Sugaring Hair Removal Services Saved My Life

By Shannon O’Brien

Sugaring Hair Removal Services Saved My Life……….The title seems dramatic, doesn’t it?

The below is a true story about a strong woman who used Sugaring Hair Removal Services to save her life and her business – in her words!  

I’ve been an esthetician for a lot of years now, and I can honestly say that when I learned to sugar and added it to my skincare treatment menu, it was the best choice I could have made to secure a life for this mama of two boys.

Before Sugaring Hair Removal Services I Was Broke

It was 2009.  I had just gone through a divorce, sold my beautiful Lake Tahoe day spa, and moved to a new city as a newly single mama with two small boys.  I set up a small skincare studio and started meeting people in my new town and encouraged them to give my services a try. It was slow going at first, as it always is in the very beginning.  There were a lot of nights when I would lay awake staring at the ceiling wondering if I should go back to my previous life in the corporate world. I was so grateful for every client that came in for facial and brow wax…and even more grateful when they would tell their friends about me.  

I was barely making ends meet with this part time lifestyle when life struck again.  My dad (my hero) AND my dog died. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, the big recession hit.  And if you all remember correctly, it hit HARD. I was so focused on my small little life that, like a lot of us, I didn’t even see this catastrophic event coming.  I watched my small group of clients dwindle down even more as beauty services started disappearing from people’s monthly budgets. These were desperate times for all.

What I did notice was that my clients were not taking hair removal out of the budget.  They could justify buying less expensive skincare products at the grocery store and doing at home peel treatments, but they just couldn’t reach “down there” or get their brows to match quite like I could. 

I Took Sugaring Hair Removal Training 

I had just taken a class in body sugaring and I was TERRIBLE.  I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the technique when I finished my first hands on class.  But I know that hair removal was a must, and I had to set myself apart from the wax places that were on every corner and in every nail salon.  The bills were piling up and I knew if I didn’t figure something out, the utilities would be shut off, or even worse, I would have to go back to that corporate office life to be able to feed the kids.  I was starting to get depressed and I knew that the sleepless nights of worry had to stop.

So I practiced…and practiced…and practiced some more until I got to a place where even friends said “dang Shann, this sugar is so much better than wax!” I confidently added body sugaring to my menu and I haven’t looked back.  The remaining clients I did have would start with their eyebrows and love it so much eventually ask to do their bikini lines. The partners that were limiting their spending were now adding “SugarMamas” to their approved list of expenses because it was such a great experience for all.  Not only were my clients telling their friends, but their partners would brag about my services to their buddies to encourage sugaring as well.  

My Sugaring Hair Removal Success Story

My books went from maybe one or two facials every few days to completely booked with sugaring clients.  Every revenue goal I would set for myself was met and then some. I got so busy that I had to bring on a second esthetician to help with the client load.  I found that 90% of my services were sugaring and the rest were facials. I was selling retail and clients were buying because they knew I was the pro they could trust.

Not only did it save my life but it helped me “save” others.

Having this time with each client in the treatment room gave me a chance to really talk to them.  With facials, we try to stay quiet and provide a relaxing experience, but with hair removal I have a chance to really get to know each client.  By listening and creating this safe space of trust and connection I have saved marriages, helped encourage strength, planned weddings and funerals.  The estheticians who have come onto my team have been able to build their careers and watch their financial dreams become a reality. 

I started teaching others about body sugaring and eventually started our online certification course, ISugar University. I knew that there were so many other esties out there who felt alone and desperate like I did.  I didn’t want anyone to miss out on this amazing revenue generator. Never in my wildest dreams did this skincare expert dream that hair removal would be her thing. We expanded iSugarU into Love2Sugar so we can not only teach newbies but support the sugaring industry seasoned pros in taking their sugaring business to the next level.

So thank you to whomever thought up using lemon, sugar & water to remove hair centuries ago.  You truly saved my life. And my family thanks you too!

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Shannon O’Brien is your “Sugar Mama”! With over 18 years of experience working as a licensed esthetician She is the founder of Love2Sugar.com which includes her training academy iSugar University and her podcast The SugarShow.  She has achieved great success with her savvy team as the owner of SugarMama’s Studios in Folsom, California.