Local Spa Owner is Now a Mary Kay 'Influencer'

At home, Maria Lekkakos is one of a handful of small business owners in downtown Wenham. On the road, Lekkakos meets with writers and editors from some of the top women’s magazines in the country, taking about the latest product line from Mary Kay.

Lekkakos recently inked a sponsorship deal from Mary Kay. Lekkakos, owner of , is a celebrity aesthetician, who last month traveled to New York City to introduce Mary Kay’s latest line – Botanical Effects - to editors from magazine including Allure, Good Housekeeping, In Style and Women’s Day.

She talks about Mary Kay’s new line and shows beauty writers and editors how it is used and explains the benefits of skin treatment.

“It has opened a lot of doors,” she said.

She now serves on Mary Kay’s “Influencer Panel.” She was named to the panel after Mary Kay sought her out after hearing about her skincare expertise and work with celebrities. The articles featuring Lekkakos will not likely appear in print for about six months, Lekkakos said.

Lekkakos ended up with the sponsorship after becoming a “celebrity aesthetician” to stars that include Steffiana de la Cruz, Selma Hayek, Kevin James and Brooke Shield. She was introduced to many stars w, and stars making recommendations pass on her name. Plus, even someone doing a Google search for “celebrity aesthetician” will often result in calls, she said.

For the past 13 years, Lekkakos has run M. Lekkakos Salon, Spa and Boutique in the two towns, at first on Willow Street in Hamilton and for the past eight years on Main Street in Wenham.

“Wenham has developed quite nicely,” said Lekkakos, who also owns the building next door that .

She enjoys the balance between trips to New York City and Los Angeles and the comparatively mellow time spent at her Wenham business.

“I love my clientele here,” she said, but with the travel ”I never get bored.”

Lekkakos said she shares many of the same customers with nearby businesses, such as , , and the . Having a selection of high-end business all in the same area helps everyone, she said.

“I think it really makes a difference when local want to shop locally,” she said.