Let's Talk Skincare & Self-Care with Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa
Everybody needs a little me time. It's not selfish, it's necessary. In today's world, we are constantly taking in information and our attention is being pulled in different directions by our family, friends, coworkers, and responsibilities. So it is perfectly fine to take some time away from it all, and what better way than to pamper yourself? Before my interview with the owner of Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa, a one-stop shop in Metro Detroit for every beauty and pampering need, I had an appointment for a facial.
When I arrived, I was greeted by the receptionist who took my jacket and presented me with beverage options. I chose a hot cup of green tea, and proceeded to take sips in between completing a questionnaire regarding my skincare concerns. After completing the form, I was met by Bee, herself, to begin the facial. We discussed my skincare concerns, what products I had been using and their effectiveness. The treatment room was the perfect temperature as I rested myself onto the bed, and her hands went to work. Her hands, gentle to the touch, cleansed and moisturized my face as soft music played in the background.
From there, she massaged my neck, shoulders, and hands, and for a moment I had fallen asleep. This was the most peaceful beauty service experience that I have ever had, and I must say that my first experience at Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa has certainly made a lasting impression.
The Interview
ATBA: Share with us a little about who you are, what you do, and what your brand represents.
BBBS: So, I'm Bee. I'm a mother of three, a wife, an esthetician, then I'm a business owner. I've been doing that for a little over four years. I started actually getting into self-help, or self-care I should say, based on my own issues being a mom, having anxiety and stress, trying to find an outlet, not caring for myself, and understanding that taking care of my children and my husband meant taking care of me. I was kinda drawn to this industry from middle school, but I was like I'm not gonna get rich doing eyebrows all day. So I went to college right out of high school and wasn't really passionate, but I was gonna get the degree, work at a corporate job, and then one day I'll own my own business.
So, I was doing that in Chicago, and life kinda came to a halt when I was a manager at a Nine West shoe store when the store closed. I was staying at home with my two kids, at the time. I did that for like a year, and I became like a zombie. It was never about me. It was all about my kids, as most new moms are, and I kinda just lost myself. I went through anxiety, and all of these different emotions trying to find what it is that I'm passionate about. So I revisited self-help, and taking care of myself. I would do my makeup and little things to make me feel good. I felt like that started to kinda heal me.
I came here to Michigan and I toured the campus at Aveda in Royal Oak, and I was like oh this is more than just eyebrows, this is a whole thing. Right there, I called my husband and was like I have to do this program, I want to get into this industry. I knew I needed to repair myself and gain peace. I went through the program, and loved it. It brought me so much peace, so much balance. Not only balance for my skin, but balance for my life and having time to step away from what I do and get back to myself for a change. It healed me, and so it kinda empowered me to be like, I wanna do this for every woman. Every woman needs to know that this is not a luxury that only rich people do. This is a necessity, it is something that we have to do to take care of ourselves, and treat ourselves. We deserve it! We treat everyone else, and we bend over backwards as women.
So I started my own studio which was Far from Black at the time. It was just a combination of my last names. My husband's last name is Far, and my maiden last name is Black. So it was like Far from Black, the journey of me becoming. From being this humble little teenager to becoming a wife and mother, and becoming an esthetician. So, I started there. I had a room in my cousin's hair salon, and I did that for a couple of years, but I knew I needed to gain more experience in the industry. So I started working in a spa in Ann Arbor, and that's when I got introduced to Eminence. That's when I got blown away like this is so amazing, how come we don't have anything like this? And when I say we, I mean our communities, because this was in a suburban area. I'm like, how come we don't know? I was just on this run to educate and tell people. Yea, I know black don't crack, but we still have to take care, and nurture, and get balance, and our peace.
I did both for a while, and like most times when you're doing your own business and a full-time job, you get to a road block like what are you gonna do? I was at that crossroad and I decided, I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna put my all into it. We transitioned the name, so I rebranded and redid everything. So, January this year we did Bee's Beauty Bar and Spa. It represents balance, and peace, and self-care, and self-love. I just love the idea of any service that you get, whether it's lashes, waxing, or a facial you come out like wow, I feel good! It makes you feel empowered, whatever service you get, big or small. I think it starts the momentum of being your best version of you.
ATBA: I agree! You kinda touched on it, but on your website it says that you believe that enhancing a woman's beauty can empower her to conquer her daily womanhood roles with confidence. Was this your motivation behind creating a beauty bar and spa?
BBBS: Yes! It was definitely how I felt, and how empowered I felt, and how much peace I had. It made me feel empowered to do all of the roles that we have to do as women. I mean, we are the best multi-taskers on the face of the earth. We have superpowers, but we're so cluttered and all over the place with our to-do lists and our tasks, that we have to have our moment of peace. We need that time.
ATBA: What can a guest expect to experience during a visit to Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa?
BBBS: They can expect an experience. From booking an appointment online or through a receptionist, your experience starts there. So how you're treated over the phone or how seamless booking your appointment was, to the time you check-in for your service. You have the hospitality of being offered something to drink and to take your coat, to when you're in the treatment room getting this one-on-one time with someone who genuinely cares about your wellness. For an hour, it's all about you. What are your concerns? Even when my brow clients come in, and I'm teaching them how to fill in their brows. It's a whole experience.
ATBA: Skincare is really trending right now in the realm of beauty. At Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa you offer complimentary skincare consultations. In what ways is this beneficial to understanding our personal skin care needs?
BBBS: I think for part of that, it has been the thing of Oh, yea we need to get into this whole skincare craze. So my whole thing is, yes we're supposed to be on board (we were supposed to have been on board), because it is a necessity. We take care of everything else. We get our nails done, hair done, toes done, waxing done; but why aren't we taking care of our face? Our brows are nice, but why is our skin not? I think the biggest thing for me is that it's looked at like it's not a luxury, but something that's vital.
Then the consultation aids in just educating you. Most of the time when people are using something, and it's not corrective, they're not getting the results they want, but they're just using it because of their routine. So they're just in a tradition of using something. So the 15 minute consultation is a chance for me to introduce what we do here, our product line, and open your eyes to a bigger perspective of skincare, and invite you back for a full experience. The consultation is 15 minutes, but what if you had an hour to really ask all of the stuff that you want to ask, have your skin looked at under the lamp and do the extractions, and really get to what your concerns are.
ATBA: Your spa is partnered with the Eminence Organics line of beauty products (the #1 organic line in the U.S.). What products from their line are in your personal stash?
BBBS: Definitely their Facial Recovery Oil. It's a blend of different oils, and it's basically a healing oil. It has a mix of sunflower and some eucalyptus oil. It's a reparatiive oil, and at nighttime our skin goes in to repair mode. All the craze right now is beauty oil, and this is Eminence's version. It's healing, it's hydrating, it makes the skin nice and supple, and brightens. It's like a little miracle oil in a jar. Then they recently launched some exfoliating peels that are liquid exfoliants. Some people don't like the grainy exfoliant. This is a really simple one, because it's like a liquid solution. You pump it onto a cotton round, and wipe. It's like a chemical exfoliant so it uses fruit acids to basically eat away the dead skin. It leaves your skin nice and soft. These are my two must haves, right now.
ATBA: How often would you recommend exfoliating?
BBBS: Two to three times a week, you want to exfoliate. So that would be considered a chemical peel, because it does the work for you and you're not manually scrubbing. I would recommend some sort of exfoliation 2-3 times a week.
ATBA: Self-Care is a necessary part of our lives, and pampering ourselves can promote a sense of well-being. How do the services that are offered at Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa cater to its clients need for self-care?
BBBS: So for an hour, or how ever long your treatment is, you get me telling you what we need to work on, your treatment and product recommendations, and how to incorporate things that you already love into your skin care regimen. Then it's me giving you the tools and educating you on how to do it at home because coming in for facials (or a service) is not even half of what you do. The real change that you'll see in your skin is with the home care. Those are the things that are going to aid in your full self-care. You will receive my recommendations here and use them at home until you can come back. It's not a once a year thing, getting a facial. It's definitely something that needs to be consistent, but the at home care is the main thing. I want you to walk away knowing how to treat and care for your skin in the meantime so that we're working for the same results in the end.
ATBA: So what does self-care look like for Bee?
BBBS: Self-care for me looks like many facials at home. I like a guided meditation. I'm one of those people that have to cut everything off to be able to get my peace. I think my biggest self-care thing is talking to God and praying. That's where I find the most peace. I look to Him for peace, so I can give it to my clients.
ATBA: In what ways would you recommend enjoying an at-home spa experience in between visits?
BBBS: Find your quiet area and designate a time for you. If you're into skincare then do that, or if you're into makeup you can try out a new look. I say just playing around with things that you don't like or that you want to enhance for 20-30 minutes.
ATBA: If someone were to ask you for your advice, and you only had a few minutes to give them your best tip, what would it be?
BBBS: In reference to life or skincare?
ATBA: Let's do two: one for life and one for skincare.
BBBS: So my skincare tip is to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Whether it's a chemical or manual exfoliation, getting those dead skin cells off evens out skin tone, texture, and it helps to reduce pore size. These are all issues that we all have. So exfoliating changes a lot! It helps to prevent ingrown hairs. I mean, exfoliate from head to toe.
Then for life in general, I would just say go for it! I kinda think in life we don't know direction, or what the destination may be. And I didn't know the destination, this wasn't a clear vision. It came in pieces. So I feel like when you get these pieces, or you get this hunch to do something or take a risk, just know that you're not going to get the next tip until you get through this one. Take the risk! I got to this point because of the pieces I followed and the small things that I decided to do. Don't look for the final picture of the puzzle, and understand that you have to put the pieces together through life and through the journey. So if you get a hunch, do it, because it can definitely lead you to the destination of where you're supposed to be in your purpose.
ATBA: What do you see next for Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa?
BBBS: Well, next we're going to be doing private birthday and spa parties. We'll be offering our massage services, and mini facials, and featuring our Eminence collection. They can bring food and cocktails. It's women empowering each other and getting pampered. It's all about you! So parties are the next thing.
ATBA: Are there packages available for that already?
BBBS: Yes, we have packages. They're all customizable, starting at five people with a maximum of ten. We want to be the destination for beauty in Metro Detroit. We want to be the hub. I see my clients all the time, one week to get their eyebrows done, the next for a facial. We've built these relationships and this rapport and they become a part of the brand, or lifestyle, having a local beauty bar and one-stop shop. We want to become the destination for high-end luxury treatments.
Need some me time?
Schedule your beauty and pampering session at Bee's Beauty Bar & Spa, and purchase Eminence Organics products, here!