We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anne Uhlir a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

The Day I Waxed Demi Moore (and Accidentally Started a Waxing Revolution)

In the late ’90s, I was working for Robert Leonard Salon, and part of the job was hotel calls for the Four Seasons—back when they didn’t even have a spa. We’d bring our wax pots and kits, check in at the front desk like we were checking into a spy mission, get the elevator key, and head up to make magic happen in room service luxury.

One quiet Sunday, I got a last-minute call for a leg wax. No big deal. I grabbed my things, threw on my uniform, and headed to the room, totally unaware of what was waiting on the other side of that door.

I knock.
The door opens.
And there she is—Demi Moore. Pajamas. Glowing skin. Movie star smile.

My brain completely short-circuited. I had just watched G.I. Jane. She was the actress of the moment. But I smiled, introduced myself, and tried not to visibly melt into the carpet. She was so kind. Totally relaxed. She asked for a full leg wax, and I got to work.

Partway through, she casually says, “Actually… I’d like a little more.”

And just like that, we’re heading into Brazilian territory. Now, you have to understand: this was 1999 Seattle. Nobody—and I mean nobody—was asking for Brazilians. Especially not casually. I had barely been trained on them. I wasn’t confident. But was I going to say “no” to Demi Moore?

Nope.

I figured I’d do my best and go as far as I could before I got to the area I knew I couldn’t finesse. When that moment came, I did what any quick-thinking esthetician would do: I asked if we could order some coffee. (Time to stall and strategize.)

We sat. We sipped. We chatted. And then I jumped back in and wrapped it up as professionally—and gently—as I could.

At the end, she smiled and said, “You’re pretty good at this. And you’ve got a great personality. You should open a waxing-only salon in Seattle—they don’t have anything like that.”

She didn’t say I was amazing. She didn’t throw roses. But she saw potential—and that meant everything. It was honest. Encouraging. And that one comment from Demi Moore stuck with me.

I knew I had work to do. I needed to perfect my skills, get better, train harder. But that spark of an idea? That stuck.

So I did it. In 1999, I opened WaxOn—the first waxing-only spa in Seattle. Back then, Brazilians were basically an urban legend. There were no national chains. No Instagram. No online booking. I hit the pavement with flyers, paraded through festivals, and plastered cars with bumper stickers that said “Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver.” (Yes, the beaver became our mascot. Obviously.)

And it all began with a door opening, a wax pot in hand, and the surreal, incredible moment of waxing Demi Moore.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Built from Grit, Wax, and a Ballet Barre

I’ve been disciplined since I was seven—thanks to ballet and a mother who was a music teacher. Between pliés and piano scales, I learned the value of repetition, showing up, and sweating the details. That discipline shaped me. It gave me stamina. And paired with a love of hustling? It made me unstoppable.

I’ve always loved starting things. Building things. Not just for the money—though I won’t lie, I love a good payoff—but because finding creative ways to make money is genuinely fun. There’s nothing better than turning an idea into something that works, that moves, that inspires.

And I love doing it alongside women—creative women, scrappy women, women who can problem-solve and power through. One of the things I’m proudest of is watching my staff grow. I’ve seen women buy homes, become breadwinners, build lives for themselves through this work. That matters to me. That’s the real win.

I built WaxOn from the ground up—before Instagram, before Brazilian waxes were mainstream, before “self-care” was a buzzword. I did it alone. We’re not a chain. We never were.

That said, a lot of people don’t know this, but I did sell the original WaxOn trademark to Lexi Miles in 2012 who started wax on Canada—she’ was not an esthetician but turned my idea it into a waxing empire in Canada. She took it and ran with it, and I stayed small by choice. I’ve always preferred being hands-on, staying close to the work, and connected to my team and clients. There’s power in staying boutique, in being present. And there’s pride in knowing I created something worth emulating.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience, Rent, and the Long Road Back

If you want a story about resilience, mine starts in 2020—when the world shut down, and so did I.

We were ordered to close for seven months. When we were finally allowed to reopen, it was at 25% capacity. That alone would’ve been enough to make most people panic—but then Seattle decided it was the perfect time to shut down the West Seattle Bridge, making access to our location nearly impossible. And Portland? Portland was on fire—literally. Windows blown out, civil unrest, trash cans ablaze. My spas were shuttered, my team sidelined, and yet the landlords still wanted full rent.

Even with PPP loans, the money felt like a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. Expenses kept bleeding out, and the uncertainty of when we’d be allowed to work again gnawed at me. So I did something that felt like a kind of grief: I closed shops. Not because we weren’t successful, but because circumstances made it impossible. Letting go of Portland—where we’d launched the waxing scene in 2004—felt like giving a baby up for adoption. I hadn’t done that, but the ache was real.

Then came 2021. The Fremont location got caught in retrofitting hell. The building needed seismic upgrades and tuckpointing, and our space—down in the basement with two entrances—became a construction zone. We weren’t offered a lease renewal. “You’ll be miserable,” they said. So that was another goodbye.

Our Kirkland landlord sold the building to someone new who informed us—mid-pandemic, mid-construction—that we could no longer stay. This was after they’d torn out the front windows for months, making it look like we were permanently closed. Clients stopped coming. Revenue stopped flowing. And still—rent due.

At that point, it felt like everywhere I turned, someone else was making decisions about my business—without understanding what it had taken to build it.

But here’s the thing: I’m still here.

We opened a new flagship location on Capitol Hill, and I can honestly say it’s the strongest team I’ve ever had. Everyone is sharp, confident, collaborative. We’ve become more than resilient—we’ve become refined. Focused. Fierce.

What I’ve learned is this: don’t throw in the towel unless you absolutely have to. And when you do have to downsize, do it smart. My mentor once told me, “You have to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away when the deal is done.” It’s not just a song lyric—it’s a survival mantra.

Sure, I had seven spas. But having two excellent ones, with space to focus on my team, my clients, and my upcoming product line—that’s the real success. No more throwing money at landlords who don’t care what I built. No more apologizing for running a tight ship as a woman in business.

I’ve been doing this for 26 years. And if 2020 taught me anything, it’s that I can lose half my business and still come back stronger, smarter, and more sure of myself than ever.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

One Wax at a Time

If you want to build lasting relationships with clients, it starts with consistency.
Show up. Don’t cancel. Don’t close early. Be the steady, dependable presence in their lives. I’ve always treated my clients like partners—because that’s what they are. And that mindset is how I built a clientele of over 25,000 people.

I didn’t do it with Instagram reels or influencer hashtags. I did it the old-school way: by offering great service, staying true to who I am, and handing out funny bumper stickers like “Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver.” (Yes, the beaver became our mascot—and no, I don’t regret it.)

I go the extra mile. If a client needs their meter plugged, I’ll run out and do it. If they’re having a hard day, I’ll gift a product. During the 2008 housing crash, when people lost their jobs, I gave free services. Not because it was good for business—because it was good for people.

I keep the room positive. No gossip. No drama. I want every client to walk out feeling lighter, stronger, and a little more fabulous—like they’ve had a fast, painless reset with someone who actually cares. Sometimes they bring me coffee. Sometimes I give them samples. But they always leave happy.

That’s how I’ve stayed in business for 26 years.
With grit, heart, and a wax pot.
One client, one connection—one wax at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://waxon.com
• Instagram: https://waxonusa_

Image Credits

monica quinoveva, liliia , anne uhlir