Meet Michelle Laraine | Master stylist and salon owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Laraine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always been artistic from a young age. And I took my artistic ability to working on a live canvas, such as hair. I truly love and I am passionate with what I do, it’s just a bonus I get paid to do it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am not only a stylist I am a business owner. I own and operate a salon suite in Westminster, CO, Salon Mysa.

The salon name Mysa comes from a Swedish word, It involves being relaxed, taking time out from stress and musts, being in the moment, enjoying it with all your senses.
Self care shouldn’t be a chore. I bring a calming place to just relax in and enjoying the moment of self care.
One of my favorite things that I do bring to the salon is a natural based color line that uses organically certified ingredients. I have many guests who have many allergies and this specific color line allows them to continue to have color services done without compromising their health.
My continued education for my craft has also allowed me to become well rounded in specific areas that I specialize in that let’s me become a better stylist for my guests.
Being my own boss and running my own salon suite has been a lot of hard work. In the beginning it was scary for it was a huge financial risk for me. So many questions weighed in me, like do I have the clientele to support this? Will I be able to grow my clientele not working in a big salon? Do I have the finances to back this up or to even get it started? Am I smart enough to run my own business? There were so many way ifs, but I wasn’t going to know unless I tried. The first year was rough, Educating myself in the business sense of overhead, insurance, marketing, taxes ,etc. i’m always reminded of a quote in the movie Field of Dreams “if you build it they will come” and I used that and changed it up with “if you will it, it will happen”. One thing I learned was to never stop asking questions or for help. I networked with other business owners, asking them questions what worked for them what didn’t and applied it to my business. Some thing worked others didn’t but from there I just kept learning and growing.
I went from living paycheck to paycheck to living comfortably and traveling and now getting ready to buy my first home and preparing my daughter for college. But the true blessing in all of this was showing my daughter that even when the odds were against me it didn’t stop me from achieving my goals and then some.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well I would show them the town of Golden it’s where I grew up and still live by. Take them to Woodys pizza (yum) if they were interested I’d take them in the Coors tour. A must would be Redrocks wether it was for a show or just hiking around it’s a beautiful place and a must see. I love the outdoors so I’d love to show them our beautiful mountain spots check out the Indian hot springs in Idaho springs. Estes with a Stanley hotel tour. Places to eat that’s a tough one I love all sorts of foods and I really enjoy the small family owned business the atmosphere is always good and the food is delicious. One of my favorite spots is in Olde town Arvada, School House Kitchen and Libations. Food is always good and a plethora of whisky to choose from! Then go to my favorite karaoke spot Park Center Lounge and sing our hearts out. To be fair I’m one of those people who likes to plan just a few things but I like the adventure of just exploring and figuring out what the day has in store for us not necessarily planning anything but just seeing what arises in finding new spots in areas to just check out. I’ve lived in Colorado for 35 years and still haven’t explored everything that this amazing state has to offer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My number one cheerleader has always been my daughter Emerson. As a single mother there were a lot of struggles. Finding a work life balance was one of them as well as making sure we were financially secure . When I decided to pursue my passion for hair it was a lot of hard work and determinations, to be better to do better not only for me but to show my daughter what one is capable of. In doing this I have come across many amazing individuals who have inspired me to better enhance my craft. Continuing my education is huge, one should never stop learning.

Website: Salonmysa.glossgenius.com

Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/salonmysastudio/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/salonmysastudio/

Image Credits
Amanda Eubank