Today we’d like to introduce you to Yulia Kiselev.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Yulia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Russia, and came to the US (Denver, CO) at the age of 21. Back in Russia I got my paralegal degree, and I knew that this was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Skin care, on the other hand, has always been my passion. I started the journey of becoming an esthetician and got my diploma right before coming to the US.
Turns out, my diploma was just a piece of paper here, especially since I didn’t speak any English! I took my time to go through the ESL (English as a Second Language) program, then Paramedical Skin Care School and finally got my esthetician license in the US. I was immediately hired by the upscale spa in downtown Denver, where I started working long and hard hours with no breaks, using products that didn’t produce any results. What I was passionate about became a burden.
I knew something had to change, and fast! I quit that job, found a small little spa and started working there. Client by client, I got my first clientele. However, shortly after, I got married and moved to LA. I had to begin all over again starting with my CA esthetician license.
In California, I was juggling my two beloved children, and continuing education in skin care while trying to find the perfect spa to work at. I worked at big spas, small spas and dermatologists’ office. I always knew I wanted my own place someday to make difference in people’s lives, help them feel confident and outline the beauty they already have. I really wanted to make spa services more affordable and available to everyone, it was very important to me. What I didn’t know is how and when.
The very last place of my employment became a blessing beyond any words you can express. The owner treated us – employees, like close friends and family. This wonderful person, Kathy Zielinski, made owning a spa look like a joyful experience, where our clients were becoming our friends!
The spa got sold, I knew it would be hard to find a place like that again and the desire to have my own spot became even stronger. It took a few years and working from home. Little by little, I got everything I needed to be able to have my own room. I found Sola Salon Studios located in Cypress, through my close friend.
The place was under heavy construction and didn’t even have walls or a floor, but as I was standing in that little outlined square – my very own future room – my heart was happily skipping beats. I instantly knew, this was it!
I rented a studio from Sola and started working on the very first day it opened its doors – November 7th 2016. Now I am able to work the hours I can, use best products I love that produce best results, and, most importantly, meet and help people. It is a good inner feeling when you make the difference in people’s lives one client at a time, one wrinkle less deep, one scar less visible, one acne breakout less inflamed.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a long road, and it has not always been smooth. My biggest worry was that having my own business will affect and cut back the amount of time I could spend with my children. What if I will get so busy that they will feel like I never have time for them anymore? But being busy is good, right? Or not? Will my family benefit from possible extra income or suffer from Mom who is never home?
Being able to work around my girls’ school schedule, going back and forth, sometimes twice a day to work and back to school or home is not easy. But the support and help my family graciously gives me is tremendous. For example, my mother-in-law agreed and committed to pick up the girls from school once a week, so I can work late hours.
Or, I was seriously terrified that I will miss some fine print in legal documents, like licenses and permits, and will never be able to open my place. That’s the area I wouldn’t be able to cover without my husband, whose patience and love supports me through it all. Which credit card company should I go with? When is my license due? Why is my laptop so slow? Where do I start with filing taxes? These things are endless and easily make me feel overwhelmed, but to my hubby it’s a piece of cake!
Also, my girls instead of being selfish and demanding, helped so much and participated in picking the right colors for the place and came up with the very name of my business! Don’t you just love it? Poppy Petal Spa – sounds pretty perfect to me 🙂 And finding the right pieces of furniture and decorating the place, wouldn’t be possible without my precious parents, who came to help from out of state.
Please tell us about Poppy Petal Spa.
At Poppy Petal Spa you can be sure to find something that will suit your needs: custom tailored facials, collagen induction therapy, anti-aging and acne treatments, relaxing masks and peels, LED light therapy, body sculpting treatments, eyelash extensions and waxing. You can count on these services to help your skin to move towards its best and smoothest condition.
I specialize in anti-aging treatments, and to be honest, I am proud of all the services provided at Poppy Petal Spa: I love doing facials just as much as bringing someone’s eyebrows back into shape with little wax and my tweezers. My goal is to help people. It is an extreme privilege when someone trusts you enough to let you touch their skin, because ultimately you touch their life. I feel tremendously blessed doing what I do.
What sets me apart is the desire to make cutting edge, latest treatments and procedures available not only to someone who can afford to go to the upscale salons and spas, but to that hardworking single mom, who dreams of having those eyelash extensions, or that teenager, who’s acne scars are way deeper than they look, and his confidence is crushed. Or maybe it’s someone who feels awfully aged because wrinkles seem to be creeping up overnight, and they think the only way out is to take a loan and have a plastic surgery done. Never forget that there’s beauty in every season of our lives. As there’s beauty in all of us – let me outline YOURS.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely, I feel like LA is a great city for skin care businesses. All the latest trends and techniques seem to blossom and thrive here. But, it also means a lot of competition, and I mean a LOT. Every strip mall seems like it has a spa or two. If you’re deciding to start this business, be ready for slow days and possibly weeks when you might not make your rent. But do your very best with each and every client. If you set yourself apart by quality of services you offer, you will make it. Just give it time to grow.
Also, remember, that in LA a lot of people feel like they have to look perfect. Having Hollywood and all the beautiful movie stars close by can put quite a bit of pressure on people and make them feel like they are not pretty enough, or skinny enough, or fit enough. If you are in this business, help people by bringing their confidence back up and focus on serving them. They trusted you with their skin – never get used to that, and always appreciate their trust and time.
Contact Info:
- Address: Sola Salon Studios
Poppy Petal Spa
6887 Katella Ave, Studio #44
Cypress, CA 90630 - Website: PoppyPetalSpa.com
- Phone: 714-404-7373
- Instagram: @poppy.petal.spa
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/poppypetalspa/?src=email_notif
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/poppy-petal-spa-cypress-2?uid=8oax1yZFjianoHGVnP-faw&utm_source=ashare&utm_campaign=direct_share&ref=yelp-android
- Other: https://www.solasalonstudios.com/salon-professional/yulia-poppy-petal-spa
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
