Today we’d like to introduce you to Monique Faddis.
Hi Monique, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started out renting a single room to start my esthetics practice when my son was just 8 months old. I had been in the beauty industry for a couple years before I had him but after, I couldn’t find a job that gave me the flexibility I needed as a new mom. So I created the job I needed. There was no business plan. No social media marketing back then. I was literally walking the streets, handing out flyers to strangers and doing anything I could think of to bring clients in the door.
It wasn’t glamorous. It was survival. Some weeks were incredibly slow, but I showed up every single day and kept going—refining my skills, improving my services, building real relationships with the handful of clients I had. And eventually, my persistence paid off.
A couple of years in, I was fully booked—working 12-hour days, six days a week. I didn’t take vacations. I barely took breaks. But I loved what I did. I was in the treatment room every day, doing what I loved most: connecting with people. I celebrated their wins with them, heard their gossip, cried with them during their heartbreaks, and watched their confidence grow as they walked out feeling a little more like themselves again. Those moments were everything to me. I didn’t just provide a service, I built relationships.
But as the business grew, so did the pressure. I had a toddler at home, another baby on the way, and no choice but to keep the wheels turning.
Still, I kept building. I eventually hired more employees and began the long process of learning how to lead. In 2015, after my third child, I was able to take a small step back. I was still managing the business from behind the scenes while recovering from birth and caring for a newborn. I can still clearly remember walking the hospital halls (as required a couple hours post C-section) explaining to an employee how to balance the drawer. That time marked a shift for me. I realized I couldn’t keep doing everything forever.
That’s when I started slowly pulling myself out of the treatment room. It was one of the hardest transitions I’ve ever made. I loved being with clients—that one-on-one connection was the heartbeat of why I started in the first place. But I had to make the shift if we were going to grow. I had to focus on building the team, the systems, the brand—on scaling the business in a sustainable way.
Since then, we’ve grown to two thriving locations with a rockstar team of estheticians and managers who show up every day with the same passion and commitment I had in that single rented room. What started out of sheer necessity—just a mom trying to survive—has become a brand and a business that I’m incredibly proud of.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been anything but a smooth road. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to pick myself back up.
From day one, hiring was a struggle. Beauty schools don’t prepare estheticians for real-world, high-volume waxing, so I had to build my own training systems from scratch. I poured everything into new hires—my time, my energy, my money—and sometimes it ended badly – like they had their own secret business the whole time, wanted to take advantage of my training instead of paying thousands for advanced classes. That was a hard lesson learned, several times.
And then there’s the classic story in the beauty world: you mentor someone, pour into them, teach them everything, help them build a full book—and the second they feel “ready,” they start sneaking clients behind your back. They try to duplicate what you built, with no idea what it really took. That betrayal never stops hurting, no matter how many times it happens. It’s a punch to the gut every single time.
But honestly, the business struggles don’t even touch the stuff I’ve walked through in my personal life.
I’ve been building this thing while building a family. After I had my second baby in 2013, I went back to work just two weeks after a C-section. Not because I was ready—but because I had to. There was no one else. The business needed me, and I had to figure out how to keep it afloat while caring for a newborn and a four-year-old. I was bleeding, barely sleeping, and still had to show up like nothing was wrong.
When I had my third in 2015, I had a little more support and was able to take four weeks “off,” which really just meant I wasn’t in the treatment room—but I was still running payroll, answering client messages, and keeping the business moving behind the scenes. There’s no such thing as maternity leave when you own the place.
Being a mom and a business owner is a battle most people don’t understand unless they’ve lived it. The guilt. The exhaustion. The constant pressure. You’re torn between your babies and your business—and either way, you’re always feeling like you’re letting someone down. The biggest sacrifice is your time. And when you’re a mom, that one hurts the most.
Then in 2023, everything changed. I had a surprise pregnancy, and it ended up being the hardest season of my entire life. High risk from the start. I ended up losing my uterus to placenta increta—a rare and life-threatening complication—and my daughter was born two months early. She spent almost 2 months in the NICU. I visited her every single day, fighting to stay strong while recovering from major surgery, still trying to be there for my 3 other kids, my business, and wondering how we’d all get through it.
And yet… the business kept going. My managers and team stepped up in a way that still brings me to tears. They held it down. They protected what I built. They showed up—for the clients and for me. That’s when I knew: this business isn’t just strong—it’s resilient. And so am I.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Salt Wax Society?
At the heart of our business is culture—and I don’t say that lightly. Anyone can offer waxing services. What you’ll notice is the energy you feel the second you walk through our doors. We’ve built a brand that’s all about empowering women, celebrating individuality, and creating a judgment-free, confidence-boosting space where everyone can show up exactly as they are.
We’re not cold or clinical. We’re not robotic. We laugh with our clients. We get to know them. We cheer them on. Whether it’s their first wax ever or their 100th, we make them feel safe, seen, and hyped the hell up.
What really sets us apart, though, is our commitment to excellence through real, hands-on training. We’re not just hiring warm bodies and throwing them in a room with a stick and some wax. Every waxer here goes through a rigorous onboarding program—4 weeks, 30+ hours per week, hands-on with me directly, working on live models the entire time. We do over 50 Brazilians together (and every other area) before they’re ever put on the schedule. That level of dedication is unheard of in this industry, where it’s common for waxers to watch a couple training videos and be sent off to figure it out on real clients. Not here.
And it shows—our team is consistent, skilled, and confident. You don’t have to “get lucky” when you book with us. Every waxer here is trained to the same high standard, and most are doing 10+ Brazilian waxes a day. That volume sharpens skill like nothing else. We believe when you pour into your people, they pour back. And they do. We’ve created a space where people actually enjoy coming to work, where teamwork is real, and where gossip and ego don’t fly. We hold each other to high standards, but we also lift each other up.
One of the things we’re most proud of is our Brow Bar experience. We didn’t just want to create a place to “get your brows done.” We wanted it to feel like an event. A social, fun, confidence-boosting experience where clients can hang out, chat with their brow artist, and leave with the best brows of their lives.
When a client sits in our brow bar, it’s not a quick clean-up and out the door. We start with a consultation and full brow mapping so there’s no guesswork. Every shape is intentional, tailored to their features, and explained step by step. From there, we wax, trim, tweeze, and refine until it’s perfect. But we don’t stop there—we finish with highlighter and powder so they leave polished, glowing, and feeling unstoppable.
The vibe at the brow bar is exactly what our brand is about: supportive, social, and judgment-free. It’s fun, it’s elevated, and it makes people feel like the best version of themselves. We want every client to leave thinking, “How did I ever go anywhere else for brows?”
We’re known for our brow bar experience and top-tier Brazilian waxes, sure—but what our clients rave about most is how they feel after leaving. Seen. Confident. Heard. Safe. We serve all body types, all backgrounds, and all walks of life—and we do it with zero judgment and maximum hype. You’re not just a number here. You’re part of our community.
What I’m most proud of is that this brand is more than a service menu—it’s a movement. A sisterhood. A vibe. And that’s something no one can copy.
What makes you happy?
This question is harder for me than I thought, because happiness looks different depending on the season I’m in. But the first thing that always comes to mind is my kids.
It’s the simple moments that bring me the most joy—family movie nights, sitting in the stands at my son’s football game, hearing my toddler finally get a word right after struggling with it, or watching my daughter beam as she shows me her latest fashion design. Even something as small as baking cookies with my 10-year-old on a Sunday afternoon feels like pure happiness.
What makes those moments even more meaningful is knowing how much sacrifice goes into making space for them. Running a business can be harsh. It takes grit, long hours, and an endless amount of energy. Some days it feels like you’ve already given everything at work, but you still need to show up at home and give more. Finding that balance isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.
At the end of the day, what makes me happy is knowing I can do both: build a business I’m proud of while still being present for the people I love most. It’s not perfect, but those ordinary, everyday moments with my family are what remind me why I push through the hard days in the first place.
Pricing:
- $34 Brazilian Wax for First Time Clients
- $49 Monthly Brazilian Membership when you join the Smooth Society
- $45 Signature Brow Wax
- $42 Student Brazilian Membership
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Saltwaxsociety.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/saltwaxsociety
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaltWaxSociety/
