Kiger's Notebook

New salon concept ready to launch in south Rochester

A new twist on hair salons is ready to roll into south Rochester.

Austin and Kari Lucas are setting up a Sola Salon Studios franchise in 5,200 square feet of space in Shoppes on Maine. Sola Salon is taking most of the strip of empty spots along the north side of the complex that houses MGM Liquors and the former Best Buy store.

The concept is more like a mall than a traditional beauty salon. It will be a collection of 26 private studios that will be available for lease by licensed stylists and professionals in related fields. Three sizes of models will be available.

"We're not in the salon business," explained Austin Lucas. "We're in the business of putting people into business."

Each studio is its own independent operation with its own name, retail products, prices and hours.

"They keep all of the money. They can start their own salon without any of the usual headaches of starting a business," he said. "This is several steps further than stylists renting a chair, like you see in many salons."

If everything goes as planned, construction should begin soon. The hope is to have the studios ready for tenants by early to mid-summer.

Besides a space, Sola Salon provides the hydraulic chairs, sinks and whatever other basic equipment that is needed.

Access to the studios is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That allows the tenants to be open when they want to work.

Three Sola Salon Studios are open in the Twin Cities, and two others are under construction. This will be the first one outside of the metro area.

Spa spin-off is open after extreme makeover

Essence Med Spa, a spin-off of the original Essence Skin Clinic, is open for business in downtown Rochester at 23 Second St. S.W. in the former Odd Fellows building.

While construction crews are still putting the final finishing touches on the massive renovation project, owner Jennifer Sanneman opened the new Essence last week at corner of Second Street and First Avenue S.W.That's the spot by the legendary Eagle Drug Store, where Think Mutual Savings Bank used to have a branch.

Essence offers services such as permanent cosmetics, laser hair removal, chemical peels, liposuction, one-hour "face lifts," tattoo removal, Botox and other skin-related treatments.

Though it is only few blocks away from the first Essence, this location will allow Sanneman and her staff to better serve Mayo Clinic employees and patients as well as others who work downtown, she says.

 The plan is to focus on less invasive services, such as Botox, filler, facials and massages at the Med Spa. The more intensive and time-consuming procedures, like liposuction and skin re-surfacing, will be the emphasis at the original Broadway clinic.

During an earlier interview, she said, "It's just better to have two. We really love this space."

Rochester gains new weight loss center

A new option for people looking to lose weight will soon launch in Rochester.

Look for a Medifast Weight Loss Center to open its doors on July 16 at 2048 Superior Drive N.W., next to Home Federal Savings Bank, says Emily Gausman.

The Medifast program focuses on healthy eating and one-on-one counseling.

Owner Minnesota Weight Control Inc. already has six Medifast centers in the Twin Cities and one in Eau Claire, Wis.

So why open one in Rochester?

"It was just a natural progression from the Cities," says Gausman, of Cuneo Advertising, which represents Minnesota Weight Control.

Expect six to eight people to work in the 2,500-square-foot center, she says. Plenty of staff and room is needed to provide clients with one-on-one counseling.

This is the weight loss place that my esteemed colleague, The Answer Man, wrote about in May in response to a reader's question.

He was first to track this project, and he beat me to the punch with the first bad pun about it.

"Some dieters can hardly weight," he wrote.

I'd say that was on the same scale as a Kiger joke.

Maplewood Square nails down new tenant

A new business has nailed down a spot in the Maplewood Square shopping center in northwest Rochester.

Construction is under way to transform a 2,000-square-foot space there into a new nail salon.

Its name is still a bit up in the air, but its owner, Linda Thai, hopes to call it Diamond Nails or something similar. She hopes to open her new shop by this spring.

This is not a new industry for Thai. She has worked at her husband's Rochester salon, Lucky Nails, for many years. That business is on South Broadway, where it re-located after being displaced by a fire in the Crossroads Plaza commercial center a few years ago.

"I've been in the business a long time," Thai says. "I really enjoy it. I'm expanding, because of the following I have from my loyal customers."

Look for her new shop to offer a full range of nail services.

Including herself, she expects to have about five people on staff when the salon opens.

Maplewood, which is owned by IRET and anchored by Hobby Lobby and Ashley Furniture, also has another new tenant building out space.

Signs recently went up for National American University, which hopes to offer classes there this spring. The South Dakota-based private university offers associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs in health care and business. It has 34 campuses in the Midwest, with five in Minnesota.

If everything goes as planned, Rochester will be its first campus in Minnesota outside of the Twin Cities area.

Eclipsed tanning salon to rise and shine again

Here's one part of my tease about two businesses with changes "heating up" in Rochester.

Look for the whole column in today's print edition.

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While it has been eclipsed for about eight months, a north Rochester location of a local tanning salon chain is on the rise.

Look for Sun Place Tanning to re-open its salon at 4200 U.S. 52 North by the end of December. That will bring the Sun Place back to the full strength — three Rochester locations — it had before they all closed in March.

In April, Jennie and Geno Rebellato acquired the business and re-opened the salons in the Crossroads Shopping Center and on Wellner Drive Northeast next to Andy's Liquor.

And now it is time for the third one to heat up again.

"Customers have been asking about it. It's time to bring it back," says Jennie Rebellato.

She says the revived U.S. 52 North salon will have 17 tanning units, bringing Sun Place's total tanning units to 47.

Soap shop news bubbling up

I've been in a lather trying to clean up my act lately, but all of the scrubbing around for news has been a wash so far.

Word has been floated to me that two home-made soap stores are expected to surface in the area soon.

One is getting ready to make a splash in the Kahler Hotel subway in the Med City's downtown.

The other is preparing to freshen things up in a small community east of Rochester.

I should have more details while the news is still as hot as a fresh bath.

Beauty boutique + Roch. Athletic Club = 2nd location

A downtown makeup boutique is adding a second location inside a Rochester health club to bring health and beauty services together.

About Face, which has sold beauty products and provided makeovers on First Avenue Southwest since 2007, is opening a new satellite shop inside the Rochester Athletic Club, 3100 19th St. N.W.

It is adding some new services — manicures, pedicures and brow shaping — to this new shop that are not available at the original boutique, says About Face owner Michelle Kalina.

However, it will also offer the same selection of cosmetics products and services that the downtown store does.

The plan is to open this second store in mid-November next to ActivePT, near the front entrance of the RAC, Kalina says.

“With our roots in Rochester, our customers have been asking us to open a location outside of the downtown for years and I have been wishing I could get a manicure while the kids were checked in at child care at the RAC," says Kalina of why she is launching this new project.

This About Face project is the latest local partnership for the Rochester Athletic Club. In early 2010, Joan Ward moved her ActivePT clinic into the RAC.

  "Having About Face as a tenant is a huge plus for us, not to mention the synergy with the RAC Cafe and The TOP RAC sport shop," says Greg Lappin, the RAC's general manager.

Kalina says this new About Face boutique will be open for both RAC members and non-members. However, members of the athletic club will be about to charge purchases and services to their RAC accounts, if they wish.

She expects to start out with about three on staff at RAC location. The downtown About Face has five employees.

Popular kids salon closes its doors

Here's one I've had many parents ask me about this week.

A popular hair salon closed up shop this week after three years of cutting and styling children's hair in Rochester.

Little Dudes N Divas Salon, owned by Erik and Karen Kleven, abruptly closed its location at 3270 19th St. N.W. in the 19th Street Business Park.

On Wednesday, this message was posted on the salon's Facebook page:
"Little Dudes and Divas is sadly saying good-bye. We will miss you all. Thank you for your support over the years."

The Klevens were not available for further comment.

3rd Barbershop starts clipping

Here's quick snippet.

The third Rochester location of The Barbershop — A Hair Salon for Men is open and clipping.

 This new salon is in the Valhalla Plaza shopping center in the 300 block of Elton Hills Drive Northwest.

The new shop has seven stylist stations. Each station has its own TV with a remote control for each customer. While they are waiting for their cuts, customers can snack on peanuts in the shell, recreating the flavor of classic barber shops from the past.

Arlie Allen along with business partners, Paul and Leah Leisen, own all three locations.

The Kasson trio opened their first Med City shop in 2008 near Walmart North and Gander Mountain. A couple months later, a second one opened in southwest Rochester near CiCi's Pizza and Kohl's.

"Since our north location is turning away customers, we thought this would be a good place to be," says Allen.

New Barbershop shaping up

Looks like the third Rochester location of The Barbershop — A Hair Salon for Men is shaping up.

Arlie Allen along with business partners, Paul and Leah Leisen, own all three locations. The Kasson trio opened their first Med City shop in 2008 near Wal-Mart North and Gander Mountain.

A couple months later, a second one opened in southwest Rochester near CiCi's Pizza and Kohl's.

"Since our north location is turning away customers, we thought this would be a good place to be," says Allen.

The new shop will have seven stations, like the south location. Each station has its own TV with a remote control for each customer. While they are waiting for their cuts, customers can snack on peanuts in the shell, recreating the flavor of classic barber shops from the past.