6000 Brazilians? That is no joke!

In 2009 Urban Waxx did 6000 Brazilian waxes. 6000! We did 4000 eyebrow waxes! That is so unbelievable! I think that it is so thrilling that Portland has completely embraced us and what we do over the past few years. It makes me get a little emotional!

When Cody and I first moved here, Cody was a wee bit skeptical that a wax only salon could make it in a town like Portland. I mean, let's face it, Portland has a bit of a rep for being "crunchy." I, however, was not deterred. I know from years of waxing that you cannot judge a book by it's cover. ALL women wax. All of them. Young women, mature women, soccer Moms, hipsters, big girls, waifs, gay, straight...it doesn't make a tiny bit of difference. And don't get me started on the men! You think you know the type of guy that gets a male Brazilian wax? Hmm, think again.

I love that what we do has no specific demographic. We have one mission: to give the best wax you'll ever have. Seriously. That means to everyone. That makes me happy. It means that we are really doing what we set out to do. We have created a place where everyone gets waxed, everyone feels welcome, everyone feels valued and appreciated. That is fabulous.

So thank you to all of you hair-free Portlanders (and all of you that traveled from farther away)! Thank you for trusting us with your eyebrows, and backs and legs, and other private areas. We are so grateful, and we promise we will keep up the excellent work!

2010: 7000 Brazilians or Bust!!!

Women who Rock: Marywynn Ryan

Less than an hour ago I was laying on Marywynn Ryan's heated facial table. Less than 2 hours ago my skin looked and felt like stepped on sandpaper. Now, after her skillful hands exfoliated, extracted, massaged, performed lymphatic drainage and finished me off with a collagen mask, well, let's just say my skin looks pretty amazing!

Marywynn and I have been seeing each other on a monthly basis for over a year now and I really look forward to my facials with her. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the skin and it's issues, and she delivers her info in a sassy, no nonsense way that I really love. We clicked immediately and the more I get to know her the more I love her. She had set up shop in a salon off of 23rd for the past few years, but she just opened (today...I was her first client) right down the street from Urban Waxx!

Her new location is ADORABLE! I love it! Her space is super chic and modern and just so very Marywynn. She now has 2 fabulous rooms, she has hired another talented Esthetician, Vickie, and I have a feeling it will be difficult to get an appointment in the months to come. Once you feel the difference that 90 minutes with these gals will make on your winter face, you will wonder how you ever went without!

So check out Skin by Marywynn. Treat yourself! Hey, you deserve a little love! xxoo

Skin By Marywynn
1500 NW 18th St. Suite 103
Portland, OR 97209
971-678-0298

2010: The Year of the Waxx.

So let's figure out what will be happening in 2010. Hmm. That's an exciting thought. I absolutely want to have a second UW up and running. I was thiiiiis close to opening the second location a few months ago, but after two months of back and forth with the landlord, and the management company, and my realtor, and their realtor, I got fed up and stopped pushing it. It should never be THAT hard to start something. I feel like if I keep trying to force something to work, maybe the universe is trying to tell me something? So, now we are back at square one trying to decide where the next Urban Waxx would be best suited. Do you have any suggestions? Well I would LOVE to hear them. Seriously.

2009 was a flipping fantastic year for Urban Waxx. It's almost shocking how much we grew and how fun and great it has been. The staff is stronger than ever, and although we lost our Brooke, who decided to pursue interests other than waxing, we gained our newest addition: Sara. She is sweet and bubbly and one heck of a waxer. We are looking forward to having her on our team.

We launched Serious Serum last year, and it has been doing so well. It's amazing to have a product that we all believe in and works so well. Big things will be happening for Serious in 2010, so stay posted...

Anyway, my deepest and most sincere thanks to all of our clients and friends that have helped Urban Waxx to blossom. We would be nothing without your continued love and support. Thank you thank you thank you! xo, Shannon

Women who rock: Nicole Flood!

I have talked about Nicole Flood and her gorgeous line of hats and clothing, Flood Clothing, for a while now. She is like a ray of sunshine every time she sashays her sweet self in our doors. I first came across Nicole at her both at Saturday market, before Urban Waxx even existed. I fell in love with her and her super cool hats immediately and vowed that I would one day sell her stuff at my store.
Fast forward almost 3 years later and her hats have been in our store and selling like hot cakes since the first year we opened. Yes, she makes hats and clothing and accessories from recycled clothing, and that's cool. Yes, she crochets, and that's cool. Yes, she is a wife and mother of 2 adorable boy kidlets, and that's cool. BUT, the coolest thing about Nicole is her amazing, loving, powerful energy. As Mindy put it so eloquently last time we saw her: "Nicole Flood is good for the soul." I couldn't have said it any better myself. She is a whirlwind of positivity, loosely harnessed in a petite package. She is FUN!

Well, we just got our largest delivery of hats from Nicole. That's right:65 hats. I went a little nutty. This is how it works: she rolls up in her Flood mobile with a giant trunk, or two, of her gorgeous creations. Then, I paw through them with my hot little hands while the other gals are pointing and trying things on and oohing and ahhing. You get the idea. It's madness. And Nicole has the most intuitive way of figuring out what hat you would look absolutely amazing in! Not a hat girl, you think. HA! She says! I laugh in the face of your doubt! Then she slips on one of her designs and you look in the mirror and Oh Snap! You look adorable! You are a hat person!

Nicole Flood: I tip my Flood hat to you. You totally rock, and we love you! xoxo

Tis the Season...

Oh Christmas. A time for overspending, overeating, oversharing, and putting your children on strange creep's laps. It's the only time of year that all of these things are encouraged.

In the spirit of holiday giving, here is a peek at our Christmas with Stella, last year and this year. Notice a pattern?

A few of my favorite things...

So, I am pretty much obsessed with all of the retail that we carry, but I'm going to list my top 5 faves at this moment.

1. Klean Coconut creamy scrub. Yes, I adore all things coconut. The smell of all the Klean coconut goodies make me swoon. The scrub is amazing. $13.50
2. Pacifica Soy Candle gift box. Love the package. Love that there are three warm and cozy holiday scents. Love that the price is $14. Whaaaa?
3. Pinup Brenda wood block art. So freaking cute. I love these. They are like little gems of chic goodness. $15 or $20
4. Pattern Body Wash in Black Pepper. It rules. I wash my face with it. I wash my bod with it. It has a totally unusual scent that is spicy and refreshing, and it produces a gorgeous lather. $20
5. Serious Serum. Come on, guys. Of course I am in love with Serious. We brought it into the world. I use it ALL over my body wherever I have bumpy, yucky skin. I use it under moisturizer and smooth our the mini wrinkles. Before I used Serious, I was using an AHA serum that was the same exact percentage and I was paying $68. Serious is $25.

So what are some of your favorite things? Have you found something that you absolutely swoon over at Urban Waxx? Well let me know! Or, do you know of something that would be a great fit for us? Let me know that, too! xo

Pinup Brenda couldn't get cuter if she tried.

I am completely in love with all of our art by local artist Brenda Dunn. We have 4 giant black and white prints of hers in our salon. We sell her prints and magnets, AND she just brought in the most darling wood block prints. They are adorable and perfect for gift giving. The small blocks are 5 by 7 inches and are $20, and the mini blocks are 3.5 by 4.5 inches and cost $15. They look amazing on their own, and even better clustered in a group of 3 or 4.

The other day Brenda stopped by to drop off the blocks and we had a few minutes to talk about what will be happening in the future. We talked about her putting her are in future Urban Waxx locations. She diplomatically suggested that we could have a rotating group of artists in the other locations. I scoffed at the idea. No way! I have looked at Brenda's fabulous ladies every day for the last 2+ years. I couldn't imagine and Urban Waxx without her work there! Brenda and her ladies are a part of Urban Waxx!

Anyhoo, check out her art when you drop in. How cool is it to own art by a local artist, especially one that is sweet, humble and a total rockstar?

Keeping us humble.

Complaints keep us humble. That is what I always tell the staff when we have the occasional unhappy client. The other night Cody and I were watching the always outspoken chef Gordon Ramsey on "Kitchen Nightmares." He was trying to knock some sense into a failing restauranteur who was telling him that his customers always told him the food was great. "Don't use a your customers like a hair dryer to blow smoke up your arse!" Gordon Ramsey yelled into the man's face. "I only want to hear the negatives from my customers." Huh. Interesting. I thought about that statement for a long while. I think what he was saying to the man is that you should never ever let your own ego get in front of your service. By hearing the negatives you get an opportunity to constantly improve yourself.

Does that mean that I like getting negative feedback? Of course not! It hurts! But I can appreciate it for what it is and I respect the fact that clients feel confident enough to let us know that something wasn't up to snuff. That way we can make it right. I would much rather have a client let us know that something wasn't right then for them to leave unhappy and never come back.

So, here's a little story about yours truly: at the end of every night, I review all of the day's transactions. One day last week I noticed that one of the transactions had been comped. So, I looked at the profile notes to see why the service had been done for free. The waxer had written in the notes that the client had been unhappy with her last brow wax appointment. Hmm, I thought. Not good. So I looked to see who had waxed her last. Oh no! It was me! I was stunned. I mean, I'm not trying to toot my own horn but it's been forever since I had a client walk away unhappy. Probably since I was in school!

So, I called the waxer to get some more information. She told me, gently, that the client had been coming to her for years and loved the way she did her brows. On the day that she saw me I told her that I wanted to give her a bit of a different shape. So I did. But she wanted the old shape. Again, I was stunned. What was I thinking? Why would I decide to give a client a different shape brows? Was I thinking that my opinion was somehow more important than my client? Ugh. I felt like a jerk. Sigh.

So, that's it. I told myself exactly what I tell the rest of the team: complaints keep us humble. Sometimes it's easy to let your ego get in front of you. We deal with happy people who love us all day long! We start thinking: Yes! We're great! But we are only as great as our last wax. It's so important for us, all of us, to constantly be trying to improve every interaction that we have with our clients. That is why I am humble admitting that I make mistakes too! Thank goodness I have Cody, my clients, and my lovely staff to keep me grounded! xo

Urban Waxx hearts Popina Swimwear!

I hate swimsuit shopping. There is nothing worse than exposing my pale Portland body in a tiny changing room lit with shocking fluorescent light. Any chance that I thought that I would look beach or pool ready goes completely out the window when I see myself in that dressing room mirror. I usually flee the premises and head to the nearest Krispy Kreme to eat my feelings.

Well, I am happy to report that my last few Portland swimsuit shopping expeditions have been well, quite lovely actually. A gal pal of mine told me several years ago about Popina Swimwear and I have been a fan ever since. The shop itself is completely adorable, with a retro tiki vibe. They have an amazing collection of very flattering swimwear (checkout the super sexy Jantzen Vamp to the right) and, best of all, they can CUSTOM make a swimsuit for you! How cool is that? They will take your measurements, you will discuss fabric, color and style, and voila! A couture, retro swimsuit for sweet little you! They specialize in retro styling and swimsuits of the 1940's and 50's, and I happen to think that they are incredibly flattering!

Do yourself a favor: next time you are shopping for a suit, stop into Popina for some fun. No pale Portland body deserves the fluorescent shock treatment. It's just cruel, people.

Christmas Wrapping!

Awwww. Look how cute little Alix looks with her holiday bag. No, she's not just showing you what a gift looks like. She is modeling one of our lovely gift wrapped bag of goodies!

That's right, holiday shoppers! We know that you are busy and stressed. So, when you buy some gifts at Urban Waxx this holiday season, we would love to gift wrap your purchases for you! One less thing you need to worry about!

Btw: All time favorite Christmas song: "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses. That's right. It's my ringtone right now. Check it out!

Cutest thing ever.

So, Kim and I witnessed the cutest thing that we have ever seen in Urban Waxx today. I'm not joking. Here's how the story goes: Today I had a lovely Mom come in to get her brows waxed. She was accompanied by her adorable little blue eyed four year old daughter. The little gal was very interested in what was happening with her Mama's eyebrows. She stood on a low stool on the opposite side of the table and watched with interest as I shaped her Mama's brows. After it was done I showed her our wax and put a wee bit of hard wax on the back of her little hand. She thought it was pretty neat to pull it off (there is no hair there).

So, the pair spent a few more minutes trying on Flood hats, looking at fun products, chatting me up, and generally being incredibly cute. As I was cleaning up my room for the next client, Little Gal came in and leaned against my door, looking shy. "What's up?" I asked. "You want to help me clean?" She started to look a little sad and said "Well, it's just, this is my first time here." So I said, "Do you not want to leave?" and she shook her head no. At that point I squatted down and said "Do you want a hug?" and she answered, in her sweet Little Gal voice: "Well, no, but it's my first time here." At that, she started to cry and ran over to her Mama, who was looking rather puzzled. "What is it?" Mama asked. Little Gal said, through tears "It's just...so...cool here!"

Oh. My. Goodness. That about sealed it for Kim and me. We were completely tickled and Kim even got a little misty! Little Gal looked back at us with a teary little face. It was precious. I thought that a piece of chocolate and some trail mix from the buffet might do the trick, and it did. Little Gal left smiling and I told her she could come back whenever she wanted.

It was too cute. She sounds like a future Evangelist Client. What do you think?

New obsession: Lovejoy Bakers!!!

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have an affinity for all things baked. I LOVE fresh breads, croissants, cookies, cupcakes...you get the idea. I also love supporting local businesses, and for years I was so sad to see this particularly amazing spot on Lovejoy either stand vacant or house crappy restaurants.

Well, those days are over because I have eaten at the brand new Lovejoy Bakers! First, one of our adorable clients, Kelsey, is an employee there, and she  dropped off a bag of baked goodies for us that were to die for! I'm talking, scones, cookies, muffins, bread...you name it. I was intrigued! Today I stopped in to scope the place out. I'm officially in love!

First of all: everyone as smiling! And so super nice! They all seem genuinely happy to be working there. And the place is so adorable: airy, bright, lots of cozy places to sit and idle over a pastry. Oh, and the pastry! Unbelievable! The breads, the baked good, the sweets! All look amazing.

I settled for an egg and fontina sandwich and a big cup of coffee. As I waited I sat and took it all in. I love the little details, like fresh flowers and free Wi-fi. My sandwich was perfect, the space is fabulous, and the staff is friendly and gracious! What more can a hungry gal (or guy) ask for!

Since that first day I have been there 3 more times. Each time is better than the last! My favorite thing there: the Lovejoy Deluxe. It's a fried egg sandwich on a ciabatta roll with bacon, blue cheese and dressed greens. Whaaaaaaat? Cody says it's the best breakfast sandwich he has ever eaten. I agree.

Best of Citysearch 2009!

Yay yay yay! We are doing a happy dance! Urban Waxx won the Best of Citysearch 2009! We are super duper excited. AND, not to toot our own horn, but we won in multiple categories: Best Brazilian, Best Waxing, Best Hair Removal, and Best Eyebrow Shaping! That is so amazing!

When we found out that we were nominated, I was really nervous. There are a lot of salons in Portland and  even though I hoped that we would be recognized as the best, who knows with these kind of things. But, this morning I checked the results and there we were!

So, thank you so much to all of our friends and clients who took the time to vote for us! It means the world to us. And congratulations to all of the other winners in Best of Citysearch Spa and Beauty. You should check out some of the other results. My favorite gym in the world, Recreate Fitness, won Best Gym, weight loss program, and workout. Two of our Northwest neighbors took top honors as well! Tribe Hair Studio won several hair categories and Blooming Moon Wellness Spa won pretty much every massage category!

So proud of us and our little Northwest nook!

You can never be too Klean!

Ok so I ordered a whole ton of Klean. So what. So I might be a wee bit obsessed. So we only got the first shipment in 2 weeks ago and we all died and everyone bought a ton. So I may have over-ordered in my pre-holiday frenzy. So what? It's AWESOME!

Added to the Klean arsenal at Urban Waxx is the completely wonderful salt soaks in flavors like Sweet Orange and Eucalyptus, and the delicious Coconut Milk Bath. Oh. Yes. I cannot tell you how cute the packaging is and how excited your guy or gal would be to see some Klean goodies in their stocking. Totally natural, no gross ingredients, and pure luxury in a bottle.

Women who Rock: Jami Curl.

So, as I have mentioned many times before, the women that I meet in Portland continue to astound me with their coolness. I have decided to devote some time to talking about some of these gals and their endeavors.

Little background story for ya. Picture this: Cody and I, hating our lives in LA, stumble upon a wee, super hip cupcake shop called Sprinkles. When we talked about moving to Portland, we decide that WE will hop on the cupcake gravy train and open up a cupcake bakery. Before moving I do some research and find out that Portland already has a cupcake bakery called Saint Cupcake. Hmm. So as soon as we moved I visited Saint Cupcake and, to put it mildly, fell in love. The store itself is SO adorable. Everything is adorable, frankly, from the pink umbrella shades outside to their business cards, which are round and scalloped. But the cupcakes...Whoooo boy. Delish. My favorites are the coconut cream, the banana chocolate chip poundcake, and the malt ball. But, really, I have eaten every flavor their and they are ALL sheer sweet cupcake perfection. I hit up Saint Cupcake at least 3 times a week when I was pregnant (don't judge me).

Anyhoo, so Saint Cupcake is awesome. They have two locations and their Northwest location is right down the street from Urban Waxx. So then, fast forward to last year and the lovely Jami Curl, owner of Saint Cupcake, starts coming to Urban Waxx. And guess what? She is super cool. Not just cool, but funny, chic and incredibly humble. Another connection: we also both workout at Recreate Fitness. Not only is Jami a talented business owner, wife, mom, and cool chick, BUT she is a complete rockstar at the gym. Seriously. There she is on the left whipping around some kettlebells. She really is very inspiring to watch.

Also, not that you need anymore reasons to love Saint Cupcake or Jami Curl, but she also is a big advocate of donating to worthy causes. On the website it states that since Saint Cupcake opened it's doors they have donated over 1000 cupcakes per month to worthy causes! Wow! That's awesome! And, now they also ship their adorable cupcake kits to your door! Love. It.

So, that is our first woman who rocks in a long list of women that I know that rock. Jami Curl, cupcake maker extraordinaire, we salute you!

Thankful for Pecan Pie

Every Thanksgiving I make pretty much the same exact menu that I have been eating for at least 30 years: turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, lots of gravy, rolls...you get the idea. But for the past 6 years I have been making an amazing pecan pie. That was my Dad's addition. He was never a huge cook or baker, but when he got an urge to cook or bake something, it was always excellent.

My Dad and I had a bit of a rocky relationship when I was in my 20's. Saying we weren't close is putting it mildly. But, slowly, over a lot of emails and phone conversations and work, we grew close again. We apologized and forgave and came back together. The first time we saw each other in probably 5 years, he came to visit me a week before Thanksgiving. He brought with him a giant bag of Texas pecans from a tree in his backyard and a recipe from his wife's family for "the best pecan pie he had ever tasted." I was intrigued. One of my favorite adult memories of my father is sitting in my kitchen with him, shelling pecans for a pie, and talking. When we ate the pie together it was good. Damn good. But it was so much better because we had made something so sweet together.

For the rest of my life, every Thanksgiving, we will eat my Dad's pecan pie. Yes, it's delicious, probably the best pecan pie I have ever tasted. I also make it even more ridiculous and add chopped bittersweet chocolate to the mix. But honestly, the pie itself is pretty bittersweet. It always makes me cry a teeny bit when I make it. It really makes me miss my Dad.

Also, another pie memory: this pie was the first taste of anything sweet that Stella ever had. Last Thanksgiving Mindy thought it would be appropriate to feed Stella, at 9 months old, a few bites of this pie. I was annoyed at the time, but thinking about it now, I love that my Dad's pie was the first sweet thing my little Sweet Thing ever ate.

Anyway, I am thankful for this pie and the memories it stirs up. So I've decided to share it, for anyone who is interested. Below is the exact email that my Dad sent me with the pie recipe when I asked him for it a few years back. The email is dated November 18, 2006. My Dad passed away four months later.

OK! BUT IT'S GONN'NA COST YOU "BIG TIME" OLD FAMILY RECIPE AND ALL THAT STUFF.

1 cup pecan halves
1 pound light brown sugar (most recipe's call for Karo syrup no good far to sweet, makes your teeth scream)
1/4 cup unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
9" pie, do not bake
Arrange pecans in concentric rings over bottom of pastry
Blend sugar, flour salt, then mix in milk and vanilla
Beat in eggs 1 at a time, wire wisk or rotary beater (I've used both rotary beater gives a bit more air in batter)
Mix in butter a bit at a time.

Slowly pour filling over pecans they tend to rise in any event but it's nice if as many as possible stay suspended in the filling, then you can decorate the top as you see fit.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or untill filling is puffy and crust golden, you'll know.

Best at room temperature.

Needless to say this is not for calorie counters, but hey! what are holidays for.

Wish I could send you the pecans but we don't own the tree any more :-(

Enjoy, let me know how it turns out.

Much love and have a great T'day,
Dad

Turkey Tracker 2009!

So we have a ton of clients that are hilarious, interesting, and creative. One of these clients, the lovely and talented Sarah Gibson, was chatting me up about a very cute project that she is involved in. It's called the "Turkey Tracker 2009." Basically, she and a group of her friends have been having Thanksgiving together since 1998. A few of the guys involved came up with an idea to invent a probe that would be inserted into the turkeys as they cook, and then chart the progress on a website (I know, I know, such a dude thing).

Along with the graphs is live feed of the gang and their Thanksgiving revelry, as well as a great blog, a fan club and pictures of anyone else who cares to post on Flickr. I love the idea because it gives us a little insight into other people's Thanksgiving proceedings, as well as giving us a reminder that we are all just one big, dysfunctional family. Aren't we?

Anyway, this year it's for a good cause as well. They are raising money for the Oregon Food bank. And Urban Waxx is involved as well! Since so many of our clients are involved in the festivities, we decided to donate a $100 Urban Waxx gift card. Want to win? Well log on to www.turkeytracker.com and get all of the details. And have a great Thanksgiving!

Another fun Urban Waxx contest!

Look how cute our clients are! This is the lovely Miss Maggie and today she won a bottle of delicious Pattern eucalyptus body wash and a wonderful Jimmy soy candle. We posted an update on Facebook saying the first person that came into Urban Waxx and said "Gobble Gobble" would win! And Maggie won, just as easy as...hmmm...  pumpkin pie? I mean it is only a few days before Thanksgiving! She was so happy she was literally jumping for joy! How cute is that?

We love doing promos and contests and have had great response. So stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook! I mean, who doesn't love free goodies?

Klean is good enough to eat!

Love love love body products. My shower looks a wee bit like Sephora. And our latest discovery has now taken it's rightful place on my bathroom shelves. I came across Klean on Twitter! How's that for social networking at it's finest. I have been looking forever for a line of body products and scrubs that were high quality, all natural, and affordable. Yay! I found it! Klean uses all natural ingredients like cocoa and shea butter, macadamia nut oil, and green tea powder. The line is amazing!

We just got all of our goodies in and we were all literally swooning at the scents! We were dying over the Coconut Cream. Lemon Love, Ginger Snap, Pumpkin...oh and there are more too! The scrubs are absolutely gorgeous and they are actually a whipped body polish. They are blended so they won't separate into half oil half salts like some scrubs can do. And, they are so hydrating that there is no need to put on lotion after bathing. Yup. It's that good!

We also ordered the super moisturizing Extreme Moisture Shea Lotion. They smell sooooo delish! We have scents like Creme Brulee, Very Vanilla, and Satsuma. To complete the trifecta of olfactory  delights, we also now have their Dry Oil Body Scent. Basically it is this little bottle of dry oil that you can spray on your body, hair, the room...anywhere! I adore anything coconut so today I sprayed the Creamy Coconut on myslef. It's 6 hours later and let me tell you...I still smell delightful! If I do say so myself! :)

Best of Citysearch 2009!

Well, it's a pretty exciting time of the year for us! Urban Waxx is nominated for the Best of Citysearch in 4 categories: Waxing, Brazilian waxing, Hair removal and Eyebrow shaping. I must say we are tickled pink. Basically, the peeps of Portland nominate their favorite salons and then everyone gets a vote. It would be completely thrilling if we won a Best of Citysearch award! So, I know it's asking a lot, but can you vote for us? I promise it only takes a hot second and you can even use your Facebook infor to log in. Everyone only gets one vote per category, and we want yours! Seriously!

Click on Citysearch and it will take you right to our page! And again...THANK YOU!

"Cheating" on your waxer

So an interesting thing happened yesterday. A client came to see me, I client that I adore and has been coming for a few years. I hadn't seen her in a few months and as soon as she got into the room she said, sheepishly: "I cheated on you!" Over the next few minutes she "confessed" to me that she had read something in a magazine that soft wax, or strip wax, was better for waxing and gave more long lasting results. At Urban Waxx, we use hard wax for Brazilians. I have used everything over the years and I decided a long time ago that hard wax is the absolute best wax possible for Brazilians, facial waxing, underarms, etc. It's twice as expensive as the soft wax, which is why I think some salons are reluctant to use it, but it hurts less and I think the results are substantially better. Anyway, I digress.

So, this client told me that she did some research about local waxing salons and finally settled on a place. She told me about the experience, she said that it was good, but, well, it wasn't Urban Waxx. She also said that the hair grew back just as quickly, if not faster. She said that she missed the entire Urban Waxx experience and she would never "cheat" on us again.

So this got me thinking. Of course, I say that Urban Waxx is the best wax you'll ever have. Seriously. I believe that we give an amazing wax, but more than that, the experience from the moment you call or email to the moment you leave our doors, should be amazing. We are not the cheapest wax in town, nor are we the most expensive. Some people may think that we charge too much. Some people may want a different experience. I have always been of the mindset that there is not a finite number of clients walking around out there. It isn't like there is 100 clients and every salon in Portland has to fight over them. We get new clients walking in every day, and we are so grateful for them! My point is, everyone should get the wax experience of their dreams. I hope that it's at Urban Waxx. I hope that you fall in love with us and tell all our friends and vow to never go anywhere else. That's what we strive for. However, there are a lot of other salons that wax in Portland. Maybe you should try another salon? Get the vibe? Maybe you will fall in love with a waxer there, or maybe you will realize that your heart belongs to Urban Waxx. The important thing to me, as a business owner and as a human, is that the clients that come to us really want to be there. You should be excited about us, because I KNOW that we are excited about you!

I compare this thought to all of the coffee shops in Portland. Portlanders LOVE their coffee, that's no secret. On every corner there will be a shop selling the delicious cup of dark goodness. But everyone has their favorite picks. Maybe you are a Starbucks fan, or Peet's. Maybe you like a local shop. Maybe you like tea. You get the idea. There is a shop and a cup for everyone, just like there is a salon and a waxer for everyone. The important thing is that you are thrilled. With your coffee and your wax! ;)

Serious Serum has it's own website!

Look at our new bottles!!! Ok, I am slightly excited by the design and just had to share. Liam did an outstanding job of making our amazing product look sleek and sexy in those airless pump bottles! Seriously! We literally received a pallet of 5000 bottles and we are ready to get them into the hands of every waxer and wax client in America!

If you haven't heard about Serious Serum yet, then please check out our BRAND spanking new website that we just launched today. Liam has been hard at work building www.seriousserum.com. It is jam packed with information and testimonials, and best of all, you can now buy Serious Serum online! Woot woot! Liam made the website look so beautiful that I want to take it on a date!

Another winner!

Today we had another fun contest and another fun contest winner! This contest was on our Facebook fan page (wait,I'm sorry...you say you aren't on it??? Please pause reading this fascinating blog and click Facebook and become a fan. Done? Ok, let's continue!) Today at 9:30 on a gloomy, blustery, monsoony Saturday morning, we posted that the first person to walk into Urban Waxx and say "Pattern" received a $25 gift card to Urban Waxx as well as a bottle of Pattern body wash of their choosing!

Less than 20 minutes later Morgan Richardson came running in and won a gift card as well as a bottle of Eucalyptus body wash! Fun! Thanks for playing, Morgan, and congratulations!

The Evangelist Client

We have great clients. I mean, we have AMAZING clients. We get so much of our business from our existing clients referring us to their friends. Liam has informed me that what we are looking for in the ideal client is known as the "Evangelist Client." This is the client that comes to your business, has an amazing experience, and then feels such joy that he or she leaves and spreads the good word. This is the client that tells pretty much everyone they know about their favorite product, or restaurant, or waxing salon. Businesses are built on Evangelist clients. Liam also told me that most of Apple's customers are Evangelist. Liam and I are both diehard Apple users, so I get that. We also both love a great little speciality food business called Zingerman's. They have an unbelievable customer service policy, a quirky hand drawn catalog with great food finds, and they are very accessible as a company. All things that I admire.

I just want to take a moment to give a little shout out about one of our Evangelists. Her name is Patri and she has been a regular client of Beth's for the past year. I have never met her, but now I feel like I know her, and she knows me. Her Evangelism started with her fabulous post on our Urban Waxx Facebook fan page. She talked about her love of Serious Serum. Here it is:

Top 5 Things I Love About Serious Serum (in no particular order):

1. That it is essentially non-scented. I dislike when products push their scent agenda. Especially on "sensitive" areas. This one does not.
2. That the directions are clear, concise, descriptive, and colorfully written. Seriously.
3. That it doubles as a facial exfoliant. It's like a gift that this product does double duty.
4. That it is sold at the best place to be waxed in the west. Personally, I've never liked a spa more. It just feels like a really good place to take it all off. (And by "take it all off" I mean the hair. With the wax. Not, like, in the waiting room.)
5. That it perfectly compliments the best wax I've ever had. Seriously.

Well, that was pretty awesome. I was pretty shocked that someone had taken the time to write such nice things, and so well written, about us and our product. But, her Evangelism didn't stop there. Next, she wrote a review about us on Yelp. And here it is:

I don't often give reviews, especially adding a five star rating to a place that has a consistent five star rating. I mean, really, it seems silly to go on and on and on about how great a place is. We get the picture.

But, here's the thing about Urban Waxx. It isn't just great. It's exponentially great. Why? Well, it isn't just the best wax I've ever had (seriously), because that's a given. And it isn't just the super cute yellow building that houses it, although that doesn't hurt. And it isn't even the actual waxing services they provide, because many places around this town provide many of the same services. What makes Urban Waxx the best wax I've ever had (seriously) is the ownership.

I've never met Shannon, but I know she owns Urban Waxx. And I know she has a kidlet and a hubby. And I know she loves her staff, her city and her community. And I know she loves to support local business. And I know that she stands behind her services and her business 100 and 25 percent. How do I know this? Maybe because I've done my homework, people.

But not really. Shannon hands this information out. Freely. In blog form. And facebook form. And in responses to customer concerns on this here public voting forum. And honestly, I find her honesty about her business and her life refreshing. I feel like I can trust a businesswoman who is extremely open about herself, her life and her business. That's just good business, in my book. (And my book is pretty selective.) This is a good business, a good company, and a place (providing I had any esthetician training and/or experience) I would strive to be employed.

So, I'm coming down in favor of Urban Waxx. Given those who have already "yelped" and those who provide services there, it seems like I'm in good company, too.

(And, as a post script. For those who are deterred by what they view as a high price for waxing services, consider the following: the person who waxes you places a hot substance on your delicate girl or boy parts, be they nether-region-parts, face-parts, or other-skin-covered-parts. Do you really want to give that power to the lowest bidder?)

So I read that review. I actually cried when I read it. I couldn't believe that someone not directly involved with Urban Waxx could understand so deeply what we strive to accomplish every day. It was amazing. It really resonated with me. Wow

A few days later I checked our Yelp page and Patri's fabulous review was no longer on our page. Sigh. This has happened many times with us in the past on Yelp. 5 star review go missing. After speaking to Yelp as nauseam on this particular topic. Yelp has told me that they will remove a review that they consider "biased" toward a business, or if the Yelper in question has no profile picture, no friends, and no other reviews. Basically if they think the review is fake they yank it off the business page. It will still be on the reviewer's page, but not be able to seen on the business page.  This little quirk of Yelp's used to make me come unglued. We don't shake down our clients for reviews and the reviews that we get are legit.

Then, with Patri's Evangelist review, I had an epiphany: Yelp thinks that our reviews are fake because some of them seem TOO good! I actually felt pretty great after that. The fact that we have clients that feel so strongly about what we do at Urban Waxx that they would take the time to write a glowing review that was SO glowing that it would seem fake? Wow. We must be doing something right.

On the flip side, we don't always have clients that are madly in love with us. That's the bummer about working closely to people every minute of every day. Sometimes, we aren't the right fit. I will promise, however, that we will try our absolute hardest to make every person that walks through our doors or emails us or calls us 100% thrilled with us. We want to have Evangelist clients...like Apple or Zingerman's. That is our ultimate goal.

So, to Patri and all of the other Evangelists that pave the way for us: we thank you. Deeply.

Waxin and a Movin and a Shakin!

We are busy little bees on NW 18th St. We have so many pans on the stove that sometimes I wonder how everything is going to get cooked. But, that's simple. I ask for help. And lots of it.

Look at the CUTE new bags and gift card presenters that Liam designed. Sigh. I love them. And you should see the the gift cards that go in the presenters. Better yet, you should GIVE a gift card! Or win a gift card! Are you following us on Twitter or Facebook? Because if you are, you will be a part of some really fun gift card giveaways that we are launching. So get on there! See: here is little Miss Mandee Pearson who is one of our clients. She won our first Twitter promo today! She got a $25 gift card just for coming into UW and saying a secret word that we announced on Twittier! Not too shabby!
Speaking, of launching: Liam has been the busiest bee of all. He is crazy nutty busy at work getting ready to launch the brand new Serious Serum website where Serious devotees will be able to buy the luscious stuff online! So exciting! Not to mention that we just got our brand new, BEAUTIFUL bottles in! Only a few...5000! It was quite the delivery!

So many other things too...some are fun surprises and big events! Plus there are always fun events like the crazy Halloween party that we just had (there we all are on the left) and the upcoming Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Sorry my darling Alix...we can do a formal cocktail party next Holiday! xo