The Beauty Pro Book Club: 4 Reads to Inspire Growth and Success
Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!
by Anne Moratto
On the Road: Lourdes' Nail Studio
Tucked inside a sub-tropical oasis, Lourdes’ Nail Studio in Sarasota, Fla., offers clients a calm, peaceful environment where they’ll walk away with good conversation and beautiful nails.
by Michelle Pratt
August 21, 2013
That’s me relaxing in one of two pedicure chairs.
2 min to read
When Castillo removed a nail desk, she used the space as a consignment corner for clients to sell handbags and shoes.
> Lourdes’ open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the garden courtyard create a breezy, relaxed vibe. But it’s the almost palpable feeling of having arrived at a place that feels as if you belong that sets Lourdes apart from the other salons in Burns Court, a small, historic district of Sarasota, Fla. Burns Court is home to trendy boutiques and niche restaurants, yoga studios, and tiny storefronts where skin, hair, and nail artisans create their own form of art. At Lourdes’, clients linger, pulling new arrivals into a conversation that weaves throughout the day. Many stop in without an appointment, just to talk with owner Lourdes Castillo and each other.
Lourdes Castillo’s (left) personality creates a culture where clients are instant friends.
> A nail tech of 23 years, Castillo is originally from Cuba. She’s traveled to Prague, Miami, and Houston, before landing in Sarasota in 2008. She opened Lourdes’ Nail Studio in its current location in July 2012.
That’s me relaxing in one of two pedicure chairs.
> The salon has room for two pedi booths and two nail desks, though only one desk is set up as a nail station. Until Castillo finds a good fit to work in her second seat, she uses the space as a small consignment boutique where clients bring new and gently used handbags, shoes, and shades.
The large windows give the small space an open, breezy feel.
> Castillo performs natural nail manis and pedis, plus acrylic and gels. Her first love is pink-and-white acrylics, but pedicures are her specialty. Though a veteran with a thriving business, she continues to educate herself. Skilled in the Footlogix B/S Brace technique, Castillo has built a reputation as the go-to tech for troubled toes.
When Castillo removed a nail desk, she used the space as a consignment corner for clients to sell handbags and shoes.
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