We recently connected with Lisa Sivak and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
From a young age I knew the salon industry was where I wanted to land. In 1987 I began my journey and started at Deloux School of Cosmetology in La Mesa,CA in the Esthetic program. Upon receiving my license as an Esthetician I started my career and worked at leading salons in our area; Ladyfingers in El Cajon and Dimari’s and Expressions in Spring Valley. I learned and grew so much being surrounded by and mentored by such amazing salon professionals. What I didn’t expect is I would fall in love with nails. I found myself intently watching the manicurists whenever I was not with a client. In 1989 I started back to school at Je Boutique College of Beauty in El Cajon for Manicuring. Not long after receiving my Manicuring license I got married and moved across country to the Chicago area,where we ended up in Northwest Indiana. I joke and say I grew up there because this is where I grew as a young woman and salon professional. I worked at a couple great salons as I was growing a clientele. In 1992 I took the leap to start my own business and The Upper Hand professional nail services was born. I began renting a space inside a hair salon where I owned the skincare and nail business but it was great because we worked as a team. My personal business continued to grow which lead me to start hiring other professionals to work for me. Fast forward to the year 2001 and 3 beautiful children later the desire to move back home to San Diego won out. We packed up and once again moved cross country.21 years later we are still here. I rented booths in other salons for a couple years but I knew I wanted to create my own culture. I wanted a place that was professional but felt like a home away from home for our guests. An opportunity fell in my lap in my hometown of Jamul and on just what I made as a manicurist without loans etc. I opened my first salon. I bounced around several names but with the urging of my husband and others we went back to The Upper Hand and The Upper Hand Spa Salon was reborn. I started by myself but then grew to have 5 hair stations and 3 treatment rooms for skincare and massage, a boutique with clothing, repurposed items and more. Those that know me will tell you I love moving things around reinventing to give our guests the best .Well, it’s 2019 and Covid hit and shut us and the rest of the world down. Depressed without any idea of what was going to happen I spent a couple weeks moping and crying until a salon coaching company I worked with began Zoom calls. This got me to refocus and come up with alternative ways to keep my business,my baby going. I put together spa DIY kits , I redecorated and kept dreaming. During this time it became apparent to me even though I had amazing people working with me and I loved my salon in Jamul I still had bigger dreams. Amidst the uncertainty of where the world was going I decided life is too short not to follow your dreams. And my dream was to have a nail and skincare spa. A relaxing retreat for the average person to enjoy. November 2020 the new home of The Upper Hand was open. We have 5 private suites for pedicure and nail treatments, skincare and massage, and an open area but still serene for manicures and pedicures. Pedicures are our specialty. At The Upper Hand you will be treated to a personalizeded experience with health and safety as priority. 3 months in and we were shut down due to Covid again.
We made it through and I am proud to say still standing 3 years later. I won’t lie and say it hasn’t been a challenge because there have been a lot of tears and sleepless nights to navigate the wake Covid left behind. We have had a lot of changes along the way. Some things have worked, others not so much but the love and desire to continue giving our guests the care and attention keeps me going.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I set out to create a place where our guests feel safe knowing we take safety and cleanliness seriously, we want you to have an experience you don’t get in other salons, and know we are inclusive of all. When designing services and choosing product lines we look for companies that care about safety,health and community. We proudly use and carry highly respected brands such as Farmhouse Fresh, Biosculpture,Dermodality and Jane Iredale.
Farmhouse Fresh is a brand curated by a woman owned company in McKinney, Texas. Not only do they create wonderful natural and organic based skincare using mindfully sourced ingredients but they give back to animals. Their farm in Texas is also a farm animal sanctuary for abused and neglected farm animals. They also raise funds to supply beds for shelter dogs.
Biosculpture is a 10 free gel nail care line we use to create beautiful healthy nails without the top harmful toxins that may cause damage. It has been an industry leader for over 20 years
Dermodality is a local skincare company based in San Marcos. It is FDA regulated and EU compliant with proprietary owned formulas. Ingredients are vegan,paraben-free and derived from marine and plant based natural sources. Dermodality is developed to work synergestically addressing all ages,skin types,skin conditions, and lifestyle changes.
Jane Iredale cosmetics has been a great addition to offer our clients a healthy makeup that also delivers beautiful coverage without the pore clogging, cakey harmful ingredients.Jane envisioned a makeup that was good for the skin using clean ingredients with equal parts clean ingredients,skin loving benefits and no fade performance. Jane Iredale Cosmetics are The Skincare Makeup. Jane gives back to several organizations.
I proudly sit on the board of a non-profit called Leah’s Foundation. Leah was a girl that I went to high school with that dreamt of having a home in Queens for domestic abuse survivors and their children. Sadly before Leah’s dream could become a reality she passed away. Her mother Angelique and her brother John have been working hard to bring her dream to life. Even though a bit different than she was planning they have started this foundation that raises awareness and scholarships for survivors of domestic violence and their families. The mission is to partner with other organizations to supply support for individuals to get back on their feet toward a healthy,safe and positive lifestyle.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I give my all to each and every guest and genuinely care about them and their lives. Their comfort and satisfaction is very important to me. I continuously look for ways I can give more to my guests. It makes my day when I can make someone elses day. I do and will always go above and beyond the norm because I feel everyone deserves some TLC. Giving personal attention such as a heated neck wrap, a beverage of choice and a nice cozy blanket goes a long way.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
As mentioned we choose the products we use carefully but we’ve also added to our amazing line up; our own in spa curated foot and bath soaks and body scrubs. We use naturally derived and organic ingredients with essential oils as fragrance . We keep our ingredient list as simple as possible. Our core scents are Happy – Spring flower, lavendar mint, Calm- Chamomile Vanilla, Invigorate- Citrus blend of tangerine, lemon and grapefruit and Relief – tea tree,eucalyptus and spearmint
Each season we like to add a fun addition. This summer we had Strawberry Lemonade using lemon slices we dehydrated with organic freeze dried strawberry powder with lemon essential oil.
Our process of manufacturing is simple. We blend small batches at a time filling and labeling jars as we go.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://theupperhandspasalon.com
- Instagram: theupperhandspa
- Facebook: The Upper Hand Spa Salon