Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Jagow.
Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
The Wanderlust Esthetician started out as my senior project back in beauty school. After graduation, I tucked that project away as a pipe dream and went to work for a spa. It wasn’t until the Covid shutdown that I really started to think about it again. I googled how to write a business plan and stayed up until 4 am working on it. My mom was the first person I presented it to. It was then that I really started to tell myself that this was absolutely something I could do. The first thing I purchased was a business card holder, and I cried all the way home. In January of 2021, I was able to officially open The Wanderlust Esthetician. Here we are, almost seven months later and sometimes I still can’t believe that I did it.
Alright, 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?
I have definitely had my ups and downs. Figuring out funding was my first obstacle. I had the vision, but making it a reality was a monumental task. At the end of the day, it was absolutely worth it. I’m forever grateful to those who have supported me along the way and continue to support me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I remember watching my mom get ready for work in the mornings as a child, admiring all of the beautiful bottles, lotions, and potions she would use. She would give me her empty product bottles to “use” with her. We would get ready together in the mornings. This is where my love of skincare started, prompting me to go to become a Licensed Esthetician.
After attending school for Esthetics, I knew that wherever I went I wanted my treatment room to be an inclusive, safe space for everyone, no matter what skin type or condition they had, no matter their gender identity, race, religion, or previous knowledge of skincare. I had to create something for everyone that walked through the door.
In school, we spent a lot of time working on each other, getting facials every two weeks, so we all had flawless skin. My class also wasn’t very diverse, it was a lot of the same skin type and tone over and over. That created an unrealistic learning environment- where were the people with adult acne, with PCOS, those using Accutane later in life, with darker skin, etc.? This led me to seek additional training in these areas because I knew that wouldn’t be a reality outside of school. I received training in multi-cultural skincare, oncology esthetics, adult acne, and hormonal changes + the skin. I believe this is what really sets me apart from others in my field.
What matters most to you? Why?
At the end of the day, the most important thing to me as an Esthetician is to help people love their skin. This has always been what matters most, and I don’t ever see that changing.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.vagaro.com/thewanderlustesthetician
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewanderlustesthetician
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/thewanderlustesthetician
