SERVICES AND RETAIL
What is the best part about shaping a client’s eyebrows?
Business Advice for Beauty Professionals
With Christy Apitsch
Owner of Pittsburgh Beauty Bar
Pittsburgh, Pa.
In 2016, people are so much more aware of their brows; it has become a huge phenomenon. The most gratifying feeling is when my clients look in the mirror and are satisfied with the instant results of our brow services. Shaping clients’ eyebrows and showing them the potential of what their brows could actually look like is a very rewarding feeling.
When did you decide to implement brow services into your spa?
I started off working for another company that solely did eyebrow threading. They educated me on how to perform the service and ever since I learned, I never stopped! After two years I decided to open my own threading salon. Now I am the owner of Pittsburgh Beauty Bar — a threading salon and day spa.
When did you decide to implement brow services into your spa?
I started off working for another company that solely did eyebrow threading. They educated me on how to perform the service and ever since I learned, I never stopped! After two years I decided to open my own threading salon. Now I am the owner of Pittsburgh Beauty Bar — a threading salon and day spa.
As the owner of your salon and spa, how do you select your brow artists?
We are a woman owned and operated salon. Especially in the beauty industry, there is SO MUCH to learn and the continuing education is ALL the time. I look for young, thriving women who are motivated to learn new techniques and eager to study upcoming practices in the beauty industry. Every time a new method or skill comes out, I want to master it. I seek out professionals who have that same drive.
What specific brow treatments do you offer?
We have a signature brow service at Pittsburgh Beauty Bar. It includes either a brow threading or waxing, clients can choose either. They can also have their eyebrows tinted. We finalize the service by highlighting or concealing the brow to ensure our clients leave the salon with perfect brows.
BROW AREA
Please describe your brow area compared to the rest of your salon.
We are a full service salon; the only service we do not provide is hair. We have a small, two-desk area dedicated to nails, one spa room and two threading salon chairs in our area. The one private spa room is used for facials, body treatments and waxing.
MARKETING
How do you promote your brow services?
We have two things: an amazing rewards program and a thriving referral service. Our rewards program is very simple and the client does not have to sign up for anything. Once they are in our system, they are automatically in our rewards program. For every dollar they spend, no matter on a product or a service, they receive five percent back. The referral is great as well because being in an industry with so many women, we get asked constantly where we get our brows done. If you refer someone and they come in and tell us your name, you receive a $2 credit on your next service. For every person you refer you get $2.
Are estheticians in your spa trained to promote these promotions and services after each treatment?
Yes, absolutely! Our team members are trained in every service we provide. We are always encouraging our clients to refer us to someone they may know and bring them in for a visit!
How do you use social media to promote your services?
We love to showcase before and after pictures to show our clients the work we do on a daily basis. We use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram regularly to promote events, specials and openings. We also send out email blasts and newsletters to update our clients on any new employees we may have brought in or new products or services we have recently began to offer.
INSIDER TIPS
What trends are you currently seeing?
The newest upcoming trend is microblading, or brow stroking. This is a technique that consists of a professional cosmetically tattooing hair as brow strokes onto a client. This is a very natural, innovative technique that my employees and I are actually in the process of signing up for a course on so that we will be able to offer the service within the next few months.
How do you perform consultations?
I always let new clients know from the start that we do our threading with their natural brow shape. We never try to create something a client doesn’t already have. We sit down with them and let them know we are going to give them a nice clean up and give them their own perfect shape.
Do you have rituals or methods of creating positive energy in your spa?
We are known for our music! All of our employees here enjoy different genres of music so we play a variety that allows us to please everyone. We sometimes have themed music days where we will play all 90’s music and the energy in our spa is always uplifting and energetic.
What does your business do that makes it unique from the competition?
We are located in the hip, young and thriving area of South Side in Pittsburgh. We are the only salon in the area that has our own freestanding salon, while our competition is located inside of a mall or shopping center. We are our own separate entity in a very central location of the city accessible to everyone.
“Deliver 100 percent customer service ALL the time”
