Inspiring Conversations with Jai Claire of Wax Gallerie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jai Claire.

Hi Jai, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a teenager, I spent most of my summers with my grandmother in Atlanta. At the time, I didn’t see the importance of having summer experiences because I wanted to stay in NJ with my school year friends. I learned so much from the interactions I would have with the women in the south, from how they walked, talked and dressed. I was always impressed to see the women in church on Sunday and what new hat they would have. By the time it was time for college, the south was the only option, so I attended South Carolina State University where I realized my passion was people and not classrooms. I had an amazing chance to meet some of the most creative, inspiring and driven people I had ever met in my life. My passion for people continued as I went off into the workforce. I became a flight attendant after I dropped out of college and that career truly changed my life. I met a woman on a flight to Boston who asked me “Is this what you always wanted to do?” And at the time, I responded Yes because I realized I never truly had a plan. After that day, the question replayed for a few months. Until one day, I decided to go after all of the things I had ever wanted. I moved back to Atlanta began working in nightlife and restaurants to save money to fund my dream of opening a wax salon.

Until the unexpected happens and my grandmother suddenly passes away. All the money I had saved I had to use to restart. After spending time with my family, I decided I needed to take control over my life and I moved to Philadelphia with a college roommate. After only ten months of being in Philadelphia, I was able to enroll in school and find a suite location. I continued to push through the self-doubt and the fear of failing with the mentality that even if I fail, I would always know what to do to get back up. When I first began waxing in Philadelphia, no one knew who I was, so I would take flyers everywhere and talk to at least 50 to 100 people a day. I was determined to be fully booked once I graduated from Esthetician school. As my clientele grew after graduation, my suite needed to grow. I quit my 9 to 5 and was able to make six figures my first year of being a solo esthetician. After trying 3 locations, I was able to open the first dog-friendly full body waxing salon in Philadelphia. Fast forward Wax Gallerie is now one of the top waxing salons in Philadelphia and now also carries my product line Vagina Science which sold out within the first week of sales. My goal is to continue help as many women as possible with all of their wax and feminine health needs.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I have experienced a lot of no’s and many comments to go into another industry because this is just a trend that won’t be around for long but I am proof that you can start from nothing with nothing and still achieve the goals that you set for yourself.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Wax Gallerie is a full body waxing salon in Philadelphia, PA, we help our clients on their journey to a positive relationship with their skin. Our service are created for everyone with hair. We are also the 1st dog-friendly salon in Philadelphia where you can bring your dog to get waxed with you. We are known for our 13 minutes or less Brazilian waxes. We also exclusively carry Vagina Science products, it is an organic feminine hygiene line that helps women manage ph levels and help with odor control. We partner with Vagina Science to provide menstrual products to the community for free. Our commitment is to change the way the world looks at hair removal as a painful and unnecessary service to a service that can help improve the way you look at your skin.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The thing I miss most about Atlanta and the reason we are happy to be expanding into Atlanta is the amount of connections you are able to make. Everyone is always so eager to help and share resources. The traffic is still my least favorite thing about Atlanta.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://linktr.ee/waxgallerie
• Instagram: @waxgallerie
• Twitter: waxgallerie