Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Getzinger.
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Since I was in my early twenties, me and my husband have been running our own business. From helping him run his Automotive Repair company to owning my own clothing boutique to now doing what I am truly passionate about. Skincare! I have always had a hard time working for other people. I wanted control on how to treat customers in the best way. I didn’t want someone telling me I could only take so long for an appointment.
Skincare is very complicated. Having a license as an esthetician is only the beginning. It takes continuous education that will never end. But I love the challenge and figuring out the root problems of the skin. Educating clients on at home care is just as important to what I do in the treatment room. It’s all about keeping long-lasting results.
Growing up, I can honestly say that I really didn’t have a lot of skin issues. I was one of those teenagers who barely paid attention to skincare products, didn’t wear a lot of makeup, and if I did wear makeup, I didn’t wash my face before going to bed. The extent of my routine was spf when I was at the pool. I know. That was so hard for me to admit! But, my teenage years came and went and my skin problems came at a later time. My twenties were not so bad but I started to add products here and there. I lived in Hawaii most of the time and the humidity gave me that constant glow. But after years of being in the Hawaii sun, I started to notice the effects of my lack of preventative skincare. And of course as I grew older, I have struggled with adult acne on top of melasma due to hormone imbalances. So educating myself on how to fix the damage and prevent anymore issues was on the top of my list. What I felt was such a chore before, my skincare routine is now something I look forward to and find relaxing. I have also enjoyed adding supplements and iv treatments to work on my skin from the inside out.
Now even though as a teenager I didn’t worry so much about my skin, I started very early begging my parents to let me shave my legs. In school, I noticed I was a little furrier than most girls my age. My parents did not want me to shave my legs too early so in the heat of Texas summers in school, I avoided wearing shorts as much as possible. When the day finally came for me to be allowed to shave, I was so excited. Only to find out very quickly that the hair just kept growing back faster and thicker. So then the hunt began to find a better way. For years I waxed and found that that was a much better solution. Sure it was painful, and my skin would be irritated from it, but the hair would grow back less and that was better than shaving. After years of waxing, I thought I would try laser hair removal. People explained how wonderful it was and that most of the hair would not grow back. That sounded perfect to me! So after several treatments and a couple of thousand dollars later, I did notice I had less hair. But I still had to wax due to the lighter hairs that the laser cannot pick up. And after different hormone changes due to different birth control, my hair started to grow back to what it was before. Frustrated again and realizing I am just not the perfect candidate for laser, I figured I would be waxing the rest of my life. Or so I thought. When I was living on the Big Island, my friend who is also an esthetician said that she does something called sugaring hair removal. Well, it was that time again to remove some unwanted hair so I thought, what do I have to lose? Besides hair, haha. I knew there was such thing as sugaring wax so I just assumed the process would be the same. I can admit how wrong that thought was! She pulled out this little ball of life-changing paste. This ball that only consists of sugar, lemon and water was room temperature, was less painful, and a natural exfoliant so I left with softer skin and no irritation. Then as several weeks went by, my hair was growing back way less than if I would have waxed. I have never waxed again. That was the beginning of me being hooked to sugaring and I knew that I would never offer wax in my business.
Now you know the process that got me to say that sugaring is life-changing. For me, it truly was.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I had a few trials when I first opened my business. I was becoming quite busy quickly. This was great for me, but I had a competitor that did not like the attention my business was receiving. After about ten horrible yelp reviews within one hour in one day, I knew I had someone who was upset with my success. I was devasted and hurt by the situation. I took a lot of deep breaths, reported the issues to yelp, and I faced the situation head on by posting on Instagram what had happened. Yelp removed the fake reviews, and since I faced the problem on social media, I was then flooded with great reviews from real clients. Haters will not win! This stressful and hurtful situation turned into such a positive outcome from the good reviews and the overwhelming support from my clients. I am still so grateful for them and their continued support.
We’ve been impressed with Sugar and Sand, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The reason I became an esthetician is the love and passion of sugaring hair removal. I have tried everything and the results have been so amazing. All natural ingredients (sugar, lemon, water), less skin irritation, less ingrown, and less hair growth. Sugaring was truly my passion from the beginning.
I used to dread my skincare routine since it was so complicated. But, as I stuck to my routine and my skin plan, the results I was seeing made me excited to continue. Now. I truly look forward to my skin routine because it achieves results and is so relaxing.
I have had a lot of anxiety over the past couple of years as I’m sure most people have experienced. My skin took a hit to say the least. But, my self-care and skin routine has helped in helping me relax and just help in my anxiety overall.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe that only by my passion and hard work that I have gotten to the place that I am at. And, during a pandemic where self-care small businesses are one that has been hit the hardest, it is only my determination and passion that will make me successful now. And also my talent and true appreciation for my clients.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@sugarandspa.com
- Website: www.sugarandsandspa.com
- Instagram: @sugarandsandspa
- Facebook: sugarandsandspa
