Marianne Dougherty

Patrick Melville Salon in New York City takes full-service to a whole new level. Now, in addition to cuts and color, clients can schedule a reading with psychic consultant Vanessa on Thursday afternoons. Vanessa has been channeling the spirit world since she was seven years old. "It's a gift," she tells me as she fans out a deck of tarot cards and prepares to give me a reading. Vanessa's celebrity clients include Joan Rivers and Connie Chung. She's been featured in Allure, W, Elle and Redbook. She has also studied at Lily Dale, a spiritualist community on Cassadaga Lake in Lily Dale, NY. For 130 years Lily Dale has been the world's largest center for spiritual development. Harry Houdini, John Edward and James Van Praagh have all studied there. Visit http://lilydaleassembly.com/ and you'll learn that spiritualists "believe in the continuity of life and in individual responsibility." They also "endeavor to find the truth in all things and to live their lives in accordance therewith." That pretty much sums up what Vanessa does. It's like she opens up your head, looks inside and tells you exactly what's going on in your life, then gives you a road map for negotiating the twists and turns up ahead.

Vanessa prepares for a reading

Whether or not you believe in this sort of thing, Vanessa is remarkably accurate in her predictions. Edward Tricomi, who owns Warren-Tricomi Salon in Manhattan, met Vanessa at a restaurant on the city's Upper East Side 18 years ago. "I was doing readings there one or two nights a week," she says. "I did one for Edward, and he hired me to come to his salon and offer my services to his clients every Tuesday. I'm still there."

Patrick Melville Salon in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

Interested in a reading of your own? Visit http://readingsbyvanessa.com/ or call 718/441-1129 to schedule a phone reading. She's also available for parties or events. You'll be in good company. Cher hired her to do a promo party. Oh, and if I've got a book on the best-seller list a year from now, Vanessa can say, "I told you so." —Marianne Dougherty, editor in chief, mdougherty@questex.com