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With his exuberant energy and thorough knowledge of everything brows, Terrance Bonner presented “Make Beautiful Brows and Money with Threading” at our Face & Body Northern California show. He shared his tips for how threading can be used to make six figures in your spa.

History of Threading

Bonner explained that as with everything in the spa industry, practice makes perfect. Bonner shared that the art of threading started over 6,000 years ago and is rooted in India and South Asia. Threading has been used as an ancient alternative to waxing.

For the treatment, a cotton thread is used, and it is twisted and pulled along the area to remove the hair. Some key benefits to threading is that it is less painful and all natural. Many clients that Bonner first came into contact with that he performed threading on came to him because they had a bad experience with waxing. Threading also does not leave the skin red or irritated like waxing can.

Cost Per Service

Bonner noted that a big draw to threading includes the products. There are different threads that can be used during the treatment, which can make a big difference in the pain management of it. The only other tools that are really needed would be tweezers, scissors, an after-care product and a spoolie.

Of these products needed for one treatment, the only products you need to repurchase would be the after-care product, spoolie and thread. In total, Bonner stated that it costs less than $1 per treatment. This leaves a large margin for profit from a single brow service.

When it comes to determining the cost of your service, spa professionals should consider how much they would like to make per hour, as well as the price of the products they are using. But, on average, this service would cost a spa professional roughly $0.50 - $1.

Proper Consultation

Questions the spa professional should ask:

  • Have you done threading before?
  • What forms of hair removal did you do prior to threading?

Bonner emphasized that the goal is to go slow with new clients. Provide your clients with an overview of what threading is and how it works. Take the time to get a full understanding of your client and their brows, and make sure they can get a full understanding of you as the spa professional.

Listening and telling your clients the truth is key to making a client for life. Clients can come in with numerous brow challenges, so make sure you are confident in explaining where you are able to get your client’s brows. This can be a process that takes time, and explaining this to your client so that they have realistic expectations is important. Make sure you are confident because you are the professional and they are client; Bonner emphasizes that you should still listen to them. But, make sure you provide your professional opinion to them.

Types of Hair

You have to look at the type of hair your working with. Brush through the brows and assess what you’re working with before starting the treatment so you know how to proceed. Make a note of this in your client’s file as well, so that when they come back in you already know what you’re working with.

Fine hair. This is the best hair. It comes out really easily, which leads to less concerns during treatment.

Coarse hair. This hair can have the tendency to break the thread, but you can just get new thread and keep going.

Curly hair. You may need to trip this hair before you start, because you don’t want to pull to much. This can lead to gaps and spaces in the brow.

Marketing Musts

When it comes to marketing, Bonner emphasized that you want to lock down your target audience, solidify your brand and then sell. He also emphasized that when marketing yourself make sure to sell your treatment as not a typical threading experience. If you can maximize your client’s experience you can maximize your money. Bonner noted that you have to be creative when it comes to marketing yourself and making your brow experience different for your clients. Some marketing methods include:  

  • Word of mouth,
  • Social media,
  • Google,
  • Pinterest,
  • Business website,
  • Charity event,
  • Business cards, referral cards and postcards
  • Free work (e.g. be a feature artist in a department store makeup area).

Threading Tips & Tricks

Bonner moved into his threading demo at this point in the class. He showed his specific technique for twisting and pulling the hair. His top note was to always make sure you keep your client’s skin as tight as possible because you can cut the person by accident.

When it comes to marking the brown, Bonner shared his insight on how marking where to take hair off on a brow can help in creating a more full shape. This helps you to make sure you are not taking too much off to provide a guideline for your service. Outlining the brow and drawing markings can help spa professionals get the desired shape while they are still getting comfortable with performing the treatment.

During the demo, it was easy to see how this is an effective alternative to brow shaping that is less painful, less irritating and business boosting. 

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