Since Egea is so close to Northwestern University, it attracts its fair share of college kids and faculty. “We get lots of clients who come to us from the university,” says Pappas. “They tend to be very educated and professional. They’re little more environmentally conscious and conscious of what they’re putting in their bodies.”

Most of the clients are women and range from late 30s to 60s. About 20% of the clients is male, so having a neutral color scheme probably helps make them feel more at ease.

Although there are other salons offering nail services in the area, Pappas isn’t too worried about the competition. “All of those places have their own persona,” she says. “No one is exactly like us. We’re probably the only place in the area that’s wellness-focused and offers a quite environment.”

The fairly recent opening and expansion of the spa has kept Pappas and her team busy. Dealing with such challenges as trying to keep employees busy and the typical issue many new salons seem to go through (think booking, hiring, etc.) has kept everyone on their toes, so for the time-being Pappas wants to focus on her clientele and employees. “If you grow really quickly you sometimes tend to forget about your clients. We don’t want to do that,” she says. “I always tell my employees that everyone at the spa should believe they are Egea. Everyone should leave the salon feeling happy.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.