Want a little pampering, without inhaling a lungful of incense? Check out Spa Bisou, which offers every spa service imaginable, with a vibe that feels like your best friend's house. Opened in January, the spa offers permanent cosmetics, microblading, spray tans, waxing, eyelash extensions, facials and other skin-care services. They also provide classes that teach how to perform permanent cosmetics and microblading.
Founder Clarissa Martinez always wanted to run her own business. With a background in art, multimedia and health, esthetics was a natural fit. "I used to do oil painting, but I realized that wasn't ever going to feed me," Martinez jokes. She went into it hoping it would be lucrative, and fell in love with it.
Martinez opened the spa soon after, and business took off. When she got too busy, she reached out for help. Lindsey Slack, one of Martinez' former esthetics instructors, helped as the spa was getting off the ground, and before long, Martinez made Slack her business partner. "I couldn't live without her," Martinez says.
The feeling is mutual. "I love working with Clarissa," Slack says, as well as the cozy, casual environment they have created. "We want people to feel at home, comfortable. We are not your typical fluff spa."
They specialize in a wide range of skin services, Martinez says, including "anti-aging, acne, you name it." And for customers who want it all, try the "Queen Package," which includes dermaplaning, a chemical peel, paraffin treatment for hands and feet, a back treatment and a pedicure.
But one of the most unique things about the spa is their classes. Martinez estimates that probably 30 percent of their business is from customers who come in for spray tans or facials, and the other 70 percent is teaching students to perform microblading and permanent cosmetics on their own. They offer financing for classes, continuing education, and Martinez estimates that her students earn back their tuition in their first month of practice. They also provide free space for people to bring in their own clients when they are starting their business.
Unlike most beauty procedures, microblading and permanent cosmetics don't require an esthetician's license. "The state of Utah considers them tattooing," Martinez says. That means anyone who is interested in learning this emerging cosmetic trend can sign up for training—as long as they're over 18—though Martinez notes that trained estheticians will probably pick up the skills quicker.
Microblading is a semi-permanent way of thickening, darkening or reshaping eyebrows. It uses different pigments than tattoo ink and only goes down to the epidermis—not the dermis layer, like a tattoo. The two-step process lasts 18 months to three years. And if you decide you don't like your new brows, they can be removed.
"We can even remove the old-school permanent eyebrow tattoos," Martinez adds.
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