Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Salazar.
Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
the story behind Sugar Society.
I found myself in the beautiful forested city of Portland Oregon in my early 20’s, away from home in San Francisco, I was unsure of what to do with my life. I tried many things as a possible career path, but nothing really resonated until I found Aveda Institute PDX.
I fell in love with hair removal and skincare, and this ignited my path to entrepreneurship.
At that time, sugaring was still a relatively unfamiliar service in the U.S. — only a handful of practitioners offered it. I felt an undeniable calling to this ancient technique. After honing my skills as a waxing, sugaring, and spray tanning specialist, I knew it was time to take a leap of faith and venture out on my own. In late 2012, amidst a challenging period in my life, Sugar Society SF was born.
I felt uncertain about how to start my journey as an entrepreneur, especially as earlier that year, leading up to the opening of Sugar Society, my father faced serious health challenges. I spent countless days by his side in the ICU, where we treasured our conversations about my dreams and ambitions, fully aware of how precious our time together was. The fear of venturing into the unknown world of business weighed heavily on me. Yet, my dad’s encouraging words resonated in my heart: “Who cares if you fail? Try it. If it doesn’t work, you’ll try again.” It was his unwavering belief in me that inspired me to take the leap and turn my dream into reality. I opened my 1st beauty studio just two months after his passing.
Starting in a small one-room beauty studio in San Francisco, I quickly grew my business and transitioned to a larger, vibrant three-treatment-room storefront. During this exhilarating time in San Francisco, when the tech boom brought newfound wealth to the beauty industry, Sugar Society flourished as a place where clients could experience luxurious, elevated beauty treatments.
Through trial and error, I created an innovative approach to services that had previously been known as fast and mundane, to more luxurious; leveling them up by implementing skincare theories, practices and ingredients into hair removal services and spray tanning. Sugar Society focuses on effective, more luxurious, clean beauty treatments to elevate the old school, run-of-mill services we once had. No longer did clients have a regular spray tan or wax. They received a treatment that included a mask, hydration serum and infused with tons of skin loving ingredients.
Sugar Society established a strong following and a 6 room beauty studio with 7 employees, we were at the height of the industry.
In 2020 Covid hit San Francisco hard, and I was forced to close the doors of my beautiful salon, and I had no idea how to move on or make any money. We were not allowed to work at all. It was complete devastation, not only for me and my team, but the beauty industry as a whole.
During this time of closure, i decided to work on my health. I had minor stomach aches consistently for a while but previous Doctors never felt anything was wrong.
Because I had the time off work, I explored this further.
As a last resort I went for a CT scan appointment and my insurance that I paid out of pocket for didn’t approve the procedure. So I thought to myself, “well I’m young and feel healthy overall so I’ll just leave.”
However as I was leaving a voice in my head said don’t leave get the scan done. I was halfway out of the hospital and I turned around. I went back to the reception and had them try to get the procedure approved again and it was. A week and a half later I was being told I had kidney cancer. I had an 8.5 mm mass taking over my kidney and it needed to be removed right away- it was on the brink of metastasizing. I asked my surgeon when the surgery would take place- “maybe in a month or so?” He looked me dead in the eye, asked me “do you want to live?”
So I had my right kidney completely removed that week.
I spent the rest of Covid recovering and thinking about how I was going to reopen Sugar Society. I was gifted a second chance, and I knew that I had to reopen no matter what! Sugar Society was my living creation and I was determined to see it thriving again.
As soon as I received the green light to leave bed rest, the city coincidentally reopened its doors the very next day. The timing felt surreal, as if the universe had orchestrated these events in the most extraordinary way. I stepped out of bed and immediately began scouting for new locations, driven by a renewed sense of purpose and determination. I rediscovered a charming Victorian flat that had captured my heart months earlier, and in that moment, it felt like serendipity — like it was meant to be.
For the following week and a half, I poured my heart and soul into transforming this new space, dedicating every ounce of effort to ensure the salon could reopen. It was both exhilarating and exhausting, but I was fueled by a passion to rebuild what I had lost. Today, we proudly call affluent Fillmore Street our home, a renowned shopping destination where Sugar Society has thrived since 2021. This journey has been a testament to resilience, and it’s incredible to reflect on the dedication and tenacity it took to navigate through such tumultuous times, both personally and professionally.
After several iterations of Sugar Society over the years, I felt a deep yearning for a fresh adventure — a new project that would ignite my creativity. This sense of exploration led me to St. Petersburg, Florida, where I opened two beautifully designed rooms for sugaring and spray tanning downtown. Each space is thoughtfully crafted to provide a welcoming atmosphere where clients can escape, unwind, and indulge in top-notch beauty treatments.
St. Petersburg has truly captivated me with its stunning beaches, charming neighborhoods, and vibrant culture. I’m excited to immerse myself in this growing community and make a positive impact. In this exciting new chapter, I’m bringing unique services that are fresh to the beauty scene in St. Petersburg, offering treatments unlike anything currently available in the area.
My goal is to create a fun, uplifting environment where women can experience beauty treatments that go beyond the ordinary. I envision hosting Happy Hours at the salon, collaborating with local business owners for community events, and organizing themed parties to celebrate our clients. This journey is all about fostering connection and joy, ensuring that every visit feels like a delightful experience. I can’t wait to see how Sugar Society thrives in this beautiful city, bringing women together in a spirit of community and empowerment!
As I approach five years since my cancer diagnosis, I reflect on how fortunate I am to share this story. It’s a testament to resilience, love, and the belief that we can create beauty, no matter the obstacles we face. I’m excited for what’s ahead and ready to make a lasting impact in the wonderful community of St Petersburg
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle was going through Covid and testing my strength to keep going. Owning a business is never easy. I’ve gone through many difficulties over the years: I had an employee steal my business, she copied everything from my menu to my website and all the intellectual property.
Finding spaces, dealing with landlords, dealing with red tape from the city. It’s all bumpy, but you if you love it, that all fades away.
I think if it were easy, you might be doing something wrong, lol.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Sugar Society specializes in sugaring and skincare infused spray tanning.
Sugaring is an all natural method of hair removal, not body scrubbing like some would think, haha. It’s an ancient technique removing the hair from the root similarly to wax. However it’s less damaging to the skin, more gentle, and lasts longer. Its simple natural ingredients are: sugar, water, and lemon juice. My goal is to teach women in the Tampa bay community more about the benefit of sugaring and why it’s safer and healthier and more eco friendly.
We also offer revolutionary spray tan solutions. Our spray tans are done by hand, and custom blended just for the each client. They are packed with orchid stem cells, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E & C to name a few. Sugar Society’s treatments are fresh, and innovative. We are currently implementing Pro Cell Therapy- a stem cell micro channeling system that can be used on the face for anti inflammatory, anti aging, and scaring. It can also be used on the body for stretch marks, and scars. We are super excited to bring this unique blend treatments to St Petersburg. We’re doing something different here.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I love this question about risk-taking! For me, analyzing risk is all about trusting my intuition. I believe in taking a moment to stay quiet and listen to that inner voice, and it usually leads me in the right direction.
When I decided to expand into a bigger space, everyone around me said it was too soon. But deep down, I just knew it was the right move. That gut feeling pushed me to take the leap, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I could’ve made!
And then there was the big decision to move to St. Petersburg — talk about a leap of faith! I knew it would take a bit of education to introduce the community to sugaring, a service that wasn’t widely known here yet. But I had seen how it paid off in San Francisco, so I was confident that bringing something fresh to the beauty scene could have a positive impact. Embracing these risks has led to some amazing opportunities, and I genuinely believe that listening to ourselves can guide us on the right path. So here’s to trusting our instincts and savoring the wild ride of entrepreneurship!
Pricing:
- Lux Custom Spray Tan- $76 – 30min
- Bridal Tan – $90 – $30min
- Bridal Party!!! – $350 -up to 6 guests + champagne – 2 hours
- Sugar Brazilian + Anti Aging Vajacial – $105
- Sugar French Bikini – $65. + Pro Cell Stem cell Therapy -$139 for ingrown hairs on the bikini line
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sugarsocietybeauty.com
- Instagram: @sugarsocietybeauty
Image Credits
Kristin Rose Photography
@kristinrosephotography
