MANKATO — If Sabreena Michel had her druthers, every hirsute person in the greater Mankato area would stash their razors and Nair in favor of regular visits to Waxing the City.
“We’re in the business of smooth skin,” said Michel, who with her husband Eric owns and operates Mankato’s new Waxing the City location at 1901 Madison Ave.
“We want to help people with their waxing and facial needs and give back to the community.”
Since last August, Michel and her staff of six licensed cerologists (waxing specialists) have provided a full complement of facial and body waxing services, including Brazilian and facial hair waxing (think brows, chin, lip, neck, nose, ears, sideburns and more) and body waxing (chest, back, arms, legs and underarms).
“We also do eyelash lifts and tints, eyebrow lamination and tinting and there are three different kinds of facial services — calming, detoxifying and brightening — that can be personalized and curated to each individual,” Michel said.
“This is not a cookie-cutter experience.”
Michel’s Waxing the City shop is the first of its kind in Mankato. A franchise business founded in 2003 by a quartet of enterprising women in Colorado, Waxing the City now has over 130 locations nationwide.
Michel and her staff are committed to answering every question potential and returning customers might have about the various waxing processes and procedures they provide. Another helpful aid for would-be clients is “9 Things Your Cerologist Wants You To Know,” an informative Q & A accessed via Waxing the City’s website (waxingthecity.com).
“There’s no judgment here,” stressed Michel.
Whether you’re a hairy-backed guy who’s uncomfortable with the way hair is pulling on your shirt or a young woman who wants to keep her bikini line clean and hair-free, Waxing the City welcomes you.
“And Eric is the hairiest waxing facility owner ever,” laughed Michel, mentioning that her husband, an outdoor-loving ungulate research scientist employed by the Minnesota DNR, enthusiastically supports her in every endeavor, whether professional or personal.
With a promotional deal of 50% off a first-time service — an offer that extends for a full 18 months from Waxing the City’s August 2023 opening — and the business’s Club Orange membership that guarantees 20% off into perpetuity, Michel has sold many of her available smoothing services.
“I really love the Club Orange benefits,” said Charleigh Byker, a student at Minnesota State University who’s a regular Waxing the City patron.
“The family feeling in the building gives me full comfort in my service, and Club Orange saves me big bucks every month.”
And Michel assures that waxing promotes the reduction of unwanted hair growth over time.
“Your hair will begin growing back finer, thinner and softer if you’re part of the waxing lifestyle,” she said.
“Over time, if you’re consistent with it, you will see the hair reduction you want.”
The ‘why’ behind the wax
Operating a salon dedicated to personal health and beauty maintenance is a natural progression for Michel.
Though she was born in Syracuse, N.Y., Michel was raised in Mitchell, S.D., home of the World’s Only Corn Palace.
“I was always dreaming about big-city life,” said Michel, “and I told myself, ‘I’m going to live in Malibu someday.’”
An active youth athlete (volleyball, basketball and softball) and pageant participant (“I was ‘Miss Davison County,’” she shared), Michel became acquainted with California-based model/photographer Timothy Leung while on the pageant circuit. Leung suggested she look into MKC Beauty Academy in Los Angeles.
“I started sending out applications when I was 16,” she said. “Then I graduated early from high school and moved to LA at 17 to start at the Academy.”
And for five years, Michel was a hair and makeup artist in Hollywood and Orange County.
“Then I moved to Minneapolis and was an agency representative for hair and makeup,” she explained.
Her life changed dramatically when she became pregnant and delivered her son, MJ, at only 26 weeks’ gestation.
Michel then relocated to Sioux Falls, S.D., where she pioneered the art of micro-blading in the state and became a certified paramedical tattoo artist even as she navigated all of MJ’s health challenges in her role as a “medical mom.”
“Because of MJ, I wanted to give back to individuals who didn’t have confidence or feel good about themselves,” said Michel.
She and Eric met while he was completing post-doctoral research at South Dakota State University in Brookings.
Just over two years ago, the young family (which now includes sons Bishop, 5, Hudson, 2, and infant daughter Winslow, their “sweet surprise”) moved to North Mankato, in part to be closer to the Twin Cities. MJ’s exceptional health needs necessitated weekly visits to Children’s Minnesota Hospital in St. Paul.
“We’ve fallen in love with this community,” said Michel, who nevertheless noticed a gap for waxing/aesthetician services in the area and decided to fill it.
Only six days after Winslow’s birth and just one month after Waxing the City opened, MJ was hospitalized due to mounting complications from a rare disease: ROHHAD Syndrome.
Sadly, MJ, who’d been medically fragile from birth, was quickly consumed by the disease and he died, at age nine and a half, on Nov. 27.
“We have rockstar employees who held the (Waxing the City) doors open wide for us during those difficult months,” said Michel.
Helping other women and men feel good about themselves and their bodies drives Michel, who knows all too well that an hour or two of pampering and self-care can help a person keep going even when life’s challenges arise.
“MJ has always been our motivation, and I share our story because life doesn’t always end up with rainbows and butterflies — but it’s about your perspective and what you make of it,” said Michel.
Busy college students like Byker appreciate that, too.
“Waxing the City makes me feel like I’m getting pampered while simply maintaining my personal beauty and health standards,” said Byker.
“It’s such a refreshing feeling that only takes an hour or so for weeks of being hair-free.”
Added Michel, “Whether you’re a student like Charleigh, a regular or ‘medical’ mom or a hairy hunter, you should take time to invest in yourself.
“It’s good to be a little bit selfish at times.”