Wax Poetic

Our clients rule.

2011-05-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

I posted on our Facebook page that we would be closing on May 29 and May 30th so that we could have our first Urban Waxx retreat. A few minutes later, one of our clients sent us this email:

I just read UW’s latest Tweet and when I read the first part “We are closing Urban Waxx and Urban Waxx Tanasbourne on May 29…”

… I about lost my sh*t. I completely panicked. I thought, oh holy f*ck who is going to wax me now that UW is closing? Oh my god! Should I start a petition to keep them open?

….then I read that you’re closing for your UW retreat, and my blood pressure slowly returned to normal, my grip on my Driod loosened and I resumed regular breathing.

Yikes. Apparently, I love Urban Waxx.

Oh this made me smile. I can't tell you how much we love our clients. They make us smile and laugh every day. xoxo

What's up, UW?

2011-05-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Ohmigoodness. So, so, so busy lately. Haven't had a minute to blog. Let's chat about what's coming up for the UW team:

We are getting ready to launch our new, amazing, beautiful, and completely US website. Mark Mcinnis just took all of the amazing pictures, and Liam is building it as we speak. So excited! I really like our current website, but I really wanted something that seemed more...mmmm....more like Urban Waxx. More fun, more zippy. So Liam is on it. I can't wait to see it.

We are going on our first annual (maybe, depending on how it goes...) Urban Waxx employee retreat. This is something that I have wanted to do forever, but it's difficult when your business is open 7 days a week. This year I decided to close for Memorial Day and the Sunday before it, so we have 2 days to spend together at Gearhart Beach. We rented the the cutest place: the Lodge at Gearhart Beach, and we will be spending some time eating, drinking, playing games, and basically just being together and silly for a while. I really feel that it's imperative that a team spend time bonding and socializing in order to really function well. I'm looking SO forward to getting away and getting to know some of the newer gals, as well as spending time with the rest of the team. I almost never get to take my boss pants off and just let loose. The boss pants will be off. Seriously.

In June we are heading to Las Vegas again with the Serious Serum team for the International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa Conference. We went last year to rep Serious and it was a great experience. This year, we are doing it all over again! The team will be me, Cody, Mindy, Jenny, Megan and Lou Lou. It's going to be 3 jam packed days of talking about our wonderful serum, with maybe a little fun mixed in.:)

We are also adding yet another (maybe two) more Estheticians to our staff. I almost can't believe it! We have been getting so busy at Tanasbourne that we are needing to expand our team, again! I really love that.

That's all for now! Peace and Love, Peace and Love. (that's a little Ringo Starr reference...do you know from what? :))

Nicole Flood is rad. The end.

2011-04-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

Nicole Flood is one of my most favorite people in the entire world. She is amazing on so many levels. She is an amazing business woman, incredibly creative, and just an all around special person. Nicole is the kind of lady that changes the energy in the room when she enters...for the good. I love her. We all love her.

So, of course, we are all incredibly excited to attend her fashion show on May 7. Yes, that's what I said, she's having a fashion show. She has been working on some super fabulous pieces for quite sometime, and now she is ready to invite the world in for a viewing!

Here are the deets: Nicole's fashion show is also a celebration of her 7th year in business. Her event is called Texture. There will be 6 different collections and 35 total looks. As always, every garment is lovingly crafted from 100% recycled clothing. There will also be 700 cupcakes from Saint Cupcake, lots and lots of dancing, and live aerial and painting perfomances. Yup, like I said, she's pretty cool.

You can purchase tickets here. The doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7pm. The location is the Bossanova Ballroom. It's going to be awesome. The end.

Male Brazilians, Brozilians, Boyzilians

2011-04-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss in my blogging! I haven't included a large part of our delightful, loyal, and incredibly endearing clientele: our MEN! That's right, you think that the only people that come into Urban Waxx to take it all off are ladies? Nope. We have so many men that frequently visit us for some manscaping, whether it be brows, backs, or Brazilians. We even offer a "full body" package, which is basically everything from the neck down.

I wanted to address this topic because I got the most wonderful email today. It went a little something like this:

I'd just like to thank you for doing the Brazilian on men. My wife and I had ours done at Tanasbourne 10 days ago. She thought I was weird for me wanting her to have one and thought I was extremely weird for coming with her to get mine done. What business did a 60 year farmer have in getting his bikini waxed.

She has completely changed her mind on the subject, and, I'm so happy to feel like a man again. It's an amazing feeling that we are both having after 36 years of marriage. More men should get this message, you should have a blog about it.

Wow! I LOVE this. I love that a 60 year old man had the courage to make an appointment at Urban Waxx (and encourage his wife), I love that our staff made him feel so comfortable, and I LOVE that something like a Brazilian could add spice into a marriage of 36 years. That is fabulous on so many levels! I absolutely agree that paying attention to your nether regions can definitely jazz up a relationship. I can't tell you how many first time Brazilian clients that we have that come in for an anniversary or birthday gift for their significant other. That's female AND male clients.

So let's clear up some misconceptions that you might have about our male clients. To start, we have male clients every day. We have a LOT of male clients. They vary in age from 16 to 60-something. Do you think you could spot a guy who is getting a Brazilian? Well, you're wrong. We have male clients of all shapes, sizes, ages, backgrounds. I think it's great that men take the initiative to take care of themselves. I know that when I met Cody he had never even considered waxing any body part. But now, he is a regular eyebrow/nostrils/back kind of guy. He loves getting waxed!

So, are you a guy that has been pondering a male Brazilian? Or do you know one? Well then make an appointment with us. We are completely professional, we will answer all of your questions, and we will keep it all discreet. Like that terrific email says, I hope that more men will get the message! :)

Most chic website...possibly ever!

2011-04-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

If you have cash in your wallet and itchy fingers do not, I repeat DO NOT, go to www.shopredsail .com. It is quite possibly the most adorable website that I have visited in some time. Have you ever been to a restaurant and everything on the menu looks delicious? Well, that was the experience that I had on the Red Sail website.

Yesterday Mindy told me that one of our clients, Stacy Maiano, is the proprietor of Red Sail. Mindy said that I needed to check out the site stat and blog about it. Well, she was right. The site is chock full of the most darling accessories (note the wallets...eek!), housewares, linens, and pretty much everything else that you need to make your pad chic. Stacy also designs jewelry, and it is SO cute! I am swooning over the dogwood necklace (hint, hint, Cody!). But really, I would wear absolutely everything that she designs. She is so talented!

Listen, here is the deal: I'm not that creative, but I totally admire creativity and someone who has a knack for finding it. Clearly, this gal has amazing taste and the wherewithal to put it all in one place. Then people like me can buy it all up and pretend it was my own idea! Everyone wins!

Check it out! www.shopredsail .com

Guest blogger: Katie and her Grinch heart

2011-04-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

We've had some really amazing gals join us at Urban Waxx. Sometimes I have to keep it quiet, because it seems like every time I announce how thrilled we are to have such an amazing team, something goes haywire. Isn't that the way it always is? Well it certainly seems like that at Urban Waxx. I think it's just the universe's way of keeping me on my toes!

Katie Smith is one of the front deskies that has been at Urban Waxx since last summer. She's a adorable, and hilarious, and she is always writing me little notes and emails. I told her to just write a blog instead. So, here it is! Our first staff blog! More to come!!!

***as an aside: yesterday was one of those days at Urban Waxx where absolutely everything that could go wrong, went wrong. It was chaotic from start to finish. Everyone pulled together and reminded me how special and team oriented they all are. I got home at 9:30 last night and Katie had driven to my house and left a bottle of wine and a bouquet of sunflowers on my front steps. Yes. She did. *sniff*

Hi there!

In recent months, I have deeply considered the thought of “family." I am a born and raised Olympian, (yes, that’s what we call ourselves in Olympia, WA), and when moving to Portland, I had to come to grips with the idea that my family was about 2 hours away. Yikes! However, I found a different type of family in Portland.

In August of 2010, I thought I was simply just starting a job, but much to my surprise I was becoming a member of a family. This family, I call my “Urban Waxx Family”. It seems silly, but few people are honestly happy with their jobs, whether it’s their boss or their co-workers, but I have to say that I feel blessed to be here. Everyday, I get to see the estheticians, and my fellow front desk gals all of which I consider to be my sisters, and a select few are my “mothers”. Each one of them has a smile on there face, rain or shine, and a go get em’ attitude. Shannon, the owner of this fine establishment, gets an email from me almost daily, about how much I love it here. Seriously. Poor Shannon must be exhausted from my continual emails, but instead she always responds with a size 288 font of XO! Lucky me, right? There is so much love here I can barely handle it, so that’s why I am here writing, confessing my love for these people, this family of mine.

In the last couple of months much has changed at Urban Waxx, and even with the loss of a couple of our VERY loved estheticians, we have stayed strong as a family. We have recently welcomed some lovely ladies to our family as both estheticians and front deskies, and I can’t tell you how excited I am!

I recently compared this growing family of mine to a part I love from the Grinch. Every time there is a new person, I pull out my Heart O’ Meter and measure the size, and surprise! It has grown a size. So I just want to say thank you Urban Waxx Mothers and Sisters, I sure love you!

xoxo, Katie

Longer Sunday hours!

2011-04-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well we finally did it. At our meeting last Wednesday one of the suggestions was to open earlier on Sundays and stay open later. Essentially, the same hours as Saturday. This is something that I have considered doing for a long time, but everything had been so calm and perfect on Sundays, that I was reluctant to do it. Sundays are the only day at Urban Waxx where there are only 3 waxers on, and one front desk gal. In fact, Adriana and Beth have been working Sundays forever together, first with Gina, and now with Katie! It's always such a fun shift to work and to come in and get waxed.

Starting May 15, we will now be open on Sundays at NW from 9-7. More hours mean more available appointments!

Come visit us! :)

What Mr. Waxx will do for us! :)

2011-03-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

What happens when we need a hairy man-body for male wax training? Take a gander at this pic. That would be Cody, my darling husband and the man behind Urban Waxx. He's such a good egg.

Cody is such an important part of Urban Waxx. There is NO way that I could do any of this without him. And seriously, how many men would let their Mrs. wax their chests in front of an audience? And take a picture of it? And smile? And let me blog about it? And put it on Facebook...?

Here's to you and your semi-hairless chest, Mr. Waxx. You are pretty darned amazing. xo

Our favorite vendor!

2011-03-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a little bit about our absolute favorite vendor. His name is Mike and he is so lovely. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday Mike drives his NewSystems linen truck to Urban Waxx (Tuesdays and Fridays at Tanasboune), and delivers stacks of sheets and towels for us. He is always in such a great mood, loves to chat, and is sweet as can be. We just love him!

For those of you that have worked at a spa or a salon before, the linen situation is always an issue. I have worked at many spas where there is a laundry room, and let me tell you, it sucks! The laundry is always piled up, you have to try to fold sheets in between appointments...it's just yucky. So, when I expanded Urban Waxx, one of the first orders of business was to find a great linen company. I found NewSystem, and Mike, and it's been bliss ever since!

Over the years Mike has become such a part of our weekly routine. Urban Waxx sponsors Mike's softball league, Team Martini, and Mike is such a supporter of us. He even put one of our "Keep Portland Smooth" stickers on the back of his delivery truck! Love it!

We have the pleasure of working with so many great people every day...it's pretty terrific. Some of the people, however, really go above and beyond to make what we do at Urban Waxx enjoyable. One of those people is Mike! Thanks, Mike! We love you so! xxoo

Welcome to the planet, Sawyer!

2011-03-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Gina had her beautiful, perfect little baby boy this week and we were so, SO excited for her. And just feast your eyes on that little butter bean! Oh goodness. He is precious!

His name is Sawyer Allen Schmitt, and he was born on 3.9.2011. He came into the world at 6lbs 2 ozs and he is perfect! We cannot wait to meet him!

Gina is planning on moving to Bend this week (sniff, sniff) but I knew that she had a lot of clients and friends that wanted a baby update. Just another beautiful baby from 2 beautiful parents!

We wish you love and unlimited happiness, Gina, Derek, and Sawyer! xo

You are MINE!

2011-03-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

So the other day I received an email from a new client that made me realize a blog posting was in my near future. This lovely client had called to make an appointment, and after her appointment was set she sent me an email. The gist of the email was: She had looked at out website and perused our staff bios, and was gravitating toward a few of the ladies that she read about. Her question to me was: would it offend anyone if she called and asked who her appointment was scheduled with, and then maybe moved it to one of the Estheticians that she read about? My answer to her: Absolutely NOT! Of COURSE you can pick who you want to see!

Sometimes I forget that the women and the men of the world are so polite. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like if I am spending my hard earned greenbacks on a service, I should be able to get the service pretty much exactly how I want it. Isn't that our right as consumers? Well, it certainly is that way at Urban Waxx. When I hire a new employee, we always have a discussion about how all of the clients at Urban Waxx are free to see whomever they choose. There is no such thing as "my client" or "your client." Our job at Urban Waxx, and that means everyone from me, to the front desk staff, to the Estheticians, is to serve the client. So that means we would never expect a client to rearrange their schedule to accommodate us. On the contrary, we want to be as available as possible to each client so that they can always get the service that they want, when they want. You dig?

Let me elaborate: I worked at a spa where there was quite a bit of competition amongst the staff when it came to client retention. I once saw a massage therapist stop in our full waiting area and say to a client waiting for a service: "Hey there! Are you here to get a massage? With who? Didn't you know I was working today?" Oh for the love of Pete! Can you imagine how awkward that situation would be! It was awful. Not to mention that fact that when should a paying client feel like they are required to see the same person over and over again? Where is that in the contract?

We have quite a different philosophy at Urban Waxx. Of course we have clients that have their favorite waxer and ONLY want to see that person forever. We love that, too. And we want our clients to feel connected to us. That connection is what makes us so special (in my opinion). But we also have many, many clients who could give a fig who they see for a wax. They just want to get in at a certain time and get it done. We love that too! To me, that says that we are all doing a great job and offering a consistently great service. I think it's fabulous when a longtime client calls to make an appointment and says: "I don't care who I see. Everyone is great." Love that!

Waxing is a personal business. We have a lot of ladies that wax at Urban Waxx, and they all have a lot of different interests and things that make them unique and delightful. Most of the time, a client will visit Urban Waxx and have a terrific connection with their waxer. At the end of the appointment they are laughing and smiling and asking each other to be in their wedding parties (ok, mild exaggeration). But if for some reason a client isn't 100% vibing with their waxer, there is an easy solution: try another waxer! Seriously! That's one of the reasons that I try to hire a lot of different personality types. It should be easy to find the perfect waxer for every client that walks through our doors. That is one of the reasons that we have our pictures and our staff bios on our website. We want our new clients to be able to see us, know a little bit about us, and recognize us when they walk in. It makes a potentially nerve-wracking situation much less intimidating.

So, in a nutshell, it's your dime, people. We encourage you to come and see whomever you choose. Do you want to get your brows done only by one particular Esthetician? Great, let's get you booked with her. Would you rather rotate through every single one of our team? Fabulous! That's what I do! Whatever the case may be, it's always important to remember that we are here for you, and to make your experience with us amazing, not the other way around. You are our guest at Urban Waxx, and we always want you to feel welcome and well cared for. Seriously.

xo

Brazilian: Just the Facts, Ma'am

2011-03-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Looking at the Urban Waxx blog stats, the blog that I wrote in 2009, "What the heck is a Brazilian, anyway?" is by far the most read post. I can only guess it's because there are still millions of people googling the definition of a Brazilian on a daily basis. I almost forget that there are people out there that have NO idea what a Brazilian bikini wax is, or how it will totally change your life. Ok, maybe it won't change your life the way winning the lottery might, but it's still pretty cool.

So let's talk about it. What is it? Well, it's the complete removal of all your hair from the entire bikini area. ALL of it. That means your complete "undercarriage" including labia and butt crack. However, you have the option of leaving some hair at the top. What do I mean by that? Well I'll include a diagram, courtesy of the Brazilian Bikini Wax Spa, to give you an idea of what we can leave behind.

Get the idea? I would say that the most popular at Urban Waxx are probably the Landing Strip, or the Bermuda Triangle (we call it a Dorito) or the Clean as a Whistle. But, what we leave behind is as individual as the gal, or guy, that is getting the wax. Do you love this diagram? I kind of do. I might do something similar for the website. I think it's brilliant!

You will see, whilst perusing waxing menus, that they are often set up differently. A lot of salons have wax prices like this:

Bikini wax $35 and up

Brazilian wax $70 +

This is something that I am not a fan of. At all. It leaves a huge gray area. I'm not a fan of "gray area" when it comes to the service industry. I imagine the dialogue going awkwardly like this: "Uhhh, yes, we USUALLY charge $70 for a Brazilian, but you, lady, you're going to cost $95." I mean, come on. So weird. We charge the same price across the board. It's a protocol that we have at Urban Waxx that takes all of the uncomfortable conversation about the cost out of the Esthetician's hands. Then they can spend all of their time focusing on the client...and get down to business!

We are also always asked if waxing hurts. As I have mentioned in several other posts, yes, I'm afraid it is not completely pain free. But isn't there a certain amount of pain involved with almost any beauty treatment? I mean, have you ever worn high heels for more than a few hours? Now that's pain. There is a little bit of pain involved, but honestly it is so quick, and we are SO good at what we do, that it's very bearable. Seriously, I'm a huge baby when it comes to pain, and I am a regular waxer. But, just in the interest of full disclosure, and because I think this is kind of a funny YouTube video, enjoy the below video. However: please be aware of the fact that this is NOT at Urban Waxx, not our clients, not even the type of wax that we use. It's just for laughs, people. Let's not get worked up.

If you EVER have questions about waxing, wax, Brazilians, or YouTube videos about waxing (ok maybe not that one), then don't hesitate to contact me. My email is shannon@urbanwaxx.com. And I LOVE to talk about waxing!

Gina's Baby Shower!

2011-02-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, Gina is moving to Bend to be near her fam after she has her baby. So of course, we had to throw her a baby shower! Last Sunday we "surprised" her with some presents and fun lady time. Of course, we didn't pull off the actual surprise, but we still had a great time with her. Cody provided some tasty finger sandwiches and we all chowed down some delightful cupcakes from Saint Cupcake.

Gina is precious and we can't wait to meet her little bun...even if she is moving to Bend. We love you Yiners!!!

Ch-ch-changes!

2011-02-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

It seems like there is always an ebb and flow when it comes to our team coming and going. My dream is to have a staff that gets hired, is completely amazing, and never leaves. 40 years from now we are all pushing our walkers around taking our clients in for their next wax. I know, I know...not realistic. Employees come and go. That's pretty much the way it is in any business. Although we have a pretty solid core of women that have been here since the beginning (or close to it), we have grown and added, and we keep growing.

Sometimes, though, someone on our team leaves and it's a huge bummer. Unfortunately that happened twice in the past month! First, our adorable Gina left to have her baby boy. That is so exciting for all of us, and seeing her bump grow has been so much fun. We also got the chance to throw her a "surprise" baby shower last Sunday. It was a lot of fun. However, Gina will be moving to Bend and not coming back to Urban Waxx, and THAT is the bummer. We are all pretty sad about it.

Then, Jen Hancock, who joined us last summer, told us that she would be moving home to Tri-Cities to be near her family. Jen has been such a great addition to Urban Waxx, and I really feel like she was at home with us. I have my fingers crossed that she will miss Portland so much that she will decide to come back for good!

The good news is that we welcomed two new waxers to our team, and we are pretty excited about it. Gretchen and Rebecca joined us a few weeks ago and they are doing great! You can check out their pics and bios on our Urban Waxx website. It's always awesome to welcome new, positive energy into the salon. Plus, I love seeing how warm and open the staff is to our newbies. No one wants to feel like the rookie, you know?

We are currently preparing for the busy summer season, and I'm planning on hiring 2 more waxers in the next few months. I'm thinking this is going to be the best summer that Urban Waxx has ever seen! xo

Nostril waxing: you know you want it.

2011-02-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

We talk A LOT about Brazilian waxing at Urban Waxx. A lot. It is absolutely our most popular service. However, sometimes I think we tend to overlook some of the other services that we do at Urban Waxx, like, for example, the nostril wax.

The next time you are in front of a mirror, under the unforgiving glare of a harsh light, check out your nostrils. How are they looking? Could they use a wee bit of wax to groom those stray hairs that are poking out? This service is particularly relevant for our male clients, but I think that almost everyone could use a nostril clean up. It's an amazing before and after. I also feel that nothing makes your face make-up go on smoother than a quick lip and nostril wax. No more fine hairs to get in the way of your make-up routine!

Check it out. It's like a breath of fresh air! And just like our other wax services, once you start, you'll never go back! :)

Integrity: In Life and in Business

2011-02-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. ~Alan Simpson

I have been thinking a lot about the word "integrity" lately, and what it means to me as a business owner. I recently saw "The Social Network," and I walked away feeling kind of yuck about the entire thing. I mean, really, it's the story of one crappy guy stealing a few other crappy guy's idea, screwing over his friends, and in the process making a few billion. Isn't there a way to be incredibly successful and not hurt people in the process?

I have mentioned before how fond I am of companies like Zappos and Zingerman's. Both of these complanoes have amazing devotion to their customers, and their employees. The culture of both of these companies is based on being kind, and present, and doing your best at all times. I feel very strongly about these principles. Zappos references their 10 "Core Values" in every action that they take. The little video below talks about their Core Values. Zappos is a very cool company to be a part of. It's clear from everything that they do that they are a highly successful billion dollar company that has...here's that word again...integrity.

As a business owner, I have evolved so much over the last 4 years. Many of the things that I have learned have come from trial and error. I think the biggest lesson that I have learned, and I am still learning every single day, is to not take it personally. That can be easier said than done when it comes to dealing with people every day, but in business, it's essential. When something happens that makes me question what I am doing, or my vision of the business, or myself, I try to take a breath and remember: This is a business. Every day presents new challenges, and with it, chances to succeed and fail greatly. That can be very exciting, but also terrifying. Owning a business can be very humbling, which is why my favorite Core Value is #10: Be Humble. Zappos explains that value as:

While We Have Grown Quickly In The Past, We Recognize That There Are Always Challenges Ahead To Tackle.

We believe that no matter what happens we should always be respectful of everyone.

While we celebrate our individual and team successes, we are not arrogant nor do we treat others differently from how we would want to be treated. Instead, we carry ourselves with a quiet confidence because we believe that, in the long run, our character will speak for itself.

I LOVE that! I love it. I have read those sentences so many times that I have them memorized.

One of my goals for 2011 is to create a set of Core Values for Urban Waxx. One of the Core Values will be Always Act With Integrity. That may seem kind of over the top for a wax salon, but I feel like how you act in your job should be a direct reflection of who you are. There shouldn't be a huge disconnect. Of course, like I have mentioned before, I may not be as chipper at home as I am with my clients every day (sorry, Cody), but I truly believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. And, I want to be treated with respect, kindness and honesty.

The Core Values of any business begins with the owner. I always have to remember that no matter what the situation, I will act with integrity, and behave in a way that I want my team to behave. I love Urban Waxx, and I believe in the business with all of my heart, just as I believe that our character will speak for itself. xo

The Allison Inn saved my life

2011-02-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

Our bed. 9.5 hours of sleep...ahhh!

Ok maybe not saved my life, but pretty close. Do you ever just feel overwhelmed, and stressed, and every request that anyone makes of you leads to complete annoyance at the world? Well, if your answer is "no" then you are a better person than me. Sometimes all I want is silence. And sleep. And a giant glass of Pinot Noir. And a team of incredibly lovely people waiting on me. Ok, that last one was pure fantasy, but guess what? I got ALL of those things for 24 hours at a heavenly spot a mere 30 minutes away from Portland. The Allison Inn and Spa. Love. It.

I blogged a few months ago about how my delightful Urban Waxx team threw me a surprise baby shower. Now, anyone who knows me will report that I deeply dislike all things shower related. I do enjoy throwing the occasional baby or bridal shower, but sitting in a roomful of ladies wearing a hat made out of gift wrap and opening gifts with an audience is NOT my idea of a swell time. When Stella was born I refused anything shower related, so I thought it was pretty sneaky when the ladies threw me a little shin-dig. Actually, it was fun and delightful. And the most delightful part was the amazing gift that they gave me: a night's stay at The Allison Inn!

Afternoon snack. Love it!

We finally finagled some poor suckers into watching Stella and Dino for the night (my brother and his girlfriend), and we headed to The Allison yesterday. Oh wow, it's pretty fabulous. The Inn itself is so incredibly elegant. Every detail is thought of, from the water features that are everywhere to the local artwork that is on almost every wall. The service is beyond perfect. As you know from reading my blog, I am pretty much obsessed with customer service. I abhor bad service and I swoon when it's good. The service at The Allison is excellent. Everyone is so warm and friendly. I really want to move in. I wonder if I could run Urban Waxx holed up in a room at The Allison? Could I possibly write that off...? Hmmm.

My favorite part of the stay was visiting the spa. It is really opulent. The spa is 15,000 square feet of completely tasteful luxury. The services were amazing, (yes my darling team also treated me to a massage and facial...sniff, sniff...I love them) but I was just so thrilled to sit in the lounge in a plush robe drinking cucumber flavored water. Bliss.

Well, all I can say about my stay at the Allison is that it made me feel completely refreshed. I had time to just think, and sleep, and drink that giant glass of local Pinot Noir that I was dreaming about. So, go there. Go now. Being surrounded by such beauty and serenity can really make a gal feel ready to face the world.

I have a new love and it's The Allison. It was seriously one of the best gifts I have ever received. I am obsessed. In fact, my obsession may be bordering on unhealthy. I may start making The Allison uncomfortable with my overtures. But really, who can blame me? xoxo

In the Wax Room, Part 4

2011-01-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

So this is something that comes up a lot in my chosen profession, and I want to clear something up once and for all: Brazilians are NOT disgusting. I would like to add to that: We are NOT disgusted giving Brazilians! I swear it! I know that there may be some of you out there that cannot believe that most of the employees at Urban Waxx have seen as many women with their pants off as the average gynecologist, but it's true. And, I am here to say that when I ask every employee at Urban Waxx what their favorite service is to give, they almost all say the same thing: the Brazilian.

I bring this up because the other day I was having a chat with another Esthetician. She mentioned that there are times that a client will come in and as she is about to begin her Brazilian, the client will say something like: "Aren't you grossed out doing this?" or "I feel bad for you! This must be an awful job!" Hmm. I have to think about that for a hot second. I can tell you that we are 100% NOT grossed out doing Brazilians. After the 2nd or 3rd it's all just hair and skin. After the 1000th, I could probably do them blindfolded, asleep, and with one hand tied behind my back. There is nothing gross about the human body. Seriously. And anything I did think was gross when I was younger (for me, vomit), is no longer even mildly gross after having 2 children. Seriously. As far as it being an awful job, actually, it's quite the contrary. It's an amazing job! We have fun, we connect with lovely people, and when the employees leave, they don't take their work home with them. Part of what makes Urban Waxx such a great environment for our clients is that it's also a really great environment for us. I think it's pretty apparent when you walk through the doors that we love what we do.

I think that women ask us things like that because some women feel uncomfortable about their bodies, and they can't imagine that anyone would want to be looking at them in such an intimate way...not to mention under such bright lighting! I mean, honestly, I think everyone has hang-ups about their physiques, present company included! But I wish everyone would understand that when we are waxing we are NOT judging. I tell you I have waxed all shapes and sizes...we all have, and it's all the same. It's all hair and skin, and our mission is to remove the hair and leave the skin baby smooth. Doing an amazing Brazilian is what we are known for, and we wouldn't have it any other way. xo

We heart Sammy's Flowers

2011-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to write about Sammy's Flowers forever. We LOVE Sammy's. They are amazing. Here are some reasons why:

The location that we visit is right down the street from our Northwest location, on Lovejoy, in the Pearl.
They always have the most amazing selection of totally unique, interesting and very cool flowers.
The staff is unbelievably lovely and helpful. For the past year (or more) we have ordered flowers for both salons once a week, and Cody will go pick up and deliver. The standing order is: "Something cool, tall, and unique." They never disappoint. It's always exciting to see the weekly arrangements.
They located 2 fabulous Manzanita branches for me to display our jewelry.
They know EVERYTHING there is to know about flowers.
In all the times that we have ordered we never receive a boring, run of the mill arrangement. It's always something interesting.

I love having a florist on speed dial. At Urban Waxx there are 20 women working together. 20 women means that at any given moment someone can be having boyfriend issues, personal issues or just plain bad day issues. Sometimes a bouquet from Sammy's is just what the doctor ordered. xo

2010 Numbers!

2011-01-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

I love me some numbers. Numbers make me feel happy. Bizarre for a gal who barely, barely squeaked through math classes, but in a business, numbers make me feel safe. They appeal to the rational side of me. So I felt it was only fitting that the first post of 2011 should be about some of our BIG numbers from Urban Waxx in 2010. So here we go:

At Urban Waxx Northwest in 2010 we did 9324 Brazilians and maintenance Brazilians. WHAT??? That's completely nuts!
We did 6170 eyebrow waxes.
At Urban Waxx Tanasbourne we did 1159 Brazilians in 2010, from June 22 to December 31. Wow!
We did 800 brow waxes!

When I look at those numbers I am completely gobsmacked! (Side note: I have really become obsessed with British expressions. Is there a way that an American can crow-bar words like "gobsmacked" and "tosser" into a conversation without seeming completely affected? Please let me know.) Anyway, seriously, it's amazing that we see so many clients every day, and that we keep meeting new clients all the time. It's such a blessing, such a gift!

I am really thrilled with the numbers at Urban Waxx Tanasbourne. While they seem petite compared to Northwest, they were more than I had hoped to see. In fact, we were much busier in our first year at Tanasbourne than we were in our first year of Northwest....way back in 2007! :)

Sometimes when I think about the fact that our business is JUST waxing, it almost seems implausible that we can build and sustain. I really feel like so much of the sheer volume is based on the amazing power of word of mouth referrals. Our clients have the gift of gab, and we LOVE them for it!

We are all so excited to see what this year brings. We will be adding new Estheticians to our lovely and talented group. There will also be some new smiling faces at the front desk ready to check you in and offer you a glass of wine or a cup of tea.

We can't wait to see you! And thank you, again, to each and every one of you that have believed in us and told your friends about us! We could NEVER have seen numbers like this without all of our amazing clients! xxo

Congratulations Betty and Rich!

2010-12-31T22:03:00.000-08:00

So many great things have happened to the team at Urban Waxx recently. You know we are all anxiously waiting for the next Urban Waxx baby's arrival (Gina is due in 10 weeks), and we just got some more REALLY fabulous news! Our lovely and talented Beth (affectionately known as Betty) and her adorable boyfriend Rich are now engaged!

Beth sent me a text on Christmas day with a picture of the beautiful ring that Rich presented her. I am SO happy for them. Rich and Beth are both so freaking adorable. They have been together since they were kids (practically) and, best of all, they are both from New Jersey! For those of you who don't know this: I am from NJ, and I have a deep love for all things from the Garden State. Not only are they both hilarious, genuine, and fabulous looking, but they have amazing talents. You all know that Beth is a great waxer but she is also an excellent seamstress and double Snuggie maker (trust me, I know), and Rich is an accomplished break dancer. Oh yes, it's true. After a few cocktails that boy will bust a move the likes that you've never seen!

Anyhoo, we are all thrilled for our Beth. We couldn't think of a cuter couple to be together, and we wish them nothing but happiness! xxoo

Hello 2011!

2010-12-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

Seriously...we are already in a new year? I can't believe it. What happened to 2010? I, for one, am thrilled to be ushering in 2011. I think there are going to be so many exciting things happening that I am really looking forward to the next 12 months. Plus, my lucky number is 11, so that's a bonus! :)

Do you have any resolutions that you are planning on sticking to this year? Mine are the basics: baby weight off, spend more time at the gym and less time in front of the tv eating nachos...you know the drill. I also have big plans for Urban Waxx. There have been things in the works for a while and I think 2011 is the year when they will start to come to fruition.

So much happened in 2010 to Urban Waxx. We opened our second location and added some really fabulous team members. We went to the Las Vegas Convention and got the Serious Serum website up and running. Serious Serum is now in over 40 salons and spas across the country! We met so many more fabulous clients, we had so many more positive experiences. I feel like we have so much to be grateful for.

Once again, I want to extend my deepest thanks to all of the wonderful clients who help to make Urban Waxx possible every day. And a HUGE thank you to the team of talented and amazing women who work at Urban Waxx. There is no way Urban Waxx could succeed without them.

xo

Ho Ho.....really?

2010-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or did Christmas come and go even faster than usual this year? I mean, I feel like I really dropped the ball this year when it came to the holidays. For instance: I didn't send a single Christmas card, I forgot to get teacher gifts for Stella's teachers (ugh, tacky.), I didn't make cracker toffee (more on that later), we got a tree but only put lights on it, no ornaments, we didn't put lights on the house...oh I could go on. I feel like suddenly I looked at the calendar and Christmas was the next day. What the heck happened? Oh, if you are looking at the pic of Santa with Stella and Dino and thinking: "Well, at least she took her kids to take a picture with Santa..." NO. Please note that Santa is actually my husband. I bought him a Santa costume a few years ago and so this year, instead of taking both kidlets to the mall to get pics, we just dressed him up and sat them in front of our (undecorated) tree. Whatever. It worked.

We did manage to have a super fun employee holiday party this year. I think it is very important to have special fun party times with the team. I am always shocked at companies that do zero for their employees socially. I have found that a couple of great parties a year really does a lot to boost morale and bring the group closer together...especially when there is a bartender involved!

We spent Christmas day flying to Los Angeles to surprise Cody's parents with a visit. We also decided that it would be fun to take Stella to Disneyland a few days after Christmas. Note to self: NEVER go to Disneyland during Christmas break. It was an unbelievable, crazy-making mob scene. But Stella saw princesses so mission accomplished.

I hope that you all had a great holiday season...wherever you may be! xo

Mean Girls.

2010-12-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Mean Girls. If you are a woman, chances are you have either been a mean girl or been terrorized by a mean girl at one point in your life. The other night I told Cody that one of my favorite movies was "Mean Girls," and he laughed. I was serious. He often tells me that I have the TV viewing habits of a 14 year old girl, but I do feel that this movie has a deeper message...and some pretty funny one-liners.

At our last meeting we talked about how at Urban Waxx we are not mean girls. I commented that I felt that gossip and talking about other people is a way that women bond with each other. Why? Because it is easy to establish a relationship with another woman when you have nothing at stake. So we talk about other people. "Oh, you think that Tammy is a terrible dresser? I do too! You think Lisa has a huge forehead??? So do I! Wow, we are SO much alike!" Gossip is a safe way to bond without having to reveal anything about ourselves. It's completely superficial. And it's pretty yucky.

When I thought about my ideal business model and the actual culture of Urban Waxx, being a salon full of nice people was at the top of my list. I have spent many years working at spas and salons where the employees were not nice to each other. It sucked. Have you ever walked into a room full of people and have them suddenly stop talking. Huh. Not a nice feeling. Have you ever been talking about someone and have them walk into the room? Also, not a nice feeling. I didn't want that to be the case at Urban Waxx. I never wanted to feel like there was a "cool group" and that some people just weren't in it. I never wanted a client to walk in and feel like we were just chatting about another client. I have been at other salons where the employees are talking about each other or their clients...in front of clients. Wow. That always shocks me. I wanted to be able to walk into work and feel HAPPY, and have all of my employees walk in to work and feel HAPPY. Happy, safe, comfortable, and at home, at least for the majority of the time.

Next year will my 20th high school reunion. Yes, 20. It almost makes me blanch to write that. I loathed high school. Truly. I hated the cliques, the drama, the monotony. But after 20 years, I am curious to see all of my former classmates. I have reconnected with many of them on Facebook (of course...the great Equalizer), and it's amazing that most of us have kids, families, careers. I look at these people and remember them at parties, or smoking in the bathroom, or cutting class (wait, that might have been me). You can remember those who picked on you and you picked on. The hurtful words that were said 20 years ago can still usually be recited, verbatim. And isn't high school a little like a primer for real life? Don't we all get to try on our grown up selves first during those brutal four years?

I guess what I am trying to say, in a weird, rambling, only had 4 hours of sleep because Stella has pinkeye and Dino was up all night being fussy sort of way is: It's so much NICER to be a nice girl. So much nicer to complement than criticize, to build each other up than to tear each other down, to smile instead of roll our eyes. I mean, aren't most women essentially the same? Don't we all want to sit with the cool kids at school? Don't we all want to fit in and belong, and be a part of the private joke?

I'd like to close with a fitting quote by Lindsey Lohan's character about head Mean Girl Regina George. Put aside for a moment that I am a 37 year old mother of two who is quoting a Lindsey Lohan movie, please. It's still a good movie, thank you very much, and a good quote!

Calling somebody else fat won't make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George's life definitely didn't make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.

You said it, Lindsey. Now behave yourself.

Who wants cake?

2010-11-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

I'd like to give a little shout out to our new go-to for birthday cakes at Urban Waxx: The Beaverton Bakery. Have you been there? No??? Ok, well put down your laptop and get in your car and drive over to Old Town Beaverton and get yourself some baked goodness. Seriously. The bakery reminds me of every old style bakery that I ever went to when I grew up in New Jersey. It smells like that...buttery and sweet, and the selection is totally like that! The cookies, cakes and other assorted pastries are legit...and delightful.

We have a little tradition at Urban Waxx where the ladies get to pick out their birthday cakes and then on their birthday I arrive with said cake and "surprise" them with it. I giess it was a surprise at one time, but considering the fact that they each tell me what they want in advance, it's not too surprising anymore. We ALL love cake, and I love doing little things like that for the team. Actually, it's also pretty self serving because I could eat cake three meals a day and still want more. Besides, it's bad luck not to eat birthday cake...right? Right?

We have sampled 2 cakes from BB over the past few weeks, a lemon chiffon for Mindy and a lemon poppyseed with cream cheese frosting for Megan. Both were sublime. One bite told me that I would be making the trek to Beaverton 18 times in the coming year. But I don't mind a bit! The business is locally owned and the best thing is that I can order my cake online and prepay, so all I have to do is sashay in and pick it up! Plus the staff is super sweet (no pun intended).

Beaverton Bakery: We love you so.

Beaverton Bakery
12375 SW Broadway
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 646-7136

Marywynn's cookies!

2010-11-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of having a baby is that people feel compelled to bring you food. And, I am compelled to eat said food, especially if it is dropped off by the lovely and talented Marywynn Ryan. I have blogged about Marywynn on other occasions. She owns a delightful spa just down the street from Urban Waxx, Skin by Marywynn, and she gives the most fabulous facial. Not to mention that she is a super cool chick.

Well, who knew that she was also an amazing cook? She emailed me the other day and said that she wanted to drop off dinner for the fam. I was thinking casserole. Oh no. Her cute self arrived with a giant batch of homemade chicken noodle soup, a mushroom and goat cheese galette, rosemary walnuts, and chocolate chip cookies. This must be what one can accomplish when there is not a wee one tethered to your breast. It's amazing. She's amazing!

Anyhoo: Cody and I ate the entire meal, and all 400 cookies in about 2 hours. He was obsessed with the cookies. They are buttery, crispy, and full of dark chocolate goodness. I asked her if I could have the recipe to share with you. So here it is! :)

1/2 lb butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
1 3/4 c dark choc (72%) bar chopped

preheat oven to 325
cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, add eggs and vanilla mix well
add flout, baking soda and salt, mix well
add choc chunks, mix

bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges and center is still soft
cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to racks to cool
eat and enjoy

Hello Dino!

2010-11-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

So, as many of you know, I have been waiting for the arrival of my baby boy. Well, he's here! He was born on November 5 and he weighed in at a whopping 10.4 lbs! Actually, the labor was fairly lovely and I have another great birth experience at St. Vincent's. Anyway, the little Mr's name is Dino John Lucchesi and we are thrilled to have him join our family (and the Urban Waxx family!)

So Cody and I had completely forgotten what it is like to take care of a newborn. Stella is only 2 1/2 years old but she is such a person! I think the Mommy amnesia has kicked in and all of the first few months of infancy seem like such a blur! I am constantly amazed how single parents can do it. I mean...Stella is in school, and Cody and I are both here full time and still sometimes we are so overwhelmed. It's crazy town. Not to mention the fact that when a little babe comes into the world, all I really want to do is lay around and stare at him. That's what I was able to do with Stella and being in that little love bubble was pretty fabulous. But, as any parent with more than one child knows, that is NOT possible the second go around. Not with a toddler, anyway. But Stella is freaking adorable trying to "help" with the baby, even if helping means throwing a diaper at his head.

Another thing that I was worried about, and I think this is common, is that there was no way possible that I could love another baby the way I loved Stella. I mean, it almost doesn't seem like it could be. But, the moment they laid that chubby baby boy body on my chest my entire being screamed "MINE!" It's the most primal feeling that a person can have, I imagine. It's that feeling of knowing you would lay down in front of a speeding train for this little one.

So, while we are getting our new flow down, things are ticking along smoothly at Urban Waxx. The team has been so incredibly lovely with texts and emails inquiring about Dino and me, (and my emotional state...I think they are finally getting used to the strange bouts of unprompted tears). It always amazes me that while I am home I have an incredible team of women doing their amazing thing at Urban Waxx and living the dream. I adore these women. And I thank them...and all of you...for making Urban Waxx what it is! xo

From the Desk of Mr. Urban Waxx

2010-11-04T20:31:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have seen me around the shop. You probably thought to yourself "Wow, I wonder what that dude is getting waxed." Sorry to let you all down, but I'm Shannon's husband, Cody. I have been blogging on my own website for some time now and was honored that Shannon asked me to start contributing to her blog, and give you some perspective of what it's like to be the "man behind the waxx." So here I go.

I remember back in the day when I was pulling 12 hour days in kitchens and had no clue what Shannon's job really was. I knew she worked in a spa and they did everything from massage to waxing. I thought a Brazilian was something only "exotic" girls did, and I wasn't sure exactly what it was. The one thing I did know was that Shannon needed to be her own boss and start a business of her own. We left the bad attitudes and smog filled air of Los Angeles for a better life and to start a business in Oregon. Shannon found a single room rental in a hard to find building and decided to start a waxing business. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. I thought of Oregonians as granola munching, peace sign flashing free spirits. Not exactly what I thought of the ideal waxing candidate. Man, was I wrong. She immediately began forming tight relationships with her clients and the books filled up. She was working long, hard days and had one goal in mind, growth. Pretty soon she was pregnant and so busy that she out grew that cozy little one room shop. We spent the next couple of months planning, prepping and starting our new business. We had our beautiful daughter Stella, Shannon worked all morning, I worked all night and we made it work. We continued to grow and grow. We hired more staff, extended our hours and kept busy. A second shop was on the horizon and I knew what had to be done. It was Shannon's turn to shine and live out her dream. I knew it couldn't be done with the schedules we were working. I quit my job and took on a new role. I was now Shannon's right hand man. People ask me all the time what I do for a living, and I respond by telling that my wife and I own a waxing salon. The first response is always "Do you do the waxing?" Really people? That would be scary, for you and for me. I take care of all the small things within the business. Everything from shipping Serious Serum to salons across the country, keeping up with inventory, and anything else that might make Shannon's life a little easier. Life is awesome. I am married to the greatest, most driven, beautiful woman on the planet. We have the coolest little family on the planet (with a "mini me" arriving any day now).

So, if you see a big, tattooed, bald guy lurking around either of the Urban Waxx locations, it's most likely me. Come say hi. And thank you for supporting us each and every day.

What is an Esthetician, anyway?

2010-11-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

So it came to my attention at today's meeting that maybe some of our clients don't really understand what the criteria is in order for us to do what we do. I mean, can we just heat up some wax and grab some sticks and start waxing? Well, maybe you could, technically. But that would be illegal. And gross.

We are Estheticians (or Aestheticians, if you want to be French about it). Any time that you receive a waxing service from anyone, you should make sure that they have a current license and that they are either an Esthetician or a Cosmetologist. What are those things, you ask? Well, and Esthetician is a person who has completed a State Board required course and received a license. Estheticians can perform facials, do makeup, and wax. They can usually also do body treatments like wraps and scrubs, and work in medi-spas and do procedures like laser hair removal. The level of education varies from state to state, and it is measured in hours. For example, I went to school in NJ and it is required that we fulfill 600 hours, and then pass a State Board exam. 600 is the norm, and most states require that amount, although some ask for more or less.

So, then what happens? Well, if you work at Urban Waxx, and you come to us just out of school, you train. And train. And then train some more. The new waxers wax Urban Waxx employees, they bring in friends, and they usually wax me. It's incredibly important that they are up to the standards that we have set down.

So that's it, really. Just a little insight into the gal who is waxing you and her background. Any time that you are waxed you should be 100% sure that they are currently licensed, that they are trained and experienced, and that they know what the heck they are doing. If it feels like it's not right, then trust your gut. It's probably not. You should always feel like you are in a clean, safe, comfortable place. Like at Urban Waxx, for example! xo

We loooove to wax!

2010-10-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I need to revisit what makes Urban Waxx what it is: the wax service. I spend a lot of time focusing on the customer service side of the business and the culture of Urban Waxx (that is a word that will be appearing in quite a few posts over the next few months), but the business itself was created because I love to wax. Through that basic idea, I wanted to have a place that employed other gals who also love to wax. And that's it. No massage, facials, make-up etc. The reason that I wanted to only specialize in waxing is because I feel very strongly about doing one thing and doing it exceptionally well. I have heard too many horror stories about gals getting waxed in a dingy back room on a questionable table with a questionable waxer. Waxing isn't brain surgery, I understand that, but there is definitely a technique and a touch that usually comes with lots and lots of practice. That's another reason that we only wax: we want to be the best at it!

So why am I talking about this again? Because I think it's important to convey to our clients and readers that we all feel very passionately about one thing: waxing. We love to wax. I think each of the gals have their favorite service to perform, which I always think is really cute and interesting to find out. My personal favorite: the Brazilian. Did I think, 20 years ago, that I would be saying that I love to perform bikini waxes all day long...mmm, probably not. However, I really, really do. My favorite is when we have a new, nervous client who has never been waxed before, and I can turn her into a wax convert. It's very pleasing. But I really enjoy all of the services that we offer. All of the gals do. It's fun to wax, to chat with our clients, to see the same faces every few weeks. I love the connection that we can experience with our clients.

I had a wonderful wax with Mindy last week. I have been dreading this Brazilian because I am 38 weeks pregnant and you are definitely more sensitive to pain during a pregnancy. Also, any of the girls will tell you that I am a huge baby when it comes to being waxed anyway. However, after it is complete, I always think: "Wow! These gals are amazing!" I feel like it really shows how much we enjoy what we are doing.

So, what does all of this for you? It means that if you are nervous, or shy, or recovering from a bad wax experience elsewhere, then we are the place for you! We love to wax, and we would love to wax you! xo

We heart Souchi!

2010-10-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

How many times am I going to start a blog the same way? Quite a few, it looks like, when it comes to the plethora of amazing Urban Waxx clients that we have that in turn have amazing businesses. I know that I have commented on this many times before, but what is the deal in Portland? Why are there so many cool women that own cool businesses? Is it the weather? The coffee? The food? Well, whatever the case may be, I am constantly meeting women that are involved with their own projects, and I always feel inspired and very "girl power" (not to make a lame Spice Girls reference, but you know what I mean).

Suzi Johnson is a lovely gal that found Urban Waxx through another lovely gal, Marywynn Ryan. Suzi owns the most fabulous store in NW Portland, Souchi. Souchi is a lovely store that has not only Souchi originals, which are luxurious knits made from cashmeres from loro piana, italian merinos, organic cottons from Tanzania, and gorgeous yarn blends of the finest silk, cotton, and cashmere, but there all also other really lovely designers. There are gorgeous bags, shoes, and accessories, as well as really beautiful individual pieces.

I have seen Marywynn sport the most fabulous knit Souchi dress on several occasions, and I am forever complementing her on it. She tells me "Wait until you pop that baby out, and get yourself down to Souchi." I plan on doing just that. I love Souchi's leg warmers and scarves, but what I am really crazy about is her unbelievably beautiful wrap sweaters. Perfect for a chilly Portland night!

Souchi
807 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
503-525-0043

Holiday Scents and our Director of Merchandising

2010-10-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love new holiday products! I am obsessed with all things wintery and love anything that has pumpkin in the title. Yes, it's true: I demanded that Cody take me to Burgerville yesterday after we hit up the Sauvie Island pumpkin patch so I could indulge in a pumpkin shake. Don't judge me, people. I'm pregnant. And those shakes are only available for a limited time...I mean, what's a gal supposed to do?

Anyway, we just got our first of many shipments to come of holiday goodies. Klean Spa delivered a giant box of their fabulous scrubs, lotions, and bath soaks. There are some really lovely fall/winter scents, like Perfect Pumpkin, Let it Snow (and the scrub has glittery sparkles in it! too cute), and Holiday Glow lotion. Mmmm. I spent some time yesterday standing in front of the Klean display smelling all the fall inspired scents. Then I started craving pumpkin baked goods, so I had to get out of there!

I always tell the gals that if they have a job in Urban Waxx that they are interested in doing, they should let me know. Well, Jenny has expressed interest in ordering product and being in charge of the product displays, so guess what? Jenny is the new Urban Waxx Director of Merchandising. Tee hee! Ok, ok, so really that means that she gets to change up the displays and tell me what she thinks that we should order. She also put together the holiday order of Margarita Bloom that I am pretty excited about. She chose things that I would have overlooked, so I'm interested to see how her product choices do!

So come on in and check out our goodies. Perfect for housewarming gifts, Hanukkah and Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, etc. And can you please bring me some pumpkin baked goods? Thanks! xo

Surprise!

2010-10-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

xxoo

I have an amazing staff. No, really, I work with the most amazing group of women that an employer could ask for. They are strong, beautiful, funny, silly, and generous. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better team.

Tonight Cody tricked me a little and got me down to the Urban Waxx office at around 6:30. All of the Urban Waxx ladies were waiting for me. Surprise! A baby shower! It was honestly pretty shocking. They had decorated, brought delicious food, and Adriana had come up with some really funny games. They guessed how big my belly was (strangely enough, I guessed and I was exactly correct. Weird), they put bets on when I would deliver, and they had a bottle race to see who could chug the fastest out of a baby bottle. There is video included. Lou Lou really looked like she was enjoying going back to her babyhood.

The ladies!

The most amazing thing of all was the unbelievably over the top generous gift that they all gave me. They presented me with a gift certificate to The Allison Inn and Spa for a one night stay in a penthouse (WHAT?!?) and a spa credit for a massage and facial. Honestly, I was speechless. And bawling. But speechless. I mean, it was really one of the nicest, most thoughtful gift that I have ever been given. Anyone who knows me knows that there is pretty much nothing I like more than a night in a fab hotel.

Only 4 more weeks!

Anyway, I love them. I love my gifts, and I love the fact that they all planned and plotted and schemed together. I feel deeply lucky to have women in my life that care about me and are so incredibly thoughtful. I love you, ladies. Seriously. xxoo

Busy times and sad news.

2010-10-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Heather at her baby shower

Phew. It's been a busy month and I have been neglectful of my blogging duties. I am in the home stretch of my pregnancy, and I have been working furiously trying to get everything organized before I go on maternity leave on Oct. 15. I mean, it's not exactly like I will be completely out of commission, eating bon bons and watching daytime tv, as Mindy likes to say, but I will not be waxing until Feb 1! I almost can't believe it. When I do come back I am planning on waxing a few days at the Northwest location and a few days at the Tanasbourne location. So, in the meantime, I have been meeting with the staff, delegating, and trying to get myself ready to let a few things go.

Meg, Heather and Jenny

There have also been some changes that I wanted to chat about. Heather, who has been a waxer at Urban Waxx since day one, will no longer be a part of our team. Heather's mother in law has taken ill, and she also happens to be Heather's childcare for her darling daughter, Farris. That means that Heather will be focusing on being a wonderful wife, mama, and daughter in law, and it's clear that working a few shifts at Urban Waxx will have to take a back seat to that for the time being.

Heather and the gals in Vegas

Heather and I talked at length about the situation, and I must say it's pretty sad. Heather and Mindy were the 2 waxers the very first day that I did interviews, and they have been witness, over the past 3 years, to so many staff changes and growth. We watched Heather go through her pregnancy, we have seen little Farris blossom into the cutest almost 2 year old around, and we have gotten to know Heather's lovely husband, Tyler. She is a part of the Urban Waxx family, and knowing that she is going through so much stress and pain is painful for us as well.

Heather and Tyler Halloween 2009

So, Heather is in out thoughts and we will be missing her smiling face and abundance of good cheer. We love you, Mrs. Ashlock. You know that no matter what happens, you are part of the Urban Waxx family. xxoo

Baking is fun!

2010-09-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

So, I am a huge nerd. The nerdiness gets more apparent as I get older. I love all things baking related, I yearn to be crafty like a less rigid Martha Stewart, and I really wish that I had the time and patience to do super crafty, homey projects. I don't. I did take a knitting class last year and I was hooked on knitting for like, 5 minutes. I realized that they payoff is much greater when I can actually eat the finished product.

Cody and I have a collection of probably about 750-1000 cookbooks. Seriously. It's insane. Our dream is to have a house one day with a library off of the amazing kitchen to house or ridiculous collection of cookbooks. I especially love books that have tons of pictures of the food. We spend a lot of time talking about food, and things that we love about food. Cody is a chef, so it makes sense that he is hardwired to love food. But me...well, I'm an eater. And there is nothing more wonderful than cooking for another human. It's instant gratification, very similar to why I love waxing. The hair is there, I wax it off, the client is thrilled, I see the results. With food, you cook the food, you see the person enjoying the food, you are both happy. Instant. I have little patience for long term goals. What can I say, it's the Jersey in me.

So why am I blogging about food? Well, recently I have been very interested in blogs about food. I love a few and I thought that I would share them with you. One is www.bakerella.com. This is the cutest blog about baking, and cake balls. I know, cake balls sounds weird and maybe gross. And Cody has told me several times that it is SUPER nerdy. But when you look at the little pictures of the crafty confections on sticks...oh it's too much. So cute. I will be making a HUGE display of holiday themed Cake pops for our Urban Waxx Christmas party. It will be mind blowing. Ok, maybe not mind blowing, but impressive nonetheless.

Another blog that is soooo fabulous is www.thepioneerwoman.com. This is a completely beautiful blog that I have been looking at for several years. It's about a city gal, Ree Drummond, who moved out to the middle of nowhere with her cowboy husband, and all the adventures that they have. She is a cooking, picture taking, homeschooling, blog writing super-hero. Her blog is just so pretty and my favorite part is all of the gorgeous food pictures that she takes. Very inspirational.

Also on my go-to list is www.smittenkitchen.com. Again: funny writing, fabulous pictures, and recipes that are seriously good.

So, enjoy some fun blog reading. Maybe it's the 8th month of pregnancy kicking in, but all I want to do is bake and nest. I'm sure these urges will pass. Or at least I hope!

By the way, did I ever tell you that Cody and I met in a cake decorating class in Chicago? Ah, that's another story! :)

Things that make me nuts. Part 2

2010-09-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

So ever since my first post about bad customer service I have been thinking about other things that I feel are unacceptable. The funny thing is, blogging about that has really opened up Pandora's box. Clients are forever telling me things that they have witnessed at other businesses, and of course, things that they see at Urban Waxx that are not up to snuff. Not only that, but as I have stated before, I feel like my certain brand of crazy has imprinted itself on most of my staff, who now report back to me when they see terrible customer service infringements. Oh dear.

Anyhoo, I'm not saying that we are or should be considered the gurus of customer service. But we do try to go above and beyond and make our clients feel appreciated and loved. And special. It's not hard. We have great clients. Really, all you have to do is be present and kind. Everything else falls into place. But, here are a few more things that I consider yuck:

Staff that has no idea about what they are selling. Have you encountered this? For example, you are out to eat, you are trying to decide between the halibut and the steak. You ask the server: "So what's the better dish, in your opinion?" and the server responds: "Oh I don't know. I don't eat meat or fish. I'm vegan." AGH! Really? You have NO idea what the popular opinion is about the dishes that you serve every day? I mean, can't you just lie to me? I have heard all kinds of weird server responses along this same vein, like "I have no idea, I hate fish." or "I don't drink. I don't know what wine is good." I mean, come on people. You work there! Ask around. I have worked in many restaurants, from fast food to fine dining. At all nice restaurants I was encouraged to ask questions about the menu, to taste the dishes, to know what I was serving. I do the exact same thing at Urban Waxx. I mean, can you imagine if a client called to schedule a Brazilian and said to the front desk: "Hi. Can you tell me about the Brazilian? Is it painful?" and the response was "Oh, I have no idea. I've never had a wax." Uhh, hello? No way. All of the gals at our front desk are allowed (and expected) to get a wax every month. They are told that they need to rotate through every waxer so that they have an idea of what each waxer is like. That way they can try to pair new clients with the perfect waxer. So do you want to know what a Brazilian is like? Well then give us a call!
Gum chewing. All right, all right. I know this may seem a little petty. But I really hate gum chewing. I never chew gum, because when I do I sound and look exactly like a cow out in field. I come from a long line of gum smackers, poppers, bubble blowers. I am not a dainty gum chewer. Gum is gross. Hearing people chew gum while talking is gross. Seeing gum on the sidewalk or under a table is super gross. Seeing a picture of a pretty gal with her mouth open and a big wad of gum in her mouth is gross. I think of that Matt Lauer/ Britney Spears interview when poor Britney looked so disheveled and was chomping on a piece of Juicy Fruit the whole time. I just kept thinking, "Isn't her stylist around? Can't they ask her to spit that out?" Ugh. I think that gum chewing at work is tacky. I even have it in the handbook. Really.
Gross bathrooms. Ahhh. This is a big one. I really feel like what a bathroom at a business looks like is totally indicative of the level of cleanliness in the rest of the joint. I am a sucker for a beautiful, immaculate bathroom. I like a bathroom that smells good, has lots of accessible toilet paper, clean floors, nice lighting. That's important! Cody and I went to dinner this weekend at Fin, (very delicious, btw), and I went to the bathroom and was delighted. I feel like if the bathroom is lovely then the rest of the business must be even more lovely. And on the flip side: if the bathroom is gnarly then what must the kitchen/backroom look like? Eeps!

So that's that for today. What are your customer service pet peeves? I would love to hear about them!

Gimme a break.

2010-08-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

Ah vacation. We all need a break, from life, from stress, from everything. I can always tell when I need to get away because things that shouldn't stress me out make me come unglued. That's how I have been feeling the past few months: frazzled. It's easy for me to always focus on what's wrong with Urban Waxx, and sometimes I need a time-out to reprogram myself.

Cody, Stella and I just took a little 5 day trip to a beach in Mexico. It was pretty remote. There was no Wi-Fi, no laptops, no phones, no television, nada. We wanted to go somewhere where we would totally unplug, and spend the entire trip focusing on the smallest member of our household, Stella. We figured that this would be the last trip that we probably ever take where it was just the 3 of us! Once the baby boy makes his debut in early November, we will be a foursome! We chose a place with water parks, pools, and sandy beaches galore. The entire week was spent on toddler time: basically doing anything and everything that Stella wanted to do. We woke up, ate breakfast, spent the morning at the water park or on the beach, ate lunch, took a long nap, back to the beach for some castle building, dinner at 6pm, some more pool time or some cartoon watching, and then bed. Next day, repeat. And repeat. You get the idea. It was really wonderful to relax, but we were SO ready to get home. Even Stella spent the last day or so ignoring us. No really, she would be digging in the sand with her back to us for most of the afternoon.

So, after a week of being completely cut off from the rest of my world (most notably Urban Waxx and all that goes on), I came home last night feeling like a totally different person. I realized a few things while I was away. Well maybe not anything earth shattering, but things that I definitely needed to be made aware of.

I am way too hard on myself, Urban Waxx, and everything that goes on in there. Like I said, I always see what's wrong with Urban Waxx, what needs to be fixed, made better, finessed. I suppose that helps to keep momentum moving forward, but it can also be a total bummer. I mean, no one wants to be around a Negative Nancy. Ugh. Effective business owners know that they should be aware of the good and bad aspects equally, and that everyone needs to be able to stop and smell the roses.
When I am away from Urban Waxx, I really, REALLY miss it. I miss the staff, the clients, the conversation, the problems, the laughter, the products...I miss it all! One of the things that was making me so nutty before I left was the fact that I felt like I didn't have any time to myself. But guess what: that is totally my choice! There are plenty of business owners that aren't so engaged in what goes on at their businesses, and I'm sure their businesses run just fine. But I set Urban Waxx up so that I could be accessible at almost all times. The staff knows that they can always text me or call me, the email address shannon@urbanwaxx.com goes directly to my phone, we are on Facebook, I blog, and I'm pretty much always around. Quite frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way!
When I decided to open a business, my motivation was to make a fabulous place for the clients and the staff. It's not about me and serving my own needs, it's about me serving the needs of those around me. Sometimes I forget that and start to stomp my feet like a toddler. Not ok. It all trickles down. If I do my best to serve then the staff does their best and it all feeds into the clients and beyond. It's important for me to always remember to lead by example.
I have a great business and a great life. My staff rocks. I was gone for almost a week and everything ran beautifully. Our clients are fabulous and fun to be around. Period.
Flying 7 hours with a 2 1/2 year old, strong willed, fiercely independent child it just plain stupid. Going to a place that is 95 degrees and 100 percent humidity when you are almost 8 months pregnant is pretty freaking stupid, too.
I have a deep addiction to my iPhone, Starbucks, and crappy TV. Coming home to 100 emails, Venti iced lattes and a DVR full of saved shows is blissful.
I love, love, LOVE Portland. Even the air smells amazing here. I love it so much.
Traveling to another country, even one so very close to ours, makes you realize how MUCH we have here. I mean, everything. Opportunities, resources, accessibility, choices. Those are all things that seemed to be in high demand and short supply in Mexico. Cody told me about a man who he knows. He walked, yes that's right, walked to the U.S. from Tulum, Mexico, close to where we were staying. It took him months. He hasn't seen his children in 4 years, and he works non stop to send money to his family. I don't know anyone who would walk across the country, for anything. All the people that we met were so warm and wonderful, but they all seem to have so very little. It makes me realize how much emphasis we all place on, well, stuff.
I have always thought that I am a pretty lazy person, but I have a REALLY hard time relaxing for an extended period of time. Wow.
Finally, and most importantly: being home is so, so good. Sleeping in my own bed, showering in my own shower, cooking breakfast for Stella with my own pan is so heavenly.

So, that's that. I feel like a much more normal version of myself. Coming home to see all the gals, the businesses, a clean house, oh it's just too good! I left poor Kim in charge and she did a fabulous job, but dear lord I think that girl needs a vacation now! She has the same wild eyed look in her eye that I did last week! Maybe Mexico?

We heart Salt, Fire & Time!

2010-08-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

As I have blogged about many times in the past, Portland is pretty much chock full of the most amazing, gifted, ambitious, beautiful women. I mean, seriously! I have lived in quite a few places in the country, and I am always amazed by how freaking cool the chicks are in Portland! And so many of them come in to Urban Waxx and tell us about their respective endeavors.

One such client is the fabulous Tressa Yellig, and she started the most amazing project! It is called Salt, Fire & Time and it is a CSK, or a Community Supported Kitchen. What is that, you ask? Basically, Tressa explains the focus is to increase the transparency from farm to table while building our local economy and empowering folks to heal themselves with local foods. The project is volunteer driven but community organized. It is such a cool, innovative idea! Looking at her website www.saltfireandtime.com, I was completely blown away by the thoughtful, creative way it was laid out. The site is literally jammed full of information.

Tressa offers memberships which means you get a weekly box of prepared foods organized around traditional preparations that are locally sourced and nutritionally minded. Each week the box has different items, and looking at the menu, it's pretty fabulous. This week, for example, there are things like Chicken in Basque Piperade and Creme Fraiche and Lemon Verbena Kombucha, and you can always add things on like Kefir, Eggs from heirloom chickens, and other delightful, locally prepared products. The next round of memberships begins in September, and I will for sure be signing up!

Every Friday there is a community feast at 7pm. The menu changes weekly but it is always $10 a plate. Every Wednesday there are classes like Cooking Pastured Meats and The Many Uses of Honey. Also beginning in September Salt, Fire & Time will be moving their online pantry to a retail store, called The 100 Mile Grocery, where you can stop in anytime for ingredients, locally sourced products, and lunch type items.

Check out this amazing place. Eat fabulous food and feel really good about yourself while you do it! Support yet another dynamic Portland gal and her project! I'll see you there!

Salt, Fire & Time

1920 NW 24th Ave, Unit A
Portland, OR 97210
503-208-2758
www.saltfireandtime.com

New Villainess products make us happy!

2010-08-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! Ok, ok, I'm rushing it. It's still the middle of August. But I really, really, REALLY love the fall and everything that comes with it! I mean, leaves turning, fires burning, pumpkin patches, Halloween, Thanksgiving...oh I get so excited thinking about it!

So: super excited to add a few new scents to our Villainess line up. The first is Decadence, which Villainess describes as "an indulgent vanilla-alcoholic, buttery and bittersweet with delightful undertones of tonka and coconut." The second is Ginger Snapped, which is described as "a slightly psychotic blend of sweet cinnamon, rich cardamom, spicy ginger, and a faint touch of innocent vanilla." Oh. My. Goodness! I know, you want to eat it, but alas, you have to settle for smoothing it all over.

Two exciting products that I am in love with are the Decadence and the Ginger Snapped Smooches. They are both so unique! The Ginger Snapped Smooch is a scrub that actually heats up as you exfoliate! It feels divine! And the Decadence Smooch is a body conditioner. You use it in the shower and it moisturizes and deep conditions your entire body! Perfection for those chilly, dry fall days!

So, our order is on its way and we are so excited. All of the old favorites are coming back, and we can't wait for the new additions. Fall may not be here yet, but these delightful scents will be! We love Villainess!

Turnover. And I don't mean apple.

2010-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have found that the most difficult and frustrating part of opening or expanding a business is the interviewing/hiring/training aspect. It continues to drive me bananas. Anyone who has ever interviewed staff for a particular amount of time will probably tell you that the way people are during interviews and the way they are during training is usually NOT the way they are as employees. Sometimes they are better, because the training makes them nervous and jittery, but often they are not.

Over the past 3 years, my training style has evolved, and my tolerance for mediocrity has disappeared. I firmly believe that everyone, whether you are a bagger at Safeway or the CEO of Apple, should take pride in what they are doing, be present, and most importantly, show up on time. I feel like people in the US have become so entitled when it comes to having a job. Kids graduate high school or college and refuse to work because they think that jobs are "beneath them." People go on unemployment because it is available and it seems to be, alarmingly, the norm. I mean, don't people love to work? Don't people feel a little thrill when they open their first paycheck? Maybe not. Maybe it's weird, but ever since I deposited my first puny payckeck into my first empty bank account at 15 I have been hooked. As I stated earlier, the ability to make money for yourself is freedom. To know that no matter where you are, you will be able to get some sort of a job and be okay...that's such a gift.

Anyway, I digress. So, I'm probably not the most easy gal to work for. I am blunt. Period. If something goes wrong, the staff knows about it. I fixate on things that need to be improved. I address complaints immediately and swiftly. I am not a super cuddly, easy going, go with the flow kind of boss. In fact, there is nothing go with the flow about me. As I said in the monthly meeting last week, Urban Waxx isn't the kind of work place where you can keep making the same mistakes and stick around. I have worked in spas in the past where there was no fear of being fired, and it completely ruins team morale. Employees think: "So why I am I cleaning/here early/selling/etc. when so and so is not doing anything? Well, if we are all treated the same, then I'm not doing anything either!" One bad employee can demoralize a weak team in days. But when there is a happy team, a strong team, the weak employee will either up their game or weed themselves out. That's what has happened at Urban Waxx over the past few years. The staff that we have is comprised of strong, dynamic women, and they all are on board with the Urban Waxx "mission statement." When a new employee joins, they usually drink the Kool-Aid and everything falls into place fairly seamlessly. As I said before, I am blunt, but everyone always knows where they stand with me. If they are doing great, they know it. If they aren't, well they know that, too.

So the issue that I have found with opening a 2nd location is that we aren't just hiring 1 or 2 new gals. We are hiring 8 or 9. So with all of that growth, there is some growing pains. I tell everyone that I interview that they will be hired, but they are not officially employees until they hit the 3 month mark. The first 90 days is a crucial time for us to see if they are a good fit for us, and if we are a good fit for them. Sometimes is only takes a few days to come to that conclusion. Sometimes it's as if they were meant to be on the team, and they are so lovely and amazing that we can't believe they haven't always been at UW. I always say that the people that stay with Urban Waxx fall in love with it, and the ones that move on, well, it just wasn't a good fit.

So, that's that. Turnover. Not something that I love, but definitely something that occurs. We have been fortunate to have employees for years, and that is something I am very happy with. I have incredibly high expectations, our team has high expectations, and most of all, our clients have VERY high expectations. Trust me, if we don't have the right kind of tea or if the room is 2 degrees colder than it should be, or if the flowers are wilting, I hear about it. I guess you can't have a motto like "It's the best wax you'll ever have. Seriously." and not set yourself up for that kind of feedback! And honestly, I love it! The good feedback is lovely but the bad feedback helps us to do better all of the time.

Do you have feedback for me? About the staff, the salons, the wax...the teas? Let me know! shannon@urbanwaxx.com
xo

We heart Margarita Bloom. Deeply.

2010-07-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

SO: We just started carrying the girliest, flirtiest, most retro-glamorous line in the ENTIRE world. I am NOT exaggerating. A few months ago I was contacted by Margarita Bloom. I looked at their incredibly extensive website of handmade goodies and I almost passed out! I couldn't process all of the cuteness coming at me at once!

I absolutely fell in love with The Bakery collection. I mean, soaps in the shape of cupcakes? In the shape of lemon cookies? In the shape of fortune cookies?!? Stop it right this very second! So, of course I had to order cupcakes, cookies, strawberry massage bars, and anything else that smelled amazing and made me want to eat it.

I also loved the Roller Perfume Oils. I had to order 6 of their top scents because I was so in love with all of the scents and the packaging. The scents! Oh my goodness! Lemon Curd Vanilla? Lila Basmati Rice? What? Cherry Blossom? Seriously...the hits just keep on coming.

Today when the box came I felt like it was Christmas. The packaging is beyond cute. Little bows, toile, sweet gift wrap. Everything is just a little bit different so it really gives the impression that every single item is handmade, hand wrapped and totally created with love. I can imagine how happy some lucky gal would be opening up some of these little sweet treats!

Come on by and check out this fabulous, sexy line. The prices are incredibly reasonable and the products are just about the cutest things we've seen! xxoo

A clean house is a happy house!

2010-07-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

So I have to let you in on a little secret: I hate to clean. There, I said it. Ok, it's not really a secret. I mean, who loves to clean? But I love, love, love to come home to a super clean house. Again, who doesn't?

Today Cody and I came home and our house was more clean than it has been since we moved in. Seriously. Keep in mind that we have a toddler who loves to write on the carpet with a cheese stick. Today we had the delightful experience of having our house professionally cleaned by Helping Hands Cleaners. All I can say is: WOW! Helping Hands is owned by Joe and Debrah Vanchura and they are, you guessed it, Urban Waxx clients! Do you see a pattern developing here? I think I only communicate with UW clients. Maybe I should get out more! Hmm, no.

Anyway, the Vanchuras are a lovely couple that have been in business for over 20 years. The way that they clean is unlike anything I have experienced before. They came a few weeks ago and did a thorough tour and we talked about both of our expectations. They have an amazing level of professionalism. Then today, we came home and the house was completely spotless! The most amazing detail is that they left a checkout sheet detailing everything that was cleaned! It's so cool! They also have a really fabulous website that tells you all about themselves.

I love giving props to our amazing clients that have amazing businesses. Need your place cleaned? Seriously? Call Helping Hands! They rock!

Helping Hands Cleaning
503-351-5716
www.helpinghandscentral.com

Urban Waxx Family Picnic

2010-07-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

We had a perfectly lovely Urban Waxx family picnic. It was a completely low stress way to get everyone together, including the 7 (yup that's right! 7 new employees!) and their significant others together. We had some barbecue, some sangria, and some cake, on a beautiful day at Mt Tabor park.

Looking at this picture, I can't help but remember that our first Urban Waxx gathering, the Christmas dinner from 2007, only had 8 people total. It was me, Mindy, Heather and one front desk gal, and our significant others. That's it. Now look! There are a ton of us! And 4 of our staff members weren't there! Wow what a difference a few years can make! Love it!

Things that make me nuts. Part 1

2010-07-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

So let's chat about a few things that drive me completely, totally, over the edge when it comes to customer service. I admit, I am not the most patient person, and I have worked in some form of customer service for my entire life. My first paying job (besides babysitting), was at Burger King in Gillette, NJ. Don't mock. I have never been the sort to think that I was "too good" to work somewhere. In my 15 year old head, a paycheck represented one thing: freedom. Getting my own money was exciting and fulfilling, and it allowed me to buy expensive clothes and other ridiculous items that my parents balked at.

I haven't always been so psychotic about customer service. I admit, in my late teens and early 20's there were a few jobs that I either didn't show up for, walked out on, or was fired from. I think that began while I was waiting tables at a Friendly's restaurant at 17. I quit that job in a blaze of glory when they sat me a late night table of 6 people. each of them ordered a coffee or a soda and a Fribble. Wait, you don't know what a Fribble is? Well, it's a super thick shake that is served in a giant plastic quart sized cup and was super annoying to make, especially to an insolent 17 year old. So, as I was delivering the large, unwieldy tray to their table, I lost my balance and tipped the tray all over the table. There was literally a sea of Fribble coating the 6-top. So, what does any responsible 17 year old do? I left. I told them I'd be right back to clean it up and I walked out the front door. Not one of the great customer service moments in history, I admit.

I'm not sure what shifted in me over the years, but as I matured and moved into different levels of customer service that included more responsibility, I began feeling a deeper desire to please guests. When I opened Urban Waxx that desire blossomed into a full fledged obsession. At our last meeting I told the girls that it is completely unacceptable for us to be average. Average sucks. Average is everywhere. Go into most shops and you will encounter average service. It makes me bananas. Want to know some of my top service related pet peeves?

Lateness. I have a problem with lateness that those who work with me deeply understand. Maybe it's the Swiss in me, but I hate lateness. One thing that will make me lose it is keeping a client waiting for an appointment. For some reason, when our clients are late I don't find it offensive, but when one of US runs late and/or keeps a client waiting, it's completely unacceptable. It rarely happens. That makes me happy. I blame my problem with lateness on my chronically late mother. Pick your kid up last from school a few times and see what happens: they get nutty like me. I hate being kept waiting at appointments. When I check in to a doctor's appointment and they tell me it will be a 45 minute wait, Cody has to talk me down. I feel that keeping our clients waiting tells them that we do not value their time, and that is simply not true. The solution? We almost always run on time. And when we don't, there better be a darn good reason.
Rudeness. I mean, this is a given. Who wants to deal with a rude customer service person? I feel like rudeness has become tolerated if not accepted in the US. It's bizarre. I mean, I once trained a gal at a previous salon that kept talking to a client checking in while eating her bagel. When I pointed out that eating and talking to a client with her mouth full was rude, she told me that she liked the front desk job and the coworkers, but that the customers bothered her. Hmm. Rule 1 of being in customer service: like customers! I mean, everyone has a bad day once in a while but being rude or disrespectful to the very people that are keeping you in business should never be tolerated. Never.
Sitting. Ok, I know this is weird and maybe a little nitpicky, but it really annoys me when I walk into a salon or a shop and there is someone sitting down behind a desk. It makes me feel like I am intruding on their private time. I can't tell you how many times I have walked out of a store because the person behind the counter/desk is sitting down looking bored. Notice their are no chairs behind the desks at Urban Waxx. The front desk staff is always ready to walk clients to the waiting room, pour a glass of wine, and show you where the restroom is. Always.
Being ignored. Ok, so maybe this is part of number 2, but it deserves attention. Being ignored is the worst offense. Ever sat at a restaurant table and had 2, 3, 10 employees walk past you without making eye contact or addressing you? How does it make you feel? Yup, pretty crappy. Same thing about walking into a shop and having the front desk staff act like you aren't there, or have someone talk on the phone in front of you without making eye contact. All unacceptable behaviors that make guests feel generally yucky. Even if whomever is helping you is swamped, all it takes is a quick smile and a "I'll be right with you," to soothe the savage beast. Ignoring a customer is very, very rude.

Ok, so that's 4. As you might imagine, I have many more. But, it's getting late and I am working myself up right before bed. Not good. Generally, I think it's imperative to treat clients with respect, to validate them, and to always remember that they can go to many other businesses. It's an honor to have people want to come to my business and spend their hard earned cash. It's a choice; not a forgone conclusion.

Tonight I will go to bed reading one of my most favorite customer service books, recommended to me by my dear friend Liam. It's called "Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service," and it's by Ari Weinzweig. He is one of the founders of Zingerman's, my favorite mail order food catalog. Zingerman's maintains a customer service policy that is almost obsessive in pleasing its enormous customer base. It's amazing. Check it out. www.zingermans.com. This little book alway's inspires me to be better.

So here we are.

2010-06-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today I unlocked Urban Waxx Tanasbourne at 8:30 and I felt...peaceful. For the first time in almost a year I didn't feel frantic and nutty. I mean, I always feel a little nutty, but the past 6 months have been pretty over the top. I love when things are smooth and chaos free (I mean, I guess everyone does), and I do not react to stress well at all. Yet, I sometimes choose to heap lots of stressful things on top of myself (and Cody). Why? Well, you read how I said I was nutty, right?

You would think that running a business creates a lot of stress. I have found that running Urban Waxx Northwest for almost 3 years has actually eliminated much of my stress. The environment there is remarkably calm. Yes, we are exceptionally busy, usually seeing 65-70 clients per day. Yes, there are many Alpha females that work with me who all have a lot to say. And yes, there is always the inevitable stresses that accompany owning a business: running out of things, things breaking, clients occasionally needing attention, staff needing attention, etc. But 95% of the time Urban Waxx NW runs like a well oiled machine. The women that work with me are truly amazing. We don't hire very often and when we do, the existing staff can easily help to ease the transition. The staff understand the mission statement and what the UW vision is, and they help to create that. If there is a problem, I hear about it. If things are perfect, I hear about it. It's been a joy, honestly. I value the opinions of my team and know that they have the best interest of UW at heart.

The anxiety that hiring an entire new staff creates for me is pretty huge. I have never hired more that 1 employee at a time, except for when we opened the first location. At that time I hired only 3 waxers, and 2 of them, Mindy and Heather, are still at UW. For this new location I had to hire 4 new waxers and 3 new front desk staff. That's huge. I've been looking for candidates for the past 6 weeks. It's hard for me to define what makes a great team member. Commitment to excellence is number one. Amazing attitude, fabulous personality, positivity, humor, a deep and resounding love for what we do and who we serve. All of these things are what I look for. But anyone who has ever interviewed can tell you how difficult it is to see who someone really is in a 30 minute interview. It's close to impossible. So we interview, and then train, and then we have a 90 day trial period. During that time I monitor the new staff closely, see how they fit, see what they offer, see how the clients and the team responds to them. Sometimes, it isn't a good fit. But when it works, it's magic.:)

It seems almost silly that there is this much pressure to be excellent. I mean, on the outside, aren't we "just" a waxing salon? Maybe...but only on the surface. Anyone who works for me will happily tell you that I am not the most mellow person to work for. There is nothing "go with the flow" about me. I have a very specific, exact way of how things should be at Urban Waxx and I expect everyone to be on board. My vision comes from over 10 years of working at numerous spas and salons and seeing what I loved and hated. I have always wanted Urban Waxx to be a culture, a place where there is a community within the staff and within our clientele. A place where the employees feel safe, and respected, and validated. A place where the clients feel welcomed, and comfortable, and loved. I want us to be more than other salons, to offer something that can't be gotten at every salon you may visit. Maybe not everyone who walks through our doors will get it, but we will try our hardest to convey our manifesto, and to be the best wax you'll ever have. Seriously.

So, this week we have welcomed new clients to our new location with our new staff. The results? Pretty fabulous. There were a few bumps, like when Carly (adorable front desk gal...you will love her), called yesterday to tell me that not only did the receipt printer paper run out but the magnifying lamp in the 2nd room fell out of the wall, then proceeded to give me a pep talk as I neared meltdown stage. Those bumps, however, were pretty minor. Becky (new waxer...love her), ran to Office Depot and got receipt paper; Cody drove to Tanasbourne and reset the magnifying lamps that I had tried to install myself (I know, I know), and everything got back on track. The clients were all happy, the new girls were all happy, and things are on course again.

So, today I spent 4 hours talking to my IT guy and configured the salon software so we can book both locations at both salons. That was exciting. And all the while, waxers were taking appointments, clients were being serviced beautifully, and I was...dare I say it...calm. I feel blessed. Thank you.

Oh pregnancy brain...

2010-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

So I will blame being pregnant on everything weird/crazy/dumb I have done over the past few months. I will throw this baby right under the bus, and I'm sorry, baby, but you are the reason that your Mom is acting so nutty. I knew it was going to happen. It happened when I was pregnant with Stella: the forgetfulness, the constant repeating myself, the blurting out weird things. It's happening again. Only this time, I fear it's worst. Let's look at some examples, and then you can judge:

Recently Cody and I were having sushi for lunch. There was a cute couple, probably both around my age, sitting a few tables away from me. I overheard the woman saying to the waitress: "My kid wants sashimi." I was stunned. I thought, Wow, this lady looks really young! That guy can't be her son. A normal person would have let it go at that thought. Not me. Ohhhhh no. When the guy got up to go to the bathroom, I STOPPED HIM and said to him: "Is that your Mom?" He looked at me like I had 10 heads and said, "Uh, no. That's my girlfriend." and then walked away. I was horrified. The woman called over to me and said something sweet, probably sensing my total mortification. I babbled to her that I overheard her saying he was her kid and blah, blah, blah. All the while Cody is shoving sushi into his pie hole at warp speed and signaling for the waitress to bring the check. Suffice it to say, I felt like a complete idiot. I mean, who eavesdrops on a private conversation, then interjects, then babbles??? Pregnant me, that's who.
This morning I sent an email to all of our clients...all 7000 of our client in our database...telling them about our grand opening at our Tanasbourne location. In the email I offered a special discount and encouraged them to call now. Guess what? I put the WRONG phone number down. Awesome. In fact, I did the exact same thing when I was pregnant with Stella, and I sent a mass email out to our clients, and I put my CELL phone number on it. Really, Shannon? Really?

Ok, so these are just two examples. Honestly, I could name more but I can't remember because this baby is draining my brain cells as we speak.

So here is the great news: Urban Waxx Tanasbourne is finally up and running and BEAUTIFUL! I mean seriously it is fabulous. The staff is fabulous, the location is fabulous, it's all...well you get the idea. Oh, and the phone number, the CORRECT phone number is 503-372-9505

Other great news: Cody and I are having a baby boy! So exciting! So if you see a little bruiser running around Urban Waxx in a few months, you can tell him how he made his Mommy a total ditz. But, it was worth it! :)

The countdown begins...

2010-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, we open in Tanasbourne in exactly a week. Looking around at the space, does it look like we are ready? Uhh, no. Cody is slowly starting to meltdown thinking about everything that needs to happen in order for this to be a success. I, on the other hand, am feeling pretty zen about the whole thing. Why? Who the heck knows. I am usually the crazy one, as he will happily tell you.

When we opened the first Urban Waxx in Northwest, not even 3 years ago, it was a similar scenario. I took appointments at my old location all day on a Sunday, and at the end of my day I recruited friends to help me move everything to the new location. Cody was there until 3 am hanging window treatments. Ahh, maybe this is where his current stress is stemming from! I was pregnant when I opened the first Urban Waxx as well, and the stress combined with a first time pregnancy made me less than lovely for him to deal with.

This time, it is much more smooth, but really, nothing can get set up until the contractors are done and out of there. So far the walls are up, doors are in, floors are in, bathroom is finished, and the electrical is 95% complete. I did notice yesterday that the plugs in all of the rooms are at the wrong height, so who knows when that will be completed. Deep breath. Today the ceiling tiles go in and at that point we can, in the words of Kolan, my contractor, get in there and "tinker around." So that means that this week all the furniture, the wall art, the tables, the wax pots, the front desk, the computers, the retail shelves, the retail...and on and on. But it's fun, to me. It's exciting to see the place go from a dry cleaners to a place where there will be so much love and laughter and amazing memories.

What I love the most about Urban Waxx, and creating another Urban Waxx, is the fact that it is so personal. It's so very me, in every nook and cranny. That can be extremely exciting, but also very scary. I imagine it's what every business owner goes through when they see their dream vision come to fruition. No one wants to have a baby and then have everyone tell you that your baby isn't so great. It's the same thing with opening a business, except for your baby never grows up, and people always have an opinion about your business baby.

The last few years have been an absolute joy and blessing with Urban Waxx, our clients, and the amazing staff that I have had the pleasure of working with. I can't wait to see what happens in the next 3 years! xxoo

Italian Ice in Portland? Fuhgeddaboutit!

2010-06-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

Phew! It's been an incredibly busy few weeks. I will be blogging all about the Tanasbourne process in the next few days. But today, I want to talk about something that is also near and dear to my heart: Italian Ice. That's right people. It's finally the summer in Portland.

Now, some of you will know exactly what Italian ice is. Growing up in New Jersey, Italian ice was served on the boardwalk, usually in little carts, and it was the best thing ever. It's creamy, almost like an amazing sorbet, but there is no dairy in it. It comes in a ton of flavors, and really, it is pure summertime goodness. There is nothing like an Italian ice, (or water ice, depending on where you live), and it instantly reminds me of the Jersey shore, arcades, and fireflies.

So imagine my surprise when a few weeks ago my neighbor Candace came over with a tub of Italian ice. I was so excited, and had to understand where it had come from! Well guess where she gets it from: New Jersey! Yup, it's true. Candace and her partner Blakely have started a business where they sell individual quarts, but even cooler, they have a cart and they will come to festivals, street fairs, and private events! The flavors are amazing: since Candace arrived with the initial cherry batch, I have eaten lemon (my favorite), watermelon (2nd favorite), mango and blue raspberry. They also have bubble gum, chocolate, strawberry, root beer and on and on. The best part about the ice, besides the fact that it tastes amazing, is that it has only 15 calories per ounce, no high fructose corn syrup, it's fat and cholesterol free, and it's vegan friendly! They only make one batch a day to be sure that the quality it perfect. It's also pretty amazing/dangerous that they happen to live right next door to me. There's nothing that screams pregnancy than me in my pajamas downing a quart of Italian ice and watching Lifetime movies. Don't judge me people. :)

Anyhoo, if you would like more info on this fabulous product, or booking Candace and Blakely for your next event, email them at Blakely0623@me.com or Candacemccoy@me.com. They will get back to you within one business day. And please, tell them I sent you. I would like my referral fee to be paid in lemon! :)

The true saga of the Permit

2010-05-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

I thought that at this point I would have blogged many times about the fantastic progress on the Tanasbourne location. I thought wrong. Why, you ask? Well, one word: permits. For those of you who have never had the, ahem, pleasure of being involved in a commercial buildout, there is a little thing called permits that can sometimes stand in the way. Permitting differs from state to state and county to county, and Washington county has a rep for being sticklers. So this is how the story went:

Day 1: Demo
Day 2: Wall Framing goes up.
Day 3: Kolan (my infinitely patient contractor) informs me that I will need lots of permits, and said permits can only be attained by getting drawings stamped by an architect. These drawings cost upwards of $3000 that I did NOT budget for. Pause for small meltdown.
Day 4: Remember that my dear pal Marywynn's husband is an...drumroll...architect!!! Call him and plead my case and ask if he can help.
Day 5: Fly to Las Vegas for the Esthetics Convention, all the while seething at the fact that the store has been untouched for nearly a week.
Day 6: Get a call from the great Kenton (the aforementioned architect) to tell me that he is in the process of cutting through the red tape at the Hillsboro permitting department and getting things straight. Love. Him.
Day 7: Vegas.
Day 8: Success! Success! Kenton found out that I do NOT need stamped drawings! All I need are basic drawings done by Kolan, the HVAC company, and the Electricians! I deeply heart Kenton and Marywnn.
Day 9: Flurry of phone calls to and from the Hillsboro permitting department. Emails, faxes, scans, messages.
Day 10-14: Repeat day 9.
Day 15: Finally ready to see permit department after much interaction. I have spoken to every person in every department at least once per day. They are sweet and helpful and don't even act annoyed when they hear my voice. However, there are many departments to wade through, everyone needs to sign off, and I want to make sure all of my ducts are in a row before I drive to Hillsboro. SO, I schedule an appointment for the next day: Friday.
Day 16: Arrive at the permitting department at 3pm. I have all of my drawings, my applications, and an expectant smile. They review my permits for 30 minutes, then return to tell me that they are all signed off except for the Mechanical department (HVAC) and no one will be there until next Tuesday. Try not to cry in front of them. Drown my sorrows with a Sonic hot dog and tater tots. Don't judge me, people.
Day 17: Take Stella down to the empty shop, stare at the metal framing, and tell her one day all this will be hers. She is unimpressed.
Day 18-19: Nothing.
Day 20: Back to Hillsboro. Talk to the main in charge of permitting and explain to him the story. He tells me that the guy that I have been dealing with is on vacation until THURSDAY and there is no record of my permit application. Heart stops. Pleading, hand wringing, whining begins. Finally, after much review, conferences with the other departments, and data entry: SUCCESS! They hand me my permits!!! I squeal with delight and clap my hands. I ignore the stares. At this point, I'm pretty sure they were tired of dealing with me, and/or they felt sorry for me. I skipped out of the department, permits in hand!!!

So, that's if folks. A bit of advice: get permits first. Get permits first. I repeat: get permits first!!!

We heart Choco by Chloe!

2010-05-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Not to sound like a broken record but:

I love small businesses.
I love local businesses.
I love female business owners.
I love our clients, who are female, local, small business owners.

Today one of Jenny's clients got in touch with me to let me know about her fabulous small business, Choco Designs. Chloe Hallock is a devoted yogi, and her t-shirts are inspired by her passion for yoga. I love that her shirts are lightweight and also, completely adorable. Chloe designs the shirts herself, and she is currently working on extending the clothing line!

Check out her stuff. Designed to awaken the inner yogini in all of us! :)

Choco Designs
www.chocobychloe.com

Vegas, baby!

2010-04-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it was an absolutely incredible weekend at the International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa Conference in Las Vegas. After months of planning, and stressing, and preparing, Team Serious Serum descended on the show, ready to show our stuff!

Have you ever been to a convention? Well, let me break it down for you: basically, there are 600 skincare, waxing, cosmetics, massage, and all other spa and salon related vendors packed into an enormous hall. It is a 3 day event where people from all over the country come to check out new products, buy goods, and attend educational seminars. It's intense. By the end of day 3 everyone looks like zombies. The constant stream of information is a little overwhelming.

So, we arrived on Friday afternoon. This year, I went with Heather, Gina, Kim and Jenny. Can I just tell you how much these gals impressed me? They were absolutely fabulous. They were warm, and funny, and they knew their stuff when it came to talking about Serious Serum. They all knew how incredibly important this show was to me and Urban Waxx, and they treated the entire event like it was their baby. It made me cry more than a few times. Seriously. The baby makes me a little weepy, but also it was such a pleasure having a memory like this with these terrific ladies.

Anyhoo, so did I mention that my fabulous husband drove 17 hours to Las Vegas with 1800 bottles of Serious Serum and all of the stuff for our booth. Yup, he's that good. So, he met us at our hotel (The Trump: completely fabulous, non-smoking, excellent service, and very affordable), and we decided to gorge at the Wynn Buffet and have a pre-show meeting. It was exciting, scary, and surreal all at the same time. I mean, we have been talking about this since last October!

Well, the next 3 days pretty much flew by. We sold hundreds of individual bottles of Serious to attendees, and we opened 25 new wholesale accounts. That means that our Serum will now be sold in 25 new salons and spas across the country. Woo hoo! My original goal for the show was 50, but I think for a new product and our first launch, 25 is a good start. The booth looked amazing, thanks to the design of Liam Flaherty, who did everything from our t-shirts, to the 10 foot by 10 foot back drop, to the press kits. Everything had Liam's hand in it. And it showed. We looked legit!

So, it looks like we will be attending at lest a few shows like this every year. I'm taking a break for the rest of 2010. The thought of squeezing my pregnant belly into a Serious Serum t-shirt and standing for 12 hours is not so appealing at the moment, but I will be ready for 2011.

I just want to commend my entire team. The 4 ladies that came with me did an absolutely outstanding job. And the fact that I can leave for 4 days and the salon runs beautifully is such a relief. My staff is the best. Seriously. xo

The thing about shame

2010-04-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing experience with a client recently that I can't stop thinking about. This particular client emailed me several weeks ago. She told me that she was incredibly nervous about getting a Brazilian, and she has a significant amount of guilt and shame about even considering such a thing. I explained to her that, in my opinion, there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty or ashamed about. We see naked bodies all day long, in all shapes, colors and sizes. There is no judgement, there is privacy, and we treat the experience with respect.

So, a few weeks later, this gal came in for her wax. Let me begin by telling you that she is adorable. Slim body, glowing skin, beautiful smile. When she walked into my room she was so nervous she was trembling. She was terrified to get undressed, and she explained that she had been wanting to have a Brazilian for a long time, but she was too nervous. I chatted with her little while and finally she got undressed and onto the table.

After that it was smooth sailing. We talked the entire time about what had been keeping her from getting a Brazilian. She explained that she had very strict upbringing with a lot of shame involved. Shame about her body, nudity, her feelings toward the opposite sex as she was growing up. Now, as an adult, she worked hard to recognize those feelings and understand where they were coming from, but it was a process. The waxing appointment, baring herself in front of a complete stranger, was a huge step toward her feeling great about herself.

It made me feel so sad, honestly. I feel like women are such a mess! I mean, I see women day in and day out, and the majority of us think there is something wrong with us. Usually, it's our bodies. We think we are too fat, too thin, breasts are too small or too big, cellulite, wrinkles, hair is too frizzy, too flat...I could go on and on. Women that are beautiful, that work out relentlessly, that are young and firm and smooth-skinned, these women hop on the table and make apologies for how they look. They say to me "AH! Don't look at my cellulite." I shake my head in confusion and I think: "Does anyone feel great about the way they look?"

I am absolutely no exception. I have struggled with body issues since I can remember. When I gave birth to Stella, Cody sat me down and told me that he absolutely did not want me to pass on my psychotic body image issues to our daughter. I agreed heartily. I feel like I have wasted so many hours of my life thinking that I was too fat, not shaped right, not perfect. It's exhausting, and infuriating. The last thing in the world that I would want Stella to deal with is worrying that she isn't "good enough." I mean, good enough? For who? Who is this mysterious pillar of perfection that we are always comparing ourselves to, and finding ourselves lacking.

Anyway, I have to remind myself every day, (and usually every woman that I talk to), that there is beauty in everyone. I used to wish that I was a perfect size 4. Now, I try to reframe that thought and instead be grateful for a strong body, physical health and stamina. I can't express enough that I look at naked women all day long and quite frankly, we all look pretty much the same. We all have the same parts. Some of us are a little smaller or bigger, but we are all lovely. Deeply lovely.

Walking around feeling ashamed is like walking under a shroud. It clouds every experience that we have, every touch, every conversation, every encounter. To access those feelings of guilt and shame, to hold them up to the light and see what they are all about, well that's the first step toward freedom.

I was so proud of my client. She took a huge step, and in the process let me in to a part of herself that she keeps closely guarded. After we were finished, she looked lighter, brighter, younger. She was glowing. She looked so proud of herself, so amazed, that it made me want to cry. She rescheduled for next month and I am so excited to see her.

Every day is a journey for us. Some days are totally exhilarating, and some days suck eggs. Through all of it, do we really need our own garbage drowning us? I say, Hell No!

Urban Waxx 2.0

2010-04-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that this is the first in a long line of blog entries about the progress going on in Tanasbourne. Yesterday, the contractors headed over and did the demo. Within a few hours every wall and yucky laminate fixture that was there was smashed to bits and neatly taken away. Wow. Love it. The after is looking pretty...empty! You can see Mindy and the smallest contractor in the world, Stella, in that picture!

Today I met with the contractor and we talked about all things dry wall, electrical, plumbing related, permits...blah bah blah. You get the point. But he did tell me a juicy tidbit: Urban Waxx 2 should only take 30-45 days to be completely finished! Yikes!

By the way, have you ever been to Tanasbourne? Besides amazing shopping, there are great restaurants, gyms, beautiful parks, and the nicest Whole Foods I have ever wandered into. Dare I say it...I love suburbia!!!

Urban Waxx 2!

2010-04-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Exciting and wonderful news! After months, literally 6 months of scouring every shopping center in Tanasbourne looking for a perfect spot, we did it! We signed the lease this week, and we are so excited to tear the place down and get busy!

Why Tanasbourne? Well, for those of you unfamiliar with the location, it is right at the edge of Beaverton and Hillsboro. There are tons of new developments, apartment complexes, and shopping centers. What was missing? Well, us of course! We have had such amazing success at our Northwest Portland location that I am very curious to see how a more suburban location will fare. I think it will be fabulous!

All the Urban Waxx girls are very excited about the process. Mindy and Heather were hired when the current Urban Waxx was being built, but for everyone else, this will be a new process. They are already planning out their "dream schedules" of days at the Northwest location and days at the Tanasbourne location. It also means that we will be adding more waxers and front desk staff to our team, which is always exciting! We have had such great luck with our hires over the past few years. I can't wait to see who joins us! I will be spending a lot of time there, at least for 2010, and so will Kim, our lovely manager.

I get the keys this Monday, and I will be finalizing plans with my wonderful contractor. He built out the first Urban Waxx, and it was a complete dream, so I have worked with him over the years on all things building related. Then, we demo the existing space (it was a laundromat, and trust me, not a cute one), and I get to put my hot little hands all over the design!

So finally, after months of planning, and negotiating, and fixating, it's done. I feel relief and excitement instead of insane sleepless stress. It's an amazing opportunity to bring more fabulous team members and lovely clients into our lives. And that's a joy.

Stay tuned...there will be pics and updates often. And again, thank you, thank you, thank all of you for your love and support!

What's up, UW?

2010-04-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

2010 is an exciting year for Urban Waxx. We have a LOT of things happening over the next few months. Curious? Well, I can't spill ALL the beans just yet, but it's safe to say that I will doing some big reveals over the next few weeks.

We are heading to the Las Vegas IECSC (International Esthetics, Cosmetics, and Spa Conference) from April 23-26th. We have a booth for the first time, and we will be launching Serious Serum to the world! This has proven to be incredibly exciting, as well as incredibly stressful. Our goal is to retail Serious in salons and spas around the country, and going to a giant conference like this is an excellent way to get our name out there. However, there are SO many things that need to be done leading up to the event! I mean, getting all of our product ready and then driven (yes, that's correct. Cody will be driving from Portland to Las Vegas with 2000 bottles of Serious Serum with him), to the show, getting our booth up and ready, getting our press kits, getting shirts for the girls (I am going with Kim, Jenny, Heather and Gina), booking planes and hotel rooms, scheduling meetings with retailers....it makes my head spin a little. But, it has been said before that I enjoy working under slightly stressful conditions. There may be some truth to that. Let's see.

In any case, it will be a really cool experience for us, and I know we will learn a ton.

I will be coming back with lots of pictures and fun stories, I'm sure, dear readers. So stay tuned for the next big happenings. And, as always, thank you deeply for your love and support!!!

Happy Birthday, Alix!

2010-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love cake. I love birthdays, I love all holidays, and I love any reason to bake, buy or consume cake. I think that birthdays and holidays should be celebrated with gusto!

We have a wee tradition at Urban Waxx of having yummy birthday cakes. I mean, we are a bunch of women...clearly, there will be sweets involved. So of course, when our own Alix turned 30, we needed to celebrate with her favorite thing: red velvet!

Have you met Alix? Not only is does she man our front desk a few dys a week, but she is on the High Rollers roller derby team (Layla Smackdown is her name, kicking butt is her game), and she is currently in cosmetology school! One day in the very near future she may be giving you your next wax!

We love you, Alix! Have a wonderful 30th! Thank you for brightening the front desk!

Extended Sunday hours!

2010-03-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and we are in our busiest season at Urban Waxx. Spring break marks the beginning of warm weather, vacations, short skirts and flip flops, and of course: waxing! So what can we do to accommodate all of our lovely clients and their need to de-fuzz? Well, we can stay open on Sundays from 10-6. Sundays are a great day to come in to Urban Waxx and get a wax. There is always tons of parking, the gals love to work on Sundays (no, I'm serious, they really do), and no one will judge if you decide to have a glass of wine at 10 am!

We heart Adorned by Amber jewelry!

2010-03-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

As I have stated before, many many times, I love our clients at Urban Waxx. They never cease to amaze me with how cool they are, and how talented. We have doctors, lawyers, bakers, business owners, students, and on and on. We also have one very lovely and talented jewelry maker, Amber McLellan.

Amber has been a client of Urban Waxx since I was solo, and I fell in love with her the first day I met her. She is funny, sweet, and completely adorable. She is a teacher, but she also has a passion for making lovely jewelry. I told her many years ago to bring me a bunch of stuff and we could offer it at Urban Waxx. Well, she finally did and we are all swooning over her delightful little baubles.

Amber uses tarnish resistant sterling silver and gold plate, as well as beautiful natural gems like smokey quartz, chalcedony, and jade, as well as all kinds of beautiful Swarovski crystals. Her creations are fun and elegant, at the same time! The prices range from $16 to $38, and they are all completely hand made. Fabulous.

All of the money that she makes from the sale of her jewelry will help to pay for her volunteering trip this summer. In Tanzania! Yes, she really is that cool. We heart her jewelry and we know that you will too! We'll see you soon!

To Decorate or not to Decorate...

2010-03-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

So I got an email from a client the other day. In the email, our client said that when she came home from her monthly Brazilian appointment, her husband said "Oh, another Brazilian. Don't you want to do anything fun with the hair down there?" She said that she thought about his suggestion, and although she loved her normal Brazilian, it would be fun to mix it up once in a while. She wondered what were the latest trends in Bikini shaping.
First of all, in my humble opinion, any husband who's wife maintains a monthly Brazilian is a very lucky man. Yes, Brazilians are wonderful for the woman, and there are countless women out there who are unattached and still come in to get waxed. But imagine all the dudes out there that would LOVE it if their gals did some waxing in the nether regions.

Ok, so that being said, let's talk about what is hip, cool, and current in the world of Brazilian waxing these days. I have always considered myself a bit of a purist when it comes to this service, and I'm not too interested in shapes, designs, etc. However, we do have clients that like a heart shape, those who prefer a landing strip, a Dorito, you name it. People are very partial to their own particular shape. I have even waxed a few initials in my day. Yes, once I painstakingly carved a "J" in a gal's bikini hair. I'm assuming her man was named Joe or Jeff or something of the like.

There has been much ado lately about Vajazzling. Yes that's right. Apparently this latest trend has been brought into the open by Jennifer Love Hewitt, who said in an interview that after a bad break up the only thing that made her feel better was to apply Swarovski crystals to her "precious lady," (her words, not mine), and make herself feel like a wee disco ball. You can view the clip here. It's...uhhh...interesting.

Anyway, it all really comes down to preference. I love a Brazilian where all the hair is removed. It's no fuss, no muss, it looks great, it's my personal favorite. But the bottom line is that everyone is different. Everyone has their own idea of what looks good and what makes them feel good. You want to change it up this wax, just ask. As far as Vajazzling...not sure if we will be offering that in the near future, but who knows! We are going to Las Vegas next month. Maybe we will get inspired!

Pacifica Body Wash has arrived!

2010-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Ooooh! So excited for the latest offering from Pacifica: body wash. For the last year Pacifica has been selling their gorgeous body wash to Sephora exclusively. I know, so annoying. I really wanted to sell them at Urban Waxx and I couldn't wait until they were available!

The body wash comes in a very generous 17 oz pump which will last you many baths and showers. They come in 6 of the most popular Pacifica scents: Bali Lime Papaya, Brazilian Mango Grapefruit, Lotus Garden, Malibu Lemon Blossom, Hawaiian Ruby Guava, and Tuscan Blood Orange. My personal fave is the Bali Lime Papaya, but they all smell amazing! And the sunny packaging will remind you that summer is just around the corner!
$18 for a lovely bottle of summer sunshine!

Staff Favorites: Megan's favorite products!

2010-02-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

My favorite products at Urban Waxx? Hmmm....

As many of you may know, I have been a long time fan of Brenda Dunn's work (her art is hung up all over my house!), and I would have to say the prints and magnets that we sell are my #1. Not only is she an awesome chick, but she's incredibly talented. Some of her pieces remind me of my very own tattoo, and actually inspired me to get a really feminine piece. The prints are inexpensive, and adorable. The magnets look great on the fridge, and I have also purchased her art wood blocks. They look fantastic!

A close runner up is our Serious Serum, mainly because it's the only product that has truly made a difference for my ingrown hairs. We have carried a few serums, but none of them have made such a difference. The biggest + to using this product is that it can be used as a spot serum for blemishes (so it is safe to use on your face, underarms, and pretty much anywhere else it is needed). Trust me, it's worth every penny.

Last, but not least would be our Pacifica products... specifically the mediterranean fig. I absolutely LOVE this scent. The body butter in particular is bomb, but I like the perfume as well. I just wish they had that scent in a candle, because it would be burning 24-7.

Kim's faves!

2010-02-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

So, in the interest of familiarizing the world with my fabulous team, we are going to start a new series called "Our Faves." In this series the gals will tell you some of their favorite products that we offer, and why they love them. First up is Kimberley, front desk manager extraordinaire:

I honestly love all the products at UW! I love that women entrepreneurs distribute them and I love their quality. But my 3 favorite products are easy to pick out!

My number one favorite product is our very own Serious Serum! Yes, I like it because it's part of our line, but more importantly I love this amazing wonder serum because it works. Having a serum that eliminates and prevents any ingrowns makes waxing overall a better experience and it fits easily into my morning routine.

And that segues to my second favorite product at UW. Also in our line, the brow splits (my color is taupe). This phenomenal little tool takes two minutes every morning and gives me a perfect arch to my brow that lasts all day! The color fills in any hairless spots of my brow and the pomade keeps my brows in place. And THAT is especially helpful towards the end of my third week, when I'm due for a wax and my unruly brows start to take on a mind of their own!

Last, but certainly not least, my third favorite product that we sell are the fabulous Nicole Flood hats! Each are unique in design with different patterns and materials that truly frame any face. There is one for everyone, even if you think you aren't a hat person. Stop by and try one on, you'll find a hat made just for you by lovely Nicole, you might even find two! I've found 6 and love them all!

I love working here because every day there are new products that we can play with! Fun!

V~Day

2010-02-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day signifies so many things for people. I have always had a fondness for the holiday. I mean, yes, I know it's fake, and a Hallmark holiday, and I know that it puts pressure on people to buy a whole bunch of crap in the middle of an otherwise barren retail month, but still...it's sweet. And, it gives my free reign to take a bite out of each chocolate in a giant box of chocolates without feeling a smidgen of guilt. Don't judge me, people. When we were growing up my Dad would come home from work on Valentine's Day with a box of chocolate for my siblings and me, and a BIG box of chocolate for my Mom. I always thought that was a pretty big deal: the giant box of chocolate meant that you were something super special.

When I was a waitress Valentine's Day became something else for me. V-Day and Mother's Day are to some people what Easter and Christmas are to the casual churchgoer. They only eat out 2 times a year and it's a pretty big deal for them. In my time as a waitress on Valentine's Day I saw a lot of nervous first dates (uhh, pressure much), and the inevitable V-Day proposals. Yes, these proposals, usually with a ring in some crème brûlée or chocolate mousse, are super cliched, but still, there is something so sweet about seeing a private moment as an outsider. I loved that.

Now, as a waxer, the week before Valentine's Day brings a LOT of super nervous, first time Brazilian waxers. They have taken months to work up the courage to come see us, bear it all, and get their first wax for their sweeties. There is usually some wine involved, and afterward they feel 1000 times better. But I always laugh that the time they finally decide to take the plunge is Valentine's Day. I mean, yes, a Brazilian is the gift that keeps on giving, but it's really something that you should be getting all of the time. Once you take it all off, it's kind of hard to go back.

As for my Valentine's Day 2010: it's pretty much the best day ever and it's only 9:22 am. Cody let me sleep until 8:30, there was mushy cards waiting for me, and Stella said: "love you" for the first time ever. Doesn't get sweeter than that.

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

In the Wax Room. Part 3

2010-02-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

It seems that I have been a wee bit remiss in my discussion of how we do things at Urban Waxx. Many times I focus on the business end of things whilst blogging, because that's the part that I tend to get caught up in on a daily basis. The waxing side, well, at this point in my career it's like walking and chewing gum. I can do it without even really thinking. I tend to forget that the actual wax is what most of our blog visitors are the most interested in. Most notably, the Brazilian wax. So, I thought it would be helpful to demystify the process by breaking it all down one step at a time. And anyway, TMI is my middle name!

When a client calls to make their initial appointment, they will have an opportunity to ask any and all questions that they may have about their wax of choice. The menu that we created is designed to be as direct as humanly possible. As you may notice, there are different names for every waxing service, especially those in the nether regions. I have heard what we call a Brazilian be called a Sphinx, Playboy, Las Vegas (huh?), Hollywood, and on and on. I don't really go in for cutesy names for the Brazilian. We offer the Brazilian, the Thong, the Thong/Crack. Pretty obvious what these wax services will cover. I had to laugh because I was just Googling different types of Brazilians and I came across this:

The Tiffany Box - All hair is removed, including in the buttocks area, except the hairs that remain are a square. The remaining hairs are dyed the famous jeweler’s aquamarine color.

Oh goodness. I giggled at that. I'm not necessarily sure if the man in my life would have the same reaction to seeing a Tiffany Box as I might, but who knows. Different strokes, right? We also don't offer an "and up" price option. Like, your Brazilian can be $65 and up. We have a flat price. I think it's ridiculous to change the price depending on each client. How awkward to walk up to the front after a wax and hear, "OH...usually we charge $50 but your wax will be $100. It was a LOT of work." No. Not for us. It's a flat price. $70 for your first Brazilian at Urban Waxx and then when you reschedule within 6 weeks it will be a $50 maintenance price each and every time. Simple.

Anyway, after all of your questions are answered by our exceedingly comfortable and adorable front desk team, you book your appointment. When you arrive, you will be greeted, checked in, and offered a tasty beverage. We have red and white wine, hot tea, Diet Pepsi, etc. You can snack on some candy and check out a mag for a minute or two, and then your waxer will come to get you.

When you enter the treatment room, the first thing the waxer will do will asked you if you have ever been waxed before, talk to you about your past experiences (if any), and then talk to you about the service you will be receiving with us. Let's say for the sake of this blog it is a Brazilian. Then you will be asked to undress from the waist down and lay on the sheet covered table. While you are undressing we don't leave the room, and there are a few reasons why we don't:

We are about to see you completely nude, on the table, in about 3 seconds. It seems a little silly to leave, step outside, wait, knock, then come back in.
I feel it would be 100% more awkward to be laying on the table, sans bottoms, and have the waxer enter the room. Yikes.
I assure you: while you are undressing we are NOT checking out your panties! We are making sure the wax is at a perfect temp, putting our gloves on, and getting ready for you. I promise!

After you are undressed from the waist down, laying on the table, we start to wax. Now, in the past, I would use a hand towel to preserve some sense of modesty, but again, over the years I realized how silly that was. To get the MOST efficient wax, we need full access. I understand, Brazilians can be intimidating. But as I have stated time and time again, we do Brazilians ALL day long! That is 90% of what we do. Brazilians are my most favorite service to perform! I know, I'm weird, but everyone has a calling and this is mine.

So, the actual Brazilian is a pretty quick process. We apply a very high quality wax onto the pubic area. The wax we use is a hard wax, which means we put on a thick layer and then it hardens, and we pull it off. There is no need for a strip. We cover the entire pubic area, the labia, and the butt crack. If you want to leave a little patch at the top then we leave it. We DO NOT have you get on your hands and knees to get your crack. You lay on your side, facing way from us, and get in the fetal position. This gives us perfect access to your hiney and it much more comfortable for you. Trust me, I've been waxed on my hands and knees. It's an event I would rather not replicate.

Then, you flip back over, we give you a once over to make sure there isn't any stray hairs left, we finish with some soothing lotion, and you're done! We step out of the room so you can get dressed and check out our work. We will meet you on the other side of the door to talk about after care, address any additional questions you may have, and bid you farewell.

The reaction that we always get is: "WOW! That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be" or "Why didn't I do that sooner?" That makes us feel great! And getting a Brazilian is great. Seriously. It feels...empowering! It feels like you have a little secret.

Listen, we LOVE what we do. It's true! We are those people who are obsessed with hair removal. If you have questions, we have answers. You can call us, you can email the salon, you can email me at shannon@urbanwaxx.com. I'm always looking for blog topics, so if you have a question: ask! :)

Yelp off. Seriously.

2010-02-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Oh Yelp. How I love to hate thee. Yelp and I have a, uhhh, somewhat tumultuous relationship. I have blogged about Yelp before, and Yelp is an entity that continues to equally tantalize and frustrate me, as a business owner.

At its core, I think that Yelp is a great forum. It allows people to comment on the good, bad and ugly about a particular business. However, being on the receiving end of a negative comment is pretty traumatic. I don't think that reviewers fully understand how detrimental a bad review can be to a business. It has gotten so heated in other cities, like San Francisco (a HUGE Yelper city), that some business owners have sued the reviewers! Now, I think that is ridiculous, and I am a firm believer in free speech. I also understand that when you are dealing with the public, you open yourself up to public scrutiny and comment. Fortunately, over the years, roughly 96% of our comments have been fabulous and glowing. The comments that are not 5 star are infrequent, and I am always accountable for an experience that is not stellar. These comments keep us humble, and on our toes. That is invaluable for the growth and evolution of every business. But sometimes, it's like a knife in the heart.

Last night I was having dinner with some lovely gals at Laurelhurst Market. Have you been there yet? If not, stop reading this immediately and go. The food is unbelievably delicious, especially the mussels in creme fraiche broth covered by a giant pile of pommes frites. Wait, let me take a moment to wipe the drool from my keyboard. Ok. Back on topic. So, one of my friends is an assistant manager at a Starbucks in Seattle. She told me that if she has a customer that is any way unhappy with their beverage, she would expect them to let her know so that she could make it right. She wondered why, if people felt comfortable complaining about a $4 coffee they don't feel comfortable complaining about a $70 Brazilian. I always wonder the exact same thing! It's your money people! You have a right to get what you pay for!

My dream is that if someone wasn't thrilled with their experience at Urban Waxx, they would tell us! Maybe not walk up to the front desk and spill the beans immediately, I mean I know that can be awkward, but email me, or call me, or send me a smoke signal. I make myself super accessible to the public for a reason: I want them to be able to reach me. I will never be one of those owners that shows up once a month to do paperwork and then vanishes. I am always available. My staff knows that, and I wish our clients would understand that. It is my pleasure to solve a problem. If a client doesn't like an experience at Urban Waxx for ANY reason, my solution is always the same: Come in for a free wax with me, or I will refund your service. Immediately. No questions asked. I am not in the business of forcing people to love Urban Waxx. I am in the business of making people satisfied. If a client leaves and feels like we weren't a good fit for them, then I want to know. I know lots of other waxing salons in Portland and I will happily refer them! I want clients to come to us and love us, to tell their friends about us, to look forward to seeing us! If they don't feel like that, well, then we aren't doing our jobs properly.

I wish that clients would use Yelp as a last resort. Like, say they thought we weren't so hot. Then they contacted us and let us know they weren't happy and I just didn't care. THEN Yelp would be a way for them to air their feelings about a business. I'm sure that most business owners would jump at the opportunity to get a second chance to please a customer. I know I would! However, I also know that sometimes people don't feel comfortable talking openly about their dislikes, which is why forums like Yelp are so popular. I guess we all just need to understand that there is weight to our words. Heavy.

PureButtons=cool

2010-02-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

I love sleek websites and exciting products. I mean, really, who doesn't? In a small business like ours, professional marketing materials are vital. We are always on the lookout for companies that are doing great things and that could potentially supply us with great products in the future.

Liam showed me the coolest promotional website, ever. Honestly, I know that if Liam thinks that a site is cool, it's legit. It's called PureButtons.com. PureButtons is an Ohio-based, promotional product company that specializes in pinback buttons (but offers many other great variations of that product). Buttons are great as giveaways at tradeshows and are also a great way to help your logo be seen all around town. So, keep your eyes open for some extra adorable Urban Waxx propaganda on a lapel near you...

Just recently the PureButtons folks started a new venture called, StandOutStickers.com. They realized there was a demand for full color, any-shape-diecut stickers at a reasonable price with quick turnaround...So, they started making that exact product. You can get full-color stickers printed in *any shape* with *any image*. Just think how cute your logo will look in full-color sticker form. Too cute!

If you are ever in need of buttons or stickers, check out www.purebuttons.com & www.standoutstickers.com...Tell them Urban Waxx sent you!

I heart Urban Waxx.

2010-01-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

When I started Urban Waxx 3 years ago, I had a mission. Yes, I wanted to provide the best wax you'll ever have. Seriously. That was huge for me, to create a "wax experience" rather than the typical, back room, dirty wax pot, paper on the table, skin ripping, post traumatic stress inducing experience that so many of us have had in the past. Yes, it's true that before I ever became an Esthetician I thought that it was normal for my skin to scab after an eyebrow wax. Uhh, note to all readers: IT'S NOT! By the way, that's moi, in Esthetics school, many, many years ago. Goofy.

But, my mission, my purely self serving reason, was to create an environment where I felt joy. A place that was peaceful, fun, and safe. Now, I'm talking from an employee's viewpoint. Believe it or not, working at spas and salons is not always peaceful and relaxing. Many times it's quite the opposite. Spa owners have a reputation for being a little, uhh, how do I put this gently...crazy? Nutty? Neurotic? Many people who open spas make the same mistake that some restauranteurs make. They think: Hey, I like people. I like to eat out. Why not open a restaurant. The same thing happens time and time again with failed or failing spas and salons. The owners think that if they like being at a spa, then that qualifies them to open their own. Not a good idea. First and foremost, a salon is a business. Without a fundamental knowledge of what makes a business run, things will go sideways very quickly. I have worked for terrible business owners before. I have worked for good owners, as well, but unfortunately the bad eclipsed the good. I have had my paychecks bounce, I have had business owners tell me to do massage (Although I am NOT a massage therapist. I said no, but it was really awkward), I have dealt with owners with drug problems, owners who lied to the clients, owners who lied to the employees. I have worked at places where we had almost zero product because there was no money for it, I have worked at places where the power was shut off because the bills weren't paid. I worked at a place where if we didn't sell a certain percentage of retail then it would be deducted from our paycheck. I have worked at places where the owner would routinely scream in her head stylist's face, in front of his clients. I have seen owners have nervous breakdowns, cry, scream, curse the staff, the front desk, the clients. And more. So much more.

I vowed, when I opened Urban Waxx, to never be that owner or that salon. At the core, I wanted Urban Waxx to be a place of respect, integrity, and love. Ok, maybe sounds a little corny, but it's absolutely the truth. It's easy to cut corners as a business owner. You can pay less, charge more, use lesser quality products, force your staff to hard sell the clients crap they don't need or want. I will never do that. I learned long ago that trading in your integrity, even a little bit, is a very slippery slope. However, in my experience, if you treat your client and staff with respect, if you are honest with them, if you don't condescend to them, then they will reciprocate exponentially.

I have an amazing staff of women. I feel joy every day that I walk into Urban Waxx. Yesterday Stella was sick and we stayed cuddled up on the couch all day. I didn't get to stop in to the shop. I missed it. I told myself when I opened that the day that I start feeling resentful, angry, disillusioned about Urban Waxx is the day that I need to close. Since I have opened, every day gets better. I love Urban Waxx with every fiber of my body. When I am there I feel like I am home.

That was my mission: to create a place that was good. Simple, huh? Where my employees could feel safe, could feel respected, could feel validated. When your staff feels good, it shows. They become so much more receptive to the clients. Clients can feel that we are happy. It shows. I mean, really people. We wax for a living. Shouldn't we be happy? It's not like we are funeral directors. Our job is light and breezy and fun. We make people feel good, all day long. That's something to smile about.

Coolest Line Ever. Villainess.

2010-01-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

Yes I fall in love with product easily. I am a fickle shopper, I have little brand loyalty, and I am constantly smitten with pretty, shiny things. There are a few criteria that I swoon over: I adore female owned, small businesses. I think that the most important thing about a great product is passion. I want someone who can tell me every single thing about what makes their line amazing. I love a good back story. I am obsessed with good packaging, a great website, a cool logo. Most of all: I fall hard for great customer service. Villainess Soaps has all of the above, and much more.

A week ago I was poking around Twitter and I came across this ultra-fabulous, sexy, dark line of bath and body products. After drooling over the website, soaking in all the delicious details (wax seal graphic, Manifesto, delightful copy and font) I literally ran to the phone to call this intriguing company. I spoke to the owner, Brooke Stant, who is incredibly well versed about her line of handmade soaps, body scrubs and butters, perfume oils, and facial muds. She graciously dropped a box of her favorite products in the mail for me to try, they arrived yesterday, and the rest is history. Villainess will be gracing our shelves shortly!

The line has the coolest names ever: Scintillating (mint, black tea and vanilla), Chloroform (cucumber, violets, plum), Dulces en Fuego (bitter chocolate, vanilla, citrus, black pepper) just to name a few. The website reads like an apothecary guide from 1886. I can picture Brooke poring over old journals and doctor's manuals creating these lovely concoctions.

Ok, so by now it's obvious: I'm slightly obsessed with Villainess Soaps. I ordered the first batch today and it will be arriving next week. At the moment, I am sniffing my wrist, where I am wearing the Jai Mahal perfume oil. It smells like some place far away, someplace exotic, and sultry, and dangerous. The Villainess motto is "Redefining Bad." I love it. Suddenly being bad seems very...intoxicating.

For the love of Nachos!

2010-01-15T10:36:00.001-08:00

So, all of the gals at Urban Waxx have their own interests that they like to focus on whilst not removing hair. Some read, some focus on skincare, some travel, and some...eat nachos.

Mindy is a lover of nachos and has decided to start a blog about Portland and all the nacho selections to be had here. You may not know this, but a true nachos connoisseur has a very clear idea of what makes a plate of nachos desirable. In my opinion, I like 2 pounds of cheese (NOT fake cheese sauce either, I like melted cheddar) fresh pico de gallo, lots of guacamole and sour cream, olives, refried beans, and basically as much saturated fat and fried goodness that a person can put on a plate. I LOVE nachos. Deeply. In fact, the last meal that I ate before I went into labor with Stella was a plate of nachos. Less than ideal, but that's how life is sometimes.

I think a nacho blog is an amazing idea. I love things that only focus on one thing, and then are amazing at that one particular thing (uhhh, Urban Waxx). Mindy will be reviewing nachos from all over Portland and the surrounding areas. She told me that if you have a place that you absolutely love you ahould let her know and she will be happy to review it. Also, if you would like to submit a review, you can! Just make sure that there is a picture of the nachos, the price, a description, and a description of the restaurant and any tasty drinks that would accompany said nachos. Email her the review and she will review and post.

Check it out! And get your nachos on! portlandnachosblog.wordpress.com

Plan it with Elizabeth Ann Events!

2010-01-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

I recently was contacted by one of our new clients, Elizabeth Meehan, the owner of Elizabeth Ann Events. She told me that she had come into Urban Waxx for an appointment and loved it (thank you, thank you) and she thought Urban Waxx would be a good topic for her blog. Elizabeth does a great blog for brides to be about wedding tips, local deals, and all things bridal. Actually, perusing her blog is fun and informative for pretty much anyone, I discovered! It is chock full of useful information as well as a ton of great pictures, and who doesn't love that?

Elizabeth specializes in wedding planning of all calibers, but she also plans corporate events, non-profit events, birthdays, and pretty much any party you can imagine. She is so cute, easy to chat with, and completely down to earth. Pretty much exactly the personality traits that one would need to plan a wedding!

I am already imagining a fabulous party that Elizabeth Ann Events could help me with. The possibilities are endless! Urban Waxx Anniversary, Serious Serum launch party, Stella's birthday...you get the idea. I might even have to renew my vows, just for the swanky party!

Contact Elizabeth Ann Events

Thank you, Recreate!

2010-01-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I would like to pause for a moment to celebrate my one year anniversary...at Recreate Fitness. Yes, friends, it was exactly one year ago today that I worked up the courage to attend my first 6:30 am class at this amazing Crossfit gym. I was scared, I was intimidated, but most of all, I was sore. More sore than I have ever been in my 36 years, and I have worked out for a long time. Not like this.

Over the past year I have done things that I never thought possible. I can now run without thinking that I may die at any moment. I can climb a rope (with knots), I can life 115 lbs over my head. These are things that may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but to a gal that has never played a team sport in her life, it's kind of a big deal.

The thing I like best about Recreate is the sense of community that I get from going there at the crack o' dawn 3-5 times a week. The owners, Nathan and Tina Jeffers are pretty awesome. They take the time to motivate, instruct, and guilt you into coming if they haven't seen you in a while. And the other trainers, like Devon, John and Melissa are so great and very motivating. Everyone is motivating! Recreate is like a little family. A pretty buff family. I've met great friends there, I've sent friends and clients there, even Cody started to work out with me! After a year of seeing me hobble home and whine relentlessly for months on end, he finally decided to see what all the fuss is about. One class and he understood!

So, I may not be a perfect physical specimen (cupcakes, cheese, and my deep love for fried foods does not allow that) but Recreate has made me more fit than I was 10 years ago. I feel good when I go, and great when I am done. And most of all: it's fun. They have a fabulous blogs with lots of pics, and your first class with them is free! I'll see you there!

Urban Waxx loves the High Rollers!

2010-01-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

So are you aware of the huge Roller Derby scene that we have in Portland? NO?!? I'm shocked. It's a big deal and it's very, very cool. In fact, one of the Urban Waxx team is a pivot and a Co-Captain on a highly ranked Portland Derby team. That's right, people, the lovely Alix who schedules yuor appointments and checks you in on Sundays and Mondays goes by the name Layla Smackdown in the Derby world. She's kind of a big deal!

She approached me a few months ago to see if Urban Waxx would be interested in sponsoring her team. It was an obvious answer: Uhh, yes! Tons of cool, tough, sexy women? I bet there are a few there that wax! Plus, it's amazing to get behind something like Roller Derby. Anyone who is involved can tell you that Roller Derby is more than just a sport; it's a way of life. These gals are serious.

Cody and I went to our first bout a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, it's completely awesome. I was trying to think of a way to describe it accurately, and the best way I could illustrate it is this: When you were a kid, did you ever come across a group of really cool, tough, rebellious older girls? My experience of this was with my older sister and her friends. They all had Joan Jett hair, wore thick black eyeliner and listened to Heart and Blondie really, really loud. They smoked and cursed and drove in Camaros with their boyfriends. To me, as a kid, they were the epitome of cool. Well, that's kind of the same feeling I got watching the Derby girls. They have their own sexy-tough names (Sedusa Destroy, Wreck Deckard), they all have their own style (glitter, heavy black eyeliner, torn fishnets), and they all seem super, super cool. As I watched the girls glide effortlessly around the rink on old-school skates I started to think: "Maybe I can be a Derby girl!" Ok no, I came back to reality very quickly. Derby takes a LOT of time and energy, and I'm not sure if Stella would be allowed to go to practice with me. BUT it would be fun to have my own name...The Jersey Devil? The Scarlet Harlot? James Blonde? Ok, ok...so maybe my Derby names need some help. But it's true that Derby girls are kinda like Superheroes! Costumes, aliases, a license to kick butt and take names...? Pretty cool for an average day.

Well, the first bout is Saturday January 16, and Cody and I will be there with bells on, cheering our gals on! And, Urban Waxx will be represented with a GIANT 10 foot by 10 foot banner, designed by Liam Flaherty. They said there was no size limit, so we took them seriously! You can get all the information about the Portland Rose City Rollers by going to their website, including the season's schedule! We will see you there! Grrrrrr!

**Special thanks to Steve Price for letting us use his pics!

6000 Brazilians? That is no joke!

2010-01-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-01-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

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.

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!

2009-12-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-12-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-12-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

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.

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
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?
Pinup Brenda wood block art. So freaking cute. I love these. They are like little gems of chic goodness. $15 or $20
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
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.

2009-12-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-12-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

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):
That it is essentially non-scented. I dislike when products push their scent agenda. Especially on "sensitive" areas. This one does not.
That the directions are clear, concise, descriptive, and colorfully written. Seriously.
That it doubles as a facial exfoliant. It's like a gift that this product does double duty.
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.)
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!

2009-11-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

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

Pacifica Holiday scents are too good!

2009-10-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

I love the holidays. All of them. From October on I fall asleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head! So I was so excited to get our adorable new soy candles from Pacifica. We got perfect gift boxes with three delectable candle scents: Russian Fir, Zanzibar Cinnamon and Bourbon Island Vanilla. What? Too good? Can't decide? Well, don't worry. You don't have to. Just for the holidays we are carrying individual 5.5 oz pure soy candles for $16 and also the Russian Fir gift set which is one votive in each scent in a prefect little gift box. For only $14, it makes the perfect stocking stuffer, teacher's gift, Chanukah present...well you get the idea.

I heart the holidays!

Urban Waxx loves Flood Clothing. Seriously.

2009-10-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

So have I mentioned before how much we all love Nicole Flood of Flood Clothing? Yes, I know we have. She is one of the coolest gals I have ever met, her unbridled energy is amazing, and her hats and clothing are as cool as it gets. Nicole will walk in with her giant trunk of hats and it causes a flurry of excitement with our entire team! We all own at least a few of her hats (some of us, like Kim, Jenny and Megan may be getting into the double digits...).

Anyhoo, we just got an amazing new batch of her infinitely adorable creations. And for those of you who say "I don't look good in hats" I say to you "HA!" You will look good in a Flood Hat. I watched one of our cute clients come out of a waxing appointment and look at the hats and then say "No, I'm not much of a hat person!" Within minutes, Nicole had her in a hat that looked like it was made for her, and she was leaving with a bounce in her step! So much fun!

Oh, by the way, that is the famous Nicole Flood in the pic in one of her own designs. She also makes the most unique and cool clothing, all in recycled material! I just bought the coolest sweater coat on the block. We love her. Seriously.

We reached our goal!

2009-10-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

So excited! We reached our goal of 500 followers on Twitter which means that we will be donating AT LEAST $500 to Raphael House. We have teamed up with this amazing non-profit organization and we were so excited to be able to donate to them. So now, any new follower that we get until October 31 will be just extra money towards them!

Side note: Liam and I went to a happy hour that Raphael House was holding last week. It was really fun and great meeting all the wonderful people that did so much for Portland. I did keep on referring to Raphael House as a "charity" until Liam politely pulled me aside and told me he felt that it should be referred to as a "non-profit." Ahhh. Who knew, right? Thank goodness I have people that are hanging around me that can correct my social gaffes. That Liam. He's a sharp one!

Anyway, thank you to everyone that has begun to follow us on Twitter! We will be doing contests and promotions in the future, so keep following!