Earlier this year I took my second Hair Color Magic class. It was the “Bombshell Blondes” segment. I was so excited for this class. Hair Color Magic is a line of AVEDA classes. They are meant to show why we formulate hair color the way we do. I had taken Hair Color Magic: Essentials 1 last year and absolutely loved it.

I was road tripping down to Rocky River, Ohio with two other girls from the salon, Evelyn and Mona. They had both had Jen Rawsky, our educator, before. They raved about her. I could not wait to take her class.

Bombshell Blondes: Part 1

The first half of the class we went over what Hair Color Magic taught. Why we use blue/green instead of blue/violet and exactly how much. This was all a refresher form Hair Color Magic 1. It can be frustrating when you are repeating information. However, I try to look at it as a way to further solidify my knowledge. It makes me be able to instantly know to pick blue/green and it only needs 2 grams instead of 3.

Bombshell Blondes: Recess

We broke for lunch about halfway through the class. Evelyn, Mona, and I went to Penn Station for lunch. I was super excited about it because I had only been there once. But when I had, it was delicious. Walking in and reading their menu, I realized I was going to have a tough time. I recently became a vegetarian in March. Even though they had a vegetarian sandwich, it just wasn’t hearty like a sandwich normally is. I ordered that and fries with their signature lemonade. Mona also shared her cookie with me. If you want the best chocolate chip cookie you will ever eat in your life, go to Penn Station.

Bombshell Blondes: Continued

When we came back I was starting to learn some new stuff. We talked about how to formulate for AVEDA’s high lift tint, and how to create long lasting lowlights in blonde hair. We even made a swatch board! It was a great class per usual from Hair Color Magic. I would highly recommend any AVEDA colorist to take these classes. My favorite part about taking classes is how inspired and excited I am when I leave. I can never wait to get back into the salon and try the things I’ve learned!

Until Next Time,

Josie 🙂

Guest Appreciation Week seems to come faster and faster every year. June 1st through the 7th will be here before we know it! This will be my 3rd annual Guest Appreciation Week that I have worked; however this will be my first working as a stylist. In the past I have worked the desk and assisted. This week is always absolutely insane behind the scenes. Even though it is always a lot of work, it is amazing seeing how much our guests absolutely love it!

Guest Appreciation Week – What is it all about?

Here at Ashka Salon Spa, we truly hope that our guests feel loved throughout the year. We make a point of going above and beyond 1 week per year to make sure that they know! June 1st through the 7th we will be offering multiple deals and fun for our guests! You will receive 15% off all services and products during that week.  This is however excluding Airbrush Makeup Applications and Special Occasion Styles. Ashka Salon Spa will be offering champagne and cheesecake throughout the week as well. And if that wasn’t enough, there will be over $1000 of prizes given out!

Our Guests are so Great We Need a Whole Week to Celebrate You! 5th Annual Guest Appreciation Week

Our guests mean so much to us at Ashka Salon Spa. We are all so lucky to have such an amazing community to serve. You all truly make our jobs easier and so much fun. It is important to our team that we are able to express this to our guests. Like I said before, just working the desk and assisting, it was amazing seeing the joy on our clients faces. Whether it be the shock and joy of being offered cheesecake and champagne, or that little bit of a difference on their bill for the day, everyone leaves happy. I am so lucky to be able to experience this interaction from behind the chair this year. I cannot wait to see those smiles on my very own clients.

Appointments are going fast and I recommending calling as soon as possible to ensure you can see your favorite Ashka Salon Spa team member at a time that is convenient for you! 734-414-9980

Until Next Time,

Josie 🙂

AVEDA releases an education calendar twice a year and every time it comes out, I’m like a kid on Christmas morning. I love advanced education. It is my favorite walking into a class not knowing what mental treasures I will end up leaving with. The most recent calendar was released this past December. I knew I wanted to take creative formulations with Jeffrey Scott. I had already taken one of his classes. Ashka Salon Spa had Jeffrey Scott come in to teach a Pure Blonding class in 2014. Even though I was still in cosmetology school, I was able to sit in on the class. I learned so much in pure blonding and I didn’t truly grasp just how much until after I graduated from school. Seeing Jeffrey’s name on the new education calendar was enough to get me pumped up.

Creative Formulations – Think Outside of the Box

We started class with the AVEDA mission and a warm up exercise to wake up our brains. The exercise was to get us “thinking out of the box”. Creative Formulations was about thinking about different ways to use AVEDA hair color other than the general rules they give you. What always really impresses me about Jeffrey Scott is how much background information he knows about AVEDA and their products. He was able to give us a chemical breakdown of two of the different color lines. This gave us background information on why certains things could and could not be mixed together.

Swatch Boards with Creative Formulations

Throughout the day Jeffrey broke down different ways to formulate certain colors. My favorite part about the class was making our own swatch board to take home with us. He provided us with 20 swatches, velcro tabs, thick poster board and labels.

I took this class with 3 of the other stylists at Ashka Salon Spa. It’s always nice attending class with people you know. I love going on our lunch break and being able to discuss what we’ve already been taught in the class. It is great to recap and see how others are feeling about the class. I am a strong believer that if you can reiterate a concept, you then truly understand it.

I always get so excited after taking a class. I can never wait to get back in the salon and try some of the things I had learned during the day.

Until Next Time,

Josie 🙂

About a year ago, I was having muscle spasms in my thoracic spine on my right side. I had been going to physical therapy, took 3 weeks off of school, and was taking it easy at work. I was at work one day and my back was really starting to bother me. Sarah, one of the two amazing massage therapists at Ashka Salon Spa offered to focus on my trouble area for me. She instantly found exactly where I needed to be massaged. I couldn’t believe how big of a difference it made just from the 10 minutes she had worked on me. Ever since this moment, I knew the massage benefits were endless.

What Are Massage Benefits?

The list of benefits that massage can give is absolutely incredible! Before I really looked into massage I knew that it helped with stress and muscle tension. This is where my massage knowledge came to a startling hault. After researching massage for a bit, I found that I was right about it helping with stress but it also is known to aid with multiple diseases. It helps with anxiety and headaches, as well as sport injuries. I was surprised to find out that massage can even help with insomnia related to stress, and digestive disorders! Massage is also great because it brings about feelings of connection, caring, and comfort.

Why Get Your Massage Benefits at Ashka Salon Spa?

“Ashka’s mission is to completely delight our guests; servicing them above and beyond their expectations.” At Ashka Salon Spa, we have two of the most wonderful massage therapists. They truly care about who you are and why you’ve come in to see them. When you get your first massage at Ashka Salon Spa, you will fill out a consultation form before Sarah or Beth even come to greet you. You also consult with them face to face so that they can customize your service to fit your needs. Whether you prefer hot rocks or a deep tissue massage, or vice versa, Ashka Salon Spa is the place for you to get massage benefits.

Call today to set up your appointment! 734-414-9980

Until Next Time,

Josie 🙂

Here at Ashka Salon Spa we love ALL that we sell. However, like everyone, we have our favorite products too! AVEDA products are not only natural and safe for the environment, they work wonders.

Our Favorite Products – Skin Care

Christine adores AVEDA’s liquid Exfoliant. She can tell that her skin feels much smoother after using it. She also likes that it is not a physical exfoliant. She can still tell it is helping her skin without the harsh beads or crystals.

Tourmaline Charged line is Emily’s favorite skin care line. She can tell how it brightens and exfoliates her guests’ skin. It really does leave them radiant!

Our Favorite Products – Hair Care

Emma loves our Thickening Tonic and Volumizing Tonic! They give great body to your hair. She doesn’t use them together. She finds people will fine hair will prefer the Volumizing Tonic. This is typically because of the lift at the root it gives. People with thinning hair will like Thickening Tonic. This is because it swells the entire hair shaft, making your hair feel over all fuller.

Smooth Infusion Nourishing Creme is one of Josie’s favorites. She loves that while it has all of the Smooth Infusion benefits, it also moisturizes your hair. It really makes your hair feel like silk. It also helps with your blow dry.

Megan thinks Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener is just fabulous! She loves the shine she gets on her guests when she uses it. It helps to smooth without weighing the hair down. Definitely one of Megan’s favorite products.

Mandy can not get enough of the Defining Whip. Beachy waves are super popular right now. When she uses this product she feels like she can get just the right look. A little goes a long way too!

Evelyn thinks it is important to educate her guests when they come in to see her. She loves that Naturally Straight helps her guests blow dry their own hair at home. She can teach them proper techniques while they are with her. Then when they are at home, this progressive product helps naturally straighten their hair making it easier to smooth for them.