Meet Jennifer Ivonne Salazar of Besos by Urban Orchid

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My passion for the beauty industry started at age 18 and by age 26 I had attended several beauty schools which I didn’t graduate from as a result of being a single mom and having to juggle work and the trials and tribulations of being a teen mom. I somehow continued my journey close to all things beauty and finally found a job in sales for eyelash extension kits for a Korean-owned company and learned the art of Lash Extensions. I traveled with this company for several years to trade shows in the United States and demoed and performed eyelash extensions. This job kept me away from home and I needed to be in California in a more stable work environment. I left that job and came back home and worked many different jobs in sales and clerical in a law firm and still felt a calling to the beauty industry. So I applied for employment at a spa in Arcadia where I met my mentor Donna the owner at Spa Xanadu in Arcadia. She encouraged me to go get my esthetician license and so I did! After getting my esthetician license, I worked in Beverly Hills as an Eyelash Extension Artist which I came to find out I didn’t enjoy so much as I did skin care. I found myself managing that spa without officially being a manager there since I already had management experience from Spa Xanadu. I began to build clientele there which some included several celebrities but somehow I had a nudging impulse that kept consuming me with the thought of having my own business. One day as I shared my dreams with someone there I was told by that person that I didn’t have what it takes to be a business owner and that management is about as far as I’d go. I quit that day and decided to prove her wrong. I started my own business Urban Orchid Skin Care an Aveda Concept Salon in the city of Glendale. I thank her for the push now in hindsight. I relocated to Pasadena, CA for many years and now Urban Orchid Skin Care has evolved into Besos by Urban Orchid in San Fernando. My facials have a touch of the Aveda education along many other skincare line training I’ve received but more than anything my facials to me represent a Beso which means ‘a kiss’ from me for my client. I want to spread self-love during my service. I believe that specially in the Latinx culture we were taught in the past that we come last especially as women after having children or simply getting married and a service like a facial is only for the affluent community and only a luxury. I lowered my pricing in order to make it attainable to make this service a monthly ritual. I say, “One hour a month for pampering and self-care is the bare minimum we can do to love ourselves”. I’ve shared tears of joy with my clients when they receive their first facial. One woman, in particular, was brought to me by her granddaughter and hugged me at the end of service while crying and sharing with me that in her 89 year  young life she had never received something as loving as my service. She filled my heart with love and appreciation. I thank God  for allowing my hands to show her love. We all have a gift and lucky are we who have discovered what gift was given to us to spread love in this world. I am thankful for my hands and I pray they continue to bless others for many years to come.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been smooth road. I have faced personal challenges along the way and many times have felt hopeless. How does one continue to work in the Wellness industry when one isn’t well? I’ve realized that my clients are human too and that if I focus on healing me while healing them in a way works out for the best. Setting an example for my three children drives me. I failed them and myself so many times through this journey that my goal at this point is to show them that we “Fall  seven times and stand up eight” like the Japanese proverb says. I have the support of my husband and parents and siblings at all times through this as well which is a blessing within itself. After reading The Alchemist I believe strongly that everything good and bad leads us to our Grand Plan in life and I pay attention to the signs. Signs are everywhere and I know I am supposed to be in this business as my part in giving back. A facial is so much more than applying a mask on someone’s face, it is spiritual and an exchange of energy.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a self-employed business in which I offer pampering ritualistic type facials, as well as body sculpting, vacuum therapy Bum lift and no needle lip filler. What sets my services apart from the others is that it’s my personal goal to achieve self-love through pampering. Even the services I offer for beauty is not about negative body image but more about enhancing the beauty you already possess and highlighting it.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I advice anyone to continue your education and continue to connect even through social media with others in your industry to bounce ideas off one another. Never know it all because that’s when you’ll begin to know nothing at all. Most importantly do all things with heart and  the rest will follow.