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On the Road: Julep Nail Parlor
Five years after Jane Park opened her first salon dedicated to connecting women through color, the Julep brand is still bringing women together, in the Seattle metro area and beyond.
by Carla Benavidez, production manager
September 10, 2012
Nail tech Channy Bun performed the Girlfriend Glycolic Manicure, featuring a Glycolic peel and cream mask, that leaves skin brighter and ultra soft.
3 min to read
Nail tech Channy Bun performed the Girlfriend Glycolic Manicure, featuring a Glycolic peel and cream mask, that leaves skin brighter and ultra soft.
Five years after Jane Park opened her first salon dedicated to connecting women through color, the Julep brand is still bringing women together, in the Seattle metro area and beyond.
Connecting in the Salon
Each of the four Julep locations are a local destination for girlfriends to gather, socialize, and enjoy natural nail services. The salons have a casual but festive atmosphere, created in part by the open layout of the service area, along with chairs that move to provide clients options. Owner Jane Park’s vision was inspired by southern beauty parlors such as Truvey’s — from the movie “Steel Magnolias” — a place where women can socialize freely without having to use their “spa voices”. Brand manager Suzie Nalivka and I chatted at a service table during my Girlfriend’s Glycolic Manicure.
Connecting Through Color
Julep has 50 core colors available in salons and 80 available online, plus every month 10 colors are introduced. Nail Vernis colors are named after women Park and Co. find inspirational, such as Meryl (Streep) and Stefani (a.k.a. Lady Gaga ). In July 2011, Julep rolled out its Maven subscription program. Each subscriber builds a color profile, then the program hand-picks nail colors and products to ship every month for $19.99. There is also a membership club for services: The Parlor Club membership offers a choice of pedicure, facial, PDQ mani/pedi, or Fab 14 mani for $56 per month.
Connect with Community
Social nights at the four locations also encourage the “friends and family” aspect of nail services: the Bellevue, University District, and Gig Harbor locations provide complimentary child care on Mommy Mondays and all locations feature Chick Flick Thursdays, where clients watch classics like “Mamma Mia” on plasma TVs. Reaching out to the community is another important part of the company’s mission. Its Powered by Girlfriends program ensures that $1 of every Julep nail service is donated to organizations that empower women such as National Women’s Sports Foundation and Dress for Success Worldwide.
Fun Facts
> Julep reached out to one of the online store’s earliest and best customers, Gayle, who they discovered works at a women’s shelter and gifts Julep products to the residents. Being that Gayle is a true example of its Powered by Girlfriends initiative, Julep named its perfect eggplant nail color, Gayle, in her honor.
> Julep’s name is reminiscent of the southern lifestyle of hanging out on the porch with girlfriends, sharing stories, memories and laughter. The service menu extends that idea, offering the Porch Manicure and Porch Pedicure — the best 30 minute mani/pedi in town.
> Julep’s blog, Beauty Buzz (blog.julep.com), provides a ton of fun and informative content to its clients and followers such as posts on how to photograph your manicure, DIY nail art tutorials, and Fan Nail of the Day.
Menu Highlights
Manicure: $48/$36 members
Pedicure: $48/$40 members
Girlfriend’s Glycolic upgrade: $10
Junior Pedicure: $28
Facial: $94/$54 members
Brow wax: $25/$18 members
Product Highlights
Julep uses its own brand of color and products on every service including Nail Vernis, The Best Pedi Cream Ever! and the Glow on Age Defying Hand Brightener.
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