Today we’d like to introduce you to Evie Kuehn.
Hi Evie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started body waxing about 6 years ago. I was freshly home from living abroad in Australia for a year and had no idea what I wanted to do. I randomly fell upon a waxing salon that was hiring. I had learned how to wax in school, but I never really thought of it as being my main gig. I remember thinking, well this will be a good skill to perfect regardless of if it’s something long-term. I am very grateful to have trusted how I felt about trying something new because here I am 6 years later, making it a career choice. Funny how things play out. I worked 5 years for that franchise. I really loved the people I worked with and I really found a love for waxing. Slowly it started changing for me, I started feeling stagnant, unable to really have growth where I was but not really sure what else I’d want to do. Shortly after these feelings started, I was dealing with some random health issues that I can only explain now as being caused from MAJOR burnout. My job was starting to feel like a waxing conveyor belt, one person after the next, get it done as fast as possible and out the door. I really value my relationships with my guests, I am full of gratitude for them trusting me to take care of them and I want to make their experience the best possible and I just didn’t feel like I was facilitating that correctly with the atmosphere I was in. As well as my body screaming for rest and a healthier work/life balance. I will always have gratitude for working for that company but I was needing a fresh start, I was just really scared to take the leap. Eventually, I sort of had to, my body freaked out and the amount of time I needed to heal wasn’t going to be an option with where I was at. It was the weirdest thing but now, in my opinion, I see it as resisting the change I needed to make and it showing up physically to kinda force me in the right direction for myself if that makes sense. It was honestly the best thing that could have happened, I made my decision and I was going to figure it out no matter what. After that trust fall, everything fell into place, a friend of mine happened to have an empty commercial space waiting for me, I got all my paperwork for my LLC and while I was letting my body get back into flow I was busy doing all the legwork to get going with my little waxing salon. I opened one month later on April Fool’s day 2021 of all the days. I now have been open for about a year and a half I am so grateful to have taken this chance. No guarantees in life but this has been such a beautiful new chapter for me and I tell my studio thank you every night. I really do, I talk to her like she is a person lol. I also wave at my building anytime I pass it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, I briefly went into this with the last question. It was a rocky development for sure but after I had made the choice to figure things out and take a chance with something that was absolutely terrifying to me, and fully pressed forward its been relatively smooth. I was in survival mode. I needed to feel healthy, I needed to pay my bills, and I wanted to do something I loved. leaving a job that for the most part I liked, that had also been a major part of my life for 5 years to go somewhere that wasn’t going to be good for me wasn’t an option. It’s very important to me to love what I do. I think the biggest challenge that comes and goes is trusting the process, challenging my self-doubt and to let it unfold while I’m taking action in the ways I can. Each new guest that schedules is a happy dance, each review means the absolute world, each appointment is celebrated because I’m so grateful. I still wake up sometimes and thoughts roll in like, am I really doing this? I get to work for myself, am I responsible enough? Will people keep coming in? but I really have loved the learning process. I know now, that even if things don’t always go the way I think, it kinda has lead to things that work themselves out so I just have to trust that and keep trying, see what happens. I am grateful to be where I am at and very happy that awesome people keep finding my little shop.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bare Roots Wax co. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Bare Roots Wax co is a full-body waxing salon for everyone. I take pride in having all-natural products and being as earth-friendly as possible. I specialize in speed waxing but I make sure to follow the lead of my guests to make it as comfortable and pain free as possible. I use oils during my waxing services that are infused with herbs, that are powerhouses for helping the skin during the wax and after. The one I currently am using is infused with lavender and calendula, both of these plants have potent properties that are very nourishing to your skin. They help reduce redness, bumps and promote healing. The products I use are targeted towards helping people with even the most sensitive skin get the best results possible with hair removal. My wax is made of tree resin and is considered biodegradable, which most waxes in the market are not. Not only is it better for the earth, it doesn’t have the chemicals a lot of other waxes do. I have been very careful with selecting products that have only the best ingredients. I have a passion for plants/herbs and what they can do. I also am very passionate about humans feeling safe in their bodies. I feel that waxing can be a way to help facilitate that, it can be a vulnerable experience and I really try my very best to help my guests feel comfortable. I also believe in zero pressure with waxing and in general, with business, I will tell you the science and how it works, but if you don’t want to come in on a regular schedule, do what you want. If you like having hair sometimes, that is amazing. If you have places you always want hair, let’s celebrate that! I have heard so many guests feel the need to apologize for their bodies, including myself and personally I feel it’s important to love our bodies, in our natural states between waxes as well as when we are silky smooth. I love that the art of body waxing provides space to allow that. You can’t get waxed unless you let your hair grow between wax appointments. Waxing thins it out, makes it softer but it has to grow out in order to be waxed. My products for retail are mostly from a local apothecary called Withered Meadow and are made with the same values in mind of being natural and chemical-free. She makes her products with so much love and is also a local small business. I never push products on my guests, I will recommend products to help you gain the best results for aftercare if you’re interested in hearing about them, we can talk about what you already have as well and see if that can work but I never want you to feel pressure to buy product just to buy it, unless you want to and thats great too, I will gladly fill you in on all the yummy stuff I have to offer. My main goal is for you to leave with a pleasant wax experience, the aftercare regimen that will be best suited for your skin, and feeling taken care of.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I have been open for about a year and a half now. I honestly don’t know where Bare Roots in particular, will go in the future. I feel the waxing industry as a whole has been booming the last few years but It’s been a thing since humans decided they wanted to see what it felt like to not have hair on their bodies and I imagine it sticking around. I am trying my best to flow with what feels right and go with my gut. I was offered the opportunity to have an extra room with the building I am currently in, so that is my next step in growth. I am in the process of seeing what it would look like to have someone working with me. I also am infusing my own oils in house, so maybe there will be a shift in me offering a product line made by Bare Roots wax co. I am excited to see what happens in the future as I know I am now in a place of growing my roots down into the earth, creating a space of stability and groundedness to allow what is best to come in.
Contact Info:
- Website: barerootswaxco.com
- Instagram: barerootswaxco
Image Credits
Fiona McPeak
