Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Isabel Hawk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Isabel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I started my career in 2017 as an Esthetician in the small town of Grand Rapids; I worked at a salon and spa where the spa was new and just starting. The spa was moving at a slow pace, and I was not as busy as I would have liked. After being there a little over a year, an opportunity opened to work at a salon and spa in Bloomington. The excitement of being in a big city and a bigger salon gave me high hopes for my spa career. I met many wonderful people, had some outstanding mentorship, and had many great experiences. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t as busy as I had hoped to be, and my clientele wasn’t growing as quickly as I anticipated. A lot of decisions needed to be made. I decided to take the risk to move back home to my small town in hopes of regrouping and getting a fresh start. I was extremely fortunate to be able to work back in the first place I started my career. Coming back into my former space, I had new services to offer, more knowledge and experience in my field, and the confidence I needed to bring the spa space forward. I started back at True North Salon and Spa in June of 2020, the last 3 years have been the busiest I have been in six years of my career. I went from having two to three appointments a week to having my books completely booked two weeks out! Along the way, I have continued to add as many new skills and techniques to my tool belt as possible. I offer luxury services. It has been an amazing ride thus far, and I cannot wait to see what the next 10 to 20 years hold for me. Nothing beats the community I have in Grand Rapids, and I feel passionate about the evolving beauty industry.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
When high school graduation rolled around I knew I always wanted to do makeup but felt the pressure to go to college. I tried a little bit of a 2-year college but I realized that wasn’t the direction I wanted to go so I took the leap to pursue a career in the beauty industry. I debated between the esthiology or cosmetology program at Aveda Institute of Minneapolis. Then I decided on the esthiology program due to the fact that I would be able to learn the most about makeup. During this program, I realized that if you want a good makeup look you need a good foundation to start with which is where my love for skincare began. I have now been an Advanced Practice Esthetician for the last 6 years. It’s hard to believe 6 years have already gone by but I have been loving every minute of it!
I jump at opportunities to continue to further my education every chance I get. I have dove deeper into learning about holistic skincare approaches. As I’ve been finding my way in skincare, I realize my passion lies in holistic skincare along with makeup. I love the approach that our bodies know what to do, they just need to be awakened and restored. My goal has always been to help everyone feel beautiful in their own skin whether they wear makeup or not. I work mainly with Aveda skincare products and GingerChi products. I love the idea of using natural, clean beauty products to achieve the ultimate skincare goals.
My main specialty is holistic skincare. Currently, I offer a variety of facial services that include my newest service: Gua Sha Facial Fusion which has been a favorite for me. My Gua Sha journey began with receiving my certification through Cecily Braden Spa & Wellness Academy. This Traditional Chinese Medicine practice utilizes a stone to help support the skin’s function and promotes the beneficial flow of blood and fluids to and from the face. By awakening the skin we can bring a fundamental change to the skin by clearing stagnation and accumulation in the tissues. I believe it’s important to get to know my guest to understand what their skin truly needs. Aside from Gua Sha Facial Fusion, I offer customized facials tailored to your skin’s needs. My guests choose from a 30-minute, 60-minute, or 90-minute facial. My goal with each facial is for you to have a relaxing experience while achieving ultimate individualized skincare results. I have recently started offering Gua Sha Fusion 101 classes. During this class you will learn the history of Gua Sha, the benefits of adding Gua Sha to a professional facial, and learn a step-by-step routine to implement in your at-home skincare regimen.
Aside from my facials I also specialize in makeup application, which is a creative outlet for me to come up with individual looks for each guest I have the opportunity to work on. I enjoy assisting my guest overall confidence by offering makeup lessons that are individualized for each of their lifestyles. When doing these lessons I strive to dig deep into what makeup will work for their lifestyle so that they leave my chair feeling confident. I have been very fortunate to be a part of the Aveda Artist New York Fashion team. I joined the team for four seasons of Fashion Week. I was given the opportunity to work alongside Aveda’s Global Artistic Director of Makeup, Janell Geason, which has been a lifelong dream. Each season I worked alongside many great artists, picking up new skills each time I attended.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
With my boss’s encouragement I have found the most effective strategies are getting my face out in the community and being involved. I like participating organizations, walking around town handing out business cards, and hanging up business cards on bulletin boards. Social media has been a HUGE help. It’s the greatest way to promote myself by showing off my work. It’s important to let people know about the new exciting trainings I am doing, and what I have available. Being present in the salon has helped meet new people, and gain clientele. After a hair service appointment it is fun to give a complimentary touch up whether it be makeup or skincare related. It starts conversation about who I am and what I offer that could be of interest. Cross promotion has been super helpful because I can find out what else the client needs and how I can provide that for them.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
I think this is a great question! I wouldn’t change picking this career one bit! I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing. If I could go back I would have started sooner. I would have dove right into learning more holistic treatments right away. This field brings me so much joy, I love what I do and am fortunate to be around amazing people: I have met interesting and talented people along the way and will continue to meet more great humans. There really is something to the saying “If you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like you worked a day in your life”. The happiness and overall well-being I can bring someone is the greatest feeling. Everyday I feel special for getting to impact someones day positively by my skills.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.truenorthsalon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabeljadebeauty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isabeljadebeauty/
Image Credits
Janna Salmela Photography, Emerald Heart Photography, Jmark Photography, Kaija Leigh Photography LLC, and Jen Jarmuzek Photography