Lazy afternoon gives rise to a ‘bare’ venture

Monique Hilario (left) with franchisee Peggy Sharon Go Princess Daisy Ominga

It all started on a lazy Saturday five years ago. Sisters Fiona and Monique Hilario decided to spend some bonding time in a salon to get some wax job. While waiting for their turn, they noticed that though it was a hair salon, most of its clients were there for the waxing services.

Trying to think of any local salon that actually focuses solely on waxing, and coming up with no answer, the Hilario sisters stumbled upon a potentially brilliant business idea.

Aside from a salon that would concentrate on waxing, they also needed to have something that sets them apart from the others. After extensive research and consultations with a trusted dermatologist, they came up with a solution: cold wax.

Cold wax is not as popular as the hot wax, which is still commonly used by most of local hair removal salons. Although hot wax is the often-used technique, the process could sometimes be disastrous. Hot wax could lead to scalding, burns, or cuts. The patches used with it sometimes cause nicks, irritations, and rips on the skin.

New concepts

With their cold wax, which is made from all-natural ingredients—sugar, honey and calamansi—cuts, burns, and nicks are eliminated. Unlike hot wax, which could be very painful and traumatic, cold wax is less painful until the process eventually gets tolerable.

Aside from the new concept, there was also the issue of gender bias against waxing salons. As waxing is commonly associated with women, they resolved the problem by coming up with a relaxing, Asian-inspired interior, and a brown-and-green logo—neutral look and colors that would not scare or turn off potential male clients.

With everything in order, the Hilario sisters opened their first “waxing boutique” in Makati in June 2006. They came up with the name “Lay Bare” because it had the most positive feedback from friends.

Technicians are trusted to keep their assigned rooms squeaky clean.

Announcement of the opening was posted on their website, which their brother, Paolo, manages. They personally handed out flyers of their boutique, and invited friends to come over and try their services.

“At first, it was really difficult, since it was a new concept. There were days when nobody came in, so we ourselves just acted as clients and paid for the services. It was difficult because nobody was willing enough to try,” shares Monique.

There was also a time when the company concentrated more on tieups to promote their services rather than improve on it. They lost focus and were unable to reach their main goal.

“Instead of doing tieups to connect with the brand, we could’ve done more to establish Lay Bare early on than (do) the tieups,” says Monique.

Although it was the first time for the sisters to open a business, they were aware and prepared for the initial problems that could come their way. Armed with perseverance and faith in their concept, the Hidalgo sisters soon found their first boutique filling up with clients, mostly young professionals who have started acknowledging the less painful cold wax method.

Technicians

Training of the staff, which they call “technicians,” is overseen by Monique, who is a certificate holder of the Hair Depilation program of the Center of Aesthetic Studies and a summa cum laude graduate of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.

They employ a trainer who teaches the staff on how to use the cold wax, as well as basic information on skin care, proper hygiene, customer service, and basic accounting. Training programs last four to six weeks, in which the staff go as on-the-job trainee in one of the branches.

From that one small boutique in Makati, Lay Bare now has 36 outlets around the country, with five more to open in the next few months. Fiona is the head of the company, while Monique handles the operations of franchised branches. Their brother, Paolo, heads the company’s business development. The first franchise outlet opened in 2008, and inquiries for franchising have not stopped since.

Summer is their busiest season, with everyone asking for a bikini wax before heading to the beach. Some brave ones even go all the way and ask for the Brazilian wax. And with money to burn and parties to attend to, customers also make a beeline to the salon during the Christmas season.

Although Lay Bare has gained a favorable reputation among its growing clientèle, Fiona and Monique are bent on not getting complacent. They scout potential branch locations and study on improvements of their products and services. They also plan to introduce new services to provide better experience for customers. Making these improvements is essential as the Hilarios are well aware of the boost that an excellent wax job does to a person’s morale.

“More than good waxing, Lay Bare is about building a person’s self-esteem,” says Monique.