LOVE THE SKIN YOU’RE IN!
R3 Sugar Spa elevates the art of body sugaring
If you thought that frequent shaving or waxing were the only options for removing unwanted body hair, R3 Sugar Spa wants to open your eyes to the advantages of body sugaring. The Saskatoon salon is the Canadian prairies’ authorized distributor and educator for Alexandria Professional® (AP) body sugaring products.
Salon co-owner Karen Kobussen says that Alexandria Professional is the global pioneer of professional body sugaring. The company’s innovative molecular sugaring process and products are patented and trademarked, and embraced by beauty professionals around the world. Company founder Lina Kennedy not only created a line of superior professional grade sugaring products, AP has developed an acclaimed training program to educate practitioners in the art of advanced body sugaring.
Karen first discovered sugaring over a decade ago while working in Regina. “I have an extreme issue with ingrown hair development and shaving always left my skin raw and irritated. A friend recommended I try sugaring and called her practitioner. It was an Alexandria Professional salon. I was hooked after the first treatment.”
Upon moving back to Saskatoon, she was referred to Lori Pressacco, who has been an AP educator since 2006. She is the only certified Executive Educator with Alexandria Professional in Saskatchewan.
“I was a regular client of Lori’s for years. In the meantime, my daughter Brienne moved back to Saskatoon from Calgary and was looking to establish herself in a career. She decided to train with Lori and learn the art of sugar- ing. Over the past four years, Brienne has really perfected her skills as a practitioner and is now a certified AP educator,” says Karen.
In 2013, the three women joined forces to open R3 Sugar Salon and Spa, located at #3 – 630 Second Avenue North, just north of Earl’s Restaurant. “We started the salon as a full-service hair salon and spa. But we have come to the realization that because sugaring is such a fantastic option to other methods of hair removal, it’s the aspect of the business that we really needed to expand. We want to elevate the sugaring profession in Saskatchewan,” says Karen.
Why sugar? “Sugaring is eco-friendly. Our product is allnatural, safe and skin-friendly. The ingredients are sugar, water and lemon juice, so it’s non-toxic, vegan and even edible,” says Brienne.
In comparison, wax hair removal products are formulated from petroleum- and chemicalbased resins which stick to the skin’s surface. Hair is removed by yanking the hair away against the natural direction of growth, a process which can be quite painful.
With AP’s sugaring method, hair is removed in the natural direction of the hair growth. “The sugar paste is warmed just enough to be pliable. When it’s applied, it quickly adjusts to the temperature of your skin. There’s no risk of burning sensitive skin areas,” says Karen.
After the sugar paste has been applied it seeps into the hair follicles, lubricating the hair root for easier extraction. The result is a more comfortable hair removal experience, ideal for all hair colours, textures and skin types.
“Alexandria has five different textures of sugar paste, allowing us to meet each client’s individual needs. Knowing about the different hair and skin types and which sugaring product will work the best is an important part of our training,” says Brienne.
Each sugaring treatment at R3 includes before and after skin care, using AP’s Full Circle skin conditioners.
“Sugaring is so gentle on the skin that it’s even an option for women with diabetes. We have parents with girls in dance, gymnastics, swimming and cheer squad who are bringing their kids in for sugaring. The girls leave here so happy!” says Brienne.
More men are also discovering sugaring. “Our male clientele has grown quite a bit. We’re getting the word out and men are becoming more aware of the advantages of sugaring,” says Brienne.
R3 Sugar Spa offers a full menu of services, including facial sugaring, (brow, lip to full face); body sugaring including arms, legs, chest and back; and intimate areas including the bikini line.
“After your first body sugaring treatment, when hair grows back, it’s softer and sparser. By about the third treatment, hair regrowth is greatly diminished,” says Brienne.
“Depending on the individual, clients usually schedule return visits every three to four weeks,” says Karen.
When scheduling a treatment, Brienne advises that optimum hair length is about an eighth of an inch. “We try to educate all of our new clients to come to us five to seven days after shaving. I can do underarms probably about three days after shaving,” says Brienne.
R3 Sugar Spa is the authorized training centre for Alexandria Professional practitioners for the Canadian Prairies region.
“Our current focus is business-to-business, working with other salons who want to start offering sugaring to their clients,” says Brienne.
R3 Sugar Spa’s intensive twoday AP training program is open to beauty professionals, including stylists, estheticians, nail or lash technicians. The AP classes cover the provincial government’s pre-requisite training modules, including salon sanitization and safety and client relationship management.
Classes are held on Sundays, meaning beauty professionals don’t have to take time off work to enhance their skills.
“We have two full days of inclass training, with our educators Lori and Brienne. At the end of the two-day training sessions, all the participants leave here excited and motivated to bring sugaring to their clients,” says Karen.
“Classes are a maximum of six people. We keep the classes small to ensure we can dedicate a lot of one-on-one time with our students, so they can perfect their techniques,” says Brienne.
“There’s also a lot of follow-up training and ongoing education from Alexandria Professionals for our practitioners. The level of support is incredible,” says Karen.
Lina Kennedy, founder of Alexandria Professionals, will be in Saskatoon to attend the “Sweet Soiree” hosted in June by R3 Sugar Spa and Salon. It’s a chance for the public to meet Kennedy, who will also teach several AP Master Classes to industry professionals. Watch R3’s website (r3salonandspa.com) and Facebook page for more details.