Students looking for beauty on a budget will find relief with Estetica St. Thomas’ recent price cuts.
Junior Annette Wangongu started coming to the salon only after it reduced prices on manicures. She said it’s convenient to have a service like this on campus.
“It was so expensive before, and we’re on a student budget,” Wangongu said. “Am I going to spend that money on groceries or come do my nails?”
The salon cut the price on manicures, which are 30-minute nail treatments, pedicures and men’s haircuts. Manicures are cut from $35 to $30, pedicures are cut from $25 to $20, and the salon will provide a $15 Men’s Clipper Cut.
Salon owner and alumnus Andrew Jurgens said Estetica St. Thomas is trying to appeal to a wider student audience with the “Beauty on a Budget” campaign.
“When St. Thomas approached us, they wanted a real high-end salon. Obviously those prices are pretty high-end for a lot of people,” Jurgens said. “So we thought if we offer a different kind of service that’s a less expensive, more affordable alternative for students and faculty, it would be a win-win for everybody.”
Jurgens said the decision behind “Beauty on a Budget” was not only to provide more affordable options, but to respect time commitments of students and faculty have as well.
“To have an hour (long) service, a lot of people just don’t have that much time. You don’t want to spend an hour in a chair,” Jurgens said. “But a half-hour pedicure, they can fit that into their schedule.”
With reduced times and prices, Jurgens said its drawing new customers to the salon. Customers seem to be pleased with the services, according to Jurgens.
Junior Unis Doeway, receptionist at Estetica St. Thomas, said she also noticed more students are coming in.
“Everybody’s coming in (saying) ‘I want a Tommie mani-pedi’ so it’s been going great so far,” Doeway said.
Freshman Nick Dahlen said the Men’s Clipper Cut is a reasonable price and would think about giving Estetica St. Thomas a try.
“When I go to get a trim at my normal (salon), it’s $30. It’s a good price for a trim up,” Dahlen said.
Sophomore Dan Saunders said he prefers a full haircut rather than a trim. If the salon lowered its prices on men’s haircuts, Saunders said he might consider going there but for now, it’s “way too expensive.”
“I choose to go home because it’s $10 cheaper,” Saunders said. “I’m not going to go there just for a trim.”
The salon hasn’t received any complaints about prices being too high for college students, but Jurgens said Estetica is constantly asking for feedback.
“We’ve been trying to listen to the students and what the needs are of the students and try to cater to their needs,” Jurgens said. “It’s a work in progress.”
Since opening in September last year, Jurgens said the only challenge for Estetica St. Thomas was during January Term this year.
“We had some feelings that would be the case because it’s a pretty quiet time for St. Thomas,” Jurgens said. “That led to us making a decision to close for the summer and for J-Term next year.”
Despite the salon closing for the summer and J-Term, Jurgens said he loves working at St. Thomas for the relationships he builds with customers.
“We think the students here are phenomenal,” Jurgens said. “(They are) great clients and great people to have.”
Bjorn Saterbak can be reached at sate3878@stthomas.edu.