Too often, going to the salon can feel like just another chore. Add it to the list with a dentist appointment, getting an oil change and doing the laundry, and it can feel annoying and overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a tried-and-true stylist you can trust.
Two lake-area salons and stylists are aiming to change that, with revamped spaces and renewed mindsets about what’s most important—you. Read on to find out how you can capitalize on their fresh approach to beauty, and get a restart yourself.
(Susan Eyton // SuzE Cosmetics)
A New Focus
Truly great hairstyles are flattering and manageable, yet finding experienced hands to produce them can be like pulling teeth. Dori Molitor found the right set of hands for her hair about nine years ago. “I am the owner of a marketing firm, and I needed a good haircut,” says Molitor. “I have thick hair and I want a fashionable style that looks professional and trendy.”
A friend referred her to Susan Eyton, who was located in downtown Wayzata on Lake Street at the time, and Molitor has been a devoted client ever since. “My first haircut was the best haircut I’ve ever had,” says Molitor. “I said it then, and I’ll say it now: It was an amazing cut, and I knew then I’d found my person.”
After working in the beauty business for more than 30 years, Eyton has many devoted clients. “I have always loved beauty and fashion,” says Eyton. “It has always been my thing.” She discovered back in high school that she had a knack for helping friends find their look and style. “Sometimes something so simple makes such a big difference,” she says.
Eyton has worked in Edina and Wayzata, and recently relocated to a unique facility in Minnetonka. E Salon, inside Salon Concepts, has several locations in the Twin Cities area, allowing individual stylists to own, decorate and operate their own suites. “I almost feel like I’m in a sorority here,” says Eyton. “Everyone is in such a good mood, and you are very much in control of your own space.”
The move has allowed Eyton to refocus on her clients. “I am starting fresh, and now my clients say, ‘I get all of you,’ ” she says. “There’s a fun buzz here, but when clients walk through my door, it’s just them and me. I think I’m doing better work because I’m solely concentrating on the person in the chair.”
Eyton might have moved spaces, but she brought along her knowledge and collection of products, too. A self-described “product junkie,” Eyton not only carries a variety of hair and beauty products, but also sells her own line, SuzE Cosmetics. “I love makeup and I love working with makeup,” she says.
Her line includes tinted moisturizer with sunscreen plus products for lips and eyes. She launched the mineral-based line nine years ago and is currently exploring options for selling SuzE Cosmetics online. “My motto is, ‘Makeup wakes up a woman’s face,’ ” says Eyton. “You perform better if you are put together.”
Helping people achieve the right look and that satisfied smile when they do is what keeps Eyton inspired about the competitive and ever-changing beauty business. “I have such a positive job,” she says. “I make people feel better all the time and that is so rewarding. Isn’t the world a better place when people are happy?”
(Kassandra Kuehl // Beauty Ecoloy Orcanic Salon)
A New Approach
This summer, when Kassandra Kuehl’s rebranded salon opened in Wayzata as Beauty Ecology Organic Salon, it introduced a new, well-thought-out approach to the community. “We call it a new way of beauty,” says Kuehl, whom clients call Kassie. “We have a different lens as we look at beauty, with a functional medicine point of reference. Ultimately, we want you to be healthy and well, and for us to be part of the solution.”
Ten years ago, Kuehl started studying functional medicine and noticed her own health issues. “I was always very busy, but I was going home sick and having headaches,” remembers Kuehl. She wondered if her symptoms were tied to the chemicals in the products she was using. “I knew that if there was a better way for the hair and beauty industry, I would find it and provide it for my clients,” she says. “We see the value in personalization and customization.”
So Kuehl embarked on a multifaceted discovery process to seek out organic products as well as develop her own line. She wanted to bring clarity to a market oversaturated with so-called “natural” beauty options that weren’t always effective. Plus, what works for one client might not be the best option for another. “We provide our clients with a personalized, zero-ammonia, enzyme therapy plus hand-blended conditioning treatment, and chemical-free alternative options to conventional hair color services,” says Kuehl. “We bring ease, clarity and informed beauty resources.”
Besides hair services, Beauty Ecology also provides custom facials and a blending bar where clients can have monthly or seasonal anti-aging facial masks created for home-spa use. For Kuehl’s own line, she plans to release 50 new, natural and organic products for hair, skin and body that follow a “seed, sea, stem and sky philosophy,” says Kuehl. “We are not a dowdy alternative. We are a high-end, functional alternative to keep your skin and hair healthy. Making safe, effective and [beautifully] scented beauty products is like crafting a great wine—it involves nature, science, experience and talent.”
To add to Kuehl’s new direction in products and service, Lake Minnetonka and downtown Wayzata seemed like the perfect place for her revamped business. Formerly located in Edina, Kuehl had a growing clientele in the lake region and knew she could attract others. “We saw the benefits of being in a great area where there’s a lot of walk-by traffic, plus it gets us back to those elements reflected in our products,” says Kuehl. “Organic is here to stay.”
Top Reasons to Incorporate the Sea Into Your Beauty Regime
Kassandra Kuehl, owner of Beauty Ecology Organic Salon, says the ocean is nature’s ultimate beautifier. “When used in hair products, algae and sea minerals hydrate and add shine to the hair while also treating the scalp for healthy hair growth.” Kuehl utilizes oceanic elements in many of her hair care and skin care products. Here are her top reasons to start adding them to your routine.
1. Sea water has the ability to activate the body’s healing mechanism and boost the immune system by assisting the opening of skin pores to allow deeper penetration of skin benefits, while helping the body expel harmful toxins.
2. With vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids, sea water helps restore balance to skin’s pH and moisture levels.
3. Carrageenan, a seaweed extract, is a great natural alternative to synthetic ingredients as it thickens and volumizes.
4. Because sea plants have to adapt to survive, they are packed with fortifying and protective qualities that can help skin and hair regenerate.
Susan Eyton shares her top picks for skin and hair.
Full Again by Kevin Murphy
“It’s wonderful for adding fullness or body to fine, straight hair and thick, fly-away hair.”
SuzE Cosmetics Moisture Tint SPF 15
“Protects, moisturizes and restores skin.”
Relaxing Moisturizing Fluid by Davines
“Excellent for smoothing thick or frizzy hair.”
SuzE Lip Gloss
“Contains antioxidants to prevent cell damage and emollients to help soften skin.”
