By Bruce Karnick

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Alex Amy’s Allure Salon is a new tanning salon in Hastings located in the lower level of the Haggerty Insurance building at 1206 N. Frontage Road. Allure opened December 7, 2021 and has already expanded their menu of services in just a few short months.

“When I first opened in December, I had four tanning beds at the time, three level ones, your basic 20-minute bed, which you start out in a level two, which is a 12-minute bed with a facial. I was waiting for my level three bed, another 12-minute bed. It's a little bit bigger, has more bulbs in it and three facial lamps. That one was on backorder for a little while,” explained Amy.

That level three bed has been in use for a short while now and the clients have been loving it. Amy also added spray tanning and other services.

“It's like a heated, customized spray tan. It's not a booth. It's someone who's physically spraying you. And most recently, I just have added eyelash extensions,” added Amy.

Of course, Allure Salon has the tanning products covered as well.

“Everyone has loved the products. A lot of people have asked me ‘Are you going to get any other lines?’ but I'm very fond of the California Tan brand and the products that they make. I like that they don't just have tanning lotion like some of the lotions that I have are daily moisturizers and people have loved that being an option here.”

Amy had an advantage with the office space she now occupies. It was a blank slate, and she had gone to school for interior design. She was able to create the space she wanted and – more importantly – create the spa-like feeling she wanted.

“I think I've accomplished that by how it's set up,” said Amy. “You all have your individual rooms. You have light music playing in the background and just the tone of it in here. It's very bright and cool. There's this feature wall that everyone loves. I always catch people taking pictures of it when they walk in here, but I just wanted it to be a place where people walked in and they felt relaxed. I'm excited that everyone has loved it and have come back.”

What made her decide to take the leap to being a business owner?

“My mom opened her salon about a year ago, which is right next door to me. This side where I am now had been empty for a while. There had been some people interested and that ended up falling through. So, my mom kind of kept bugging me like, ‘Hey, you should really do this.’ And so finally, one day, I'm like, OK, let's go for it. It was probably like a two-and-a-half-month process of getting everything ready to be opened December 7.”

Amy completed the work with help from friends and family while working at Dugarel’s Bar, where she still works.

Hastings is happy to have her business here, which is clear from her morning-to-night bookings.

To book a tanning time, visit www.alluresaloninfo. com or call 651-383-5563.

Photo by Bruce Karnick