life before letting the client get an impulsive and expensive dye job she might regret.
“[We] try to, you know, talk to the client before. You see the personality, see how is their life.” she said. “I think we really try to connect with the clients, so [we] get more of what’s really inside.”
For Rodrigo Carvalho, a Brazilian stylist who has worked at Natura for a few years, the spa is an outlet for his talents.
Originally studying to be an engineer, Carvalho said he started caring for a friend’s hair impulsively as a teenager. Eventually his work was discovered by a professional, inspiring him to change career paths. Metzger hired him on a chance encounter, and now she lauds his “passion for curly hair.”
Over the sounds of brunch, Carvalho’s quick, focused clips brought order to one woman’s head.
Melina Virdone has been a client for over a decade. A Brazilian herself, she said she comes back to Natura to be understood.
“Culturally they understand what my needs are,” she said. “The place is extremely clean, and that’s a major issue for us, you know, us Brazilians.”
As the morning turned to afternoon and the pastries went stale, Rodrigo and his coworkers grew busier, returning to their chairs soaked in the suffocating aroma of hair products. The clientele was as diverse as the staff, who come from the Balkans, South America and Asia.
"It’s a mixed neighborhood, so I have people from all over the world.” Metzger said. “That’s what’s making New York, right?”
Metzger poses for a photo in front of her floral archway.
