Making Connections and Building Client Confidence in the Beauty Industry with Amy Chavez

Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of Rochester entrepreneurs and small business owners! We recently chatted with Amy Chavez, who runs her own local waxing studio!

Photo by Emma Jeanson Photography

Amy Chavez, owner of Wax Lab MN, remembers always being “that friend in high school who would always offer to do friends’ brows and make-up” and yet, she always considered working in the beauty industry more of a back-up plan. 

Amy moved to Rochester with her mother at the age of ten and has lived here ever since. After completing high school she took a gap year while deciding what she wanted to go to school for next. She started working in food service, but soon took a job at a local salon. She was inspired by her boss’ passion for the industry and high recommendations for cosmetology school. 

“My boss was a cosmetologist and talked about the industry and how much she liked it quite a lot. I also really enjoyed working in the salon and with all the women there. It was a really fun, positive work environment.”

Amy took her boss’ advice and went to beauty school, graduating from Nova Academy in 2015. She was attracted to their program because of their focus on skincare, but also received an education on hair and nail care. 

Upon graduating, Amy wanted to get into skincare “but there weren’t many opportunities to get a job in town doing just that.” she explained. 

Over the next few years, Amy took various positions, working at an office for a time, doing hair at local salons, and eventually took a job at the European Wax Center, where she realized that waxing was the beauty industry avenue she most enjoyed. 

Photo by Emma Jeanson Photography

“I really enjoy meeting new people, having conversations, and building relationships with clients. I love that waxing really helps people feel better about themselves and more confident in their skin.”

Amy was still working at the European Wax Center in 2020. When the pandemic hit, they were one of many beauty industry businesses that were unable to be open for a time. While Amy was unable to work, she began considering next steps for herself and her life. 

“During the Covid shutdown, while I was home and not working, I had a lot of time to think about what I was doing with my life and what I wanted it to look like moving forward. I knew that I really wanted to continue waxing, but also knew that I wanted to make a change. I started considering opening my own salon suite and at that time decided that I wanted to open my own business.” 

She continued, “I felt like it was time to do my own thing and I was really passionate about creating an environment where I was really happy working and where my clients would also be happy and comfortable.” 

Amy spent the next year preparing for the transition and looking for a space in which to open her salon suite. The opportunity arose for her to lease a suite within Studio 65 with a former coworker, who was also looking to start her own waxing business. They leased the space together, each opening their own waxing businesses. Amy opened under the name Wax Lab MN.

Photo by Emma Jeanson Photography

After acquiring a space, the last hurdle standing in the way of opening was acquiring licensing to wax in the space. “The state has a lot of rules and regulations, so it was a challenge emailing back and forth, answering lots of questions, and eventually getting the license.” 

After eight years in the beauty industry, Amy has an established following of clientele that have happily followed her to her new business. Amy offers a variety of body waxing services and has built her clientele base around the services she is most passionate about. 

Amy is already looking toward the future and hopes to move into her own storefront in coming years. 

Outside of running her business, Amy enjoys time spent with her fiancé, friends, and dogs, thrifting, traveling, and being creative. 

Thinking back, Amy said “In the past I think I really wanted to do my own thing and start a business, but was always worried about how things would work out financially. But really, you can achieve anything that you put your heart and mind to. You have the ability to cultivate the life that you want for yourself. So if you have an idea, just go for it!.”