Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey De Vallois
Hi Audrey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started as a tomboy actually. Ha! I grew up with 2 older brothers and a mother who never wore any makeup. Somewhere along the way (Probably mid-highschool) I started playing with different types of wax because I hated shaving. Somehow that snowballed into going to beauty school “just for fun” after I graduated from college about 2.5 years early. I convinced my parents it was an ok idea (to their horror, actually!) After about a year of working in a salon as an aesthetician, I got the itch to go back to school to get my medical electrologist license (CME) in order to be able to do laser hair removal. The snowball continued . . . I gained experience by working at a couple of different places and then decided to open my own tiny little one-woman show in 2013. It’s been steady and slow growth from there!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is it ever a smooth road?! Definitely not for me! Hiring employees has always been so hard for me. I’m a perfectionist so it was so hard for me to let go of control at first. I’ve gotten better at that part but I always worked myself so hard and cared so much about client satisfaction so I have a hard time accepting that everyone doesn’t have that same work ethic. Having kids in 2016 and 2019 also took a bit of a strain because I obviously needed some time off but also wasn’t able to take a full 3 months off like I would have liked. I was texting clients in the hospital during my first delivery to let them know I wouldn’t be coming in since I didn’t even have a receptionist at the time. And, of course, 2020 was difficult for me like for most other people. I debated closing altogether because I didn’t know how long it would take to recoop but 2021 ended up being my best year up til then! The downs have all taught me something (even if it’s just something personal like how important enjoying your new baby is – I got to spend more time with my second one during his infancy.)
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started the first non MD-owned MedSpa in the Pinecrest/Dadeland area. I opened in 2013 when I was 27 years old. I pride myself in delivering the highest-quality services available at a fair price. I care deeply about the client experience and aim to have all clients leave not only satisfied with the service and the outcome but also with a feeling of happiness from their time spent with myself or my staff. I have grown a niche market in the past couple of years through my YouTube channel (auds_beauty_adventures) which features videos of services we provide at The Parlour. The laser hair removal videos really took off, especially for balding men lasering their scalps and I have since grown tremendously in men’s laser hair removal. Many clients have even started flying in from around the country every 6 weeks for their treatments. We have a map in the laser room to keep track of where they are coming from which has been so exciting and fun!
What were you like growing up?
Bossy! And, because of the older brothers’ influence, pretty scrappy. I knew how to get beaten up and sometimes played a little rough. I grew up with very French parents and spent every summer in France which made me a little different in school. I watched the French cartoons and played the French games and often had no idea what my friends were talking about when they mentioned things like that. I was independent and spoke easily with people when I found myself alone (like on an 8 hour flight to Paris!) I always loved animals and dropped anything at the chance to ride a horse or do anything that involved any sort of animal at all. I’d say all these things are still true so I guess some things just never change although I am much more infiltrated into American culture these days.
Pricing:
- Facial treatments starting at $75
- Laser hair removal starting at $55
- Tox injections: $12/unit + incentives
- Brow shaping: $20-$25
- All pricing is on the website!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theparlourmiami.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theparlourmiami/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@audsbeautyadventures
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-parlour-miami?osq=the+parlour
Image Credits
Melissa Fabri Photography
