Nestled underneath 200 plus condominium units, and surrounded by law offices and other businesses, sits a diamond in the rough. A true gem hidden in plain sight. If you avoid going east towards A1A because of traffic, forget that! You Salon and Wellness Studio is an oasis among the hustle and bustle of the beach’s edge of the city.
Hidden in Plain Sight
In one of the suites on the ground floor of the Berkeley South condominium on Fort Lauderdale’s Galt Ocean Mile, is one of the most inviting, serene spaces you must visit. Entering the lobby of this large condominium building, the lobby looks like most modern beachside lobbies.
Walk past the front desk and find suite C115. As you enter this peaceful space, your eye immediately goes to the far kaleidoscope wall with the word “YOU” emerging from a rainbow halo of colors. You have just entered into peace. A brand-new form or studio catering to YOU!
You studio is a babe in a growing state. Only open since January, one can quickly envision this place growing more and more popular. It is a most unique, alluring place that immediately fills one with tranquility and positive vibes. The energy is clean and wholesome. One can certainly feel at home at You Studio. The Salon’s very own Deborah Geleski and Kai Michelle’s welcome wagon is nothing short of pure joy and acceptance. One feels like they’re walking into their living room for a long needed visit.
The Innovative Concept
Most of us enjoy pampering ourselves, maybe getting a haircut or new color added for fun. We enjoy a good cup of coffee or a frothy latte. Some look forward to meditative yoga to relieve the stresses of real life. And for the art enthusiast, eye candy is unique art by local artists to get lost in for a few minutes at a time.
Perhaps you have wanted to try your own hand at art? What if you could have all of that wrapped up in a single seductive package? You Studio is a full hair salon one can describe as upscale boho chic with a chill down to earth vibe. Kai Michelle of You Studio says, “I like to call it a co-creative studio. If you have something that you want to teach, or have something to offer that’s in the arts, or personal wellness or meditation, we would love to collaborate with that.” For Kai Michelle, the inspiration came from personal growth and seizing the moment. She says, “Carpe diem! It’s everything that inspires me!”.
The Perks
But it’s not just a hair salon. The grand space offers a space for Yoga classes held Mondays through Thursdays. Mondays and Wednesday’s classes are held at 9am and Tuesdays and Thursday’s classes are held in the evenings at 6:30. The Restorative Yoga classes offer clients a chance to unwind, re-center and destress.
There is another space unused for now but available for rent to the right person who feels they have something to offer the You Salon experience. Also, once a month, there is an Intuitive Painting class. In this unique painting class you nurture your intuition while at the same time learning how to be creative.
There’s a meditation session and then there is painting in the dark! The idea is to bring about all your senses forward and painting using all 5 senses. You don’t get to look at your painting and judge it. You must wait till the end. This is painting with your feeling and not with your ego. The possibilities on a finished piece are endless!
As a treat before and after any of the classes offered, you can enjoy a coffee or beverage from their own Coffee Café! You will not want to leave this space!
The Launching Sequence
For Kai Michelle and Jesse, this project was born in November of 2019. Permits, construction, and problems with the AC, kept pushing back the opening. And when it seemed like things might take off, COVID-19 hit. The most it has affected the salon has been in delaying opening.
Kai and Deborah’s main drive is the stubbornness to be authentic and to be creative and true to yourself. That’s part of the drive behind the name: YOU. The ladies want you to feel like you are being taken care of. COVID-19 has made You Salon a more exclusive right now, but the ladies do not want people to think they are an exclusive place that works off the success of big money.
At the moment, and due to the pandemic, the ladies work by appointment only. From Tuesday through Saturday, they are accepting walk-ins, but will accommodate for appointments. Jessie, one of the salon’s stylist, shares that “If anything COVID-19 has made us more exclusive, but we do not want the public to feel that we are excluding them and like they cannot come to us. In the past, we would have a whole full salon, but the pandemic makes us a bit more exclusive and we are able to have a more intimate experience, sometimes, just one on one”. Whatever service you choose, be sure to know that you will be the main focus and will be well taken care of.
You Salon and Wellness Studio can be followed on Instagram @youswstudio and on Facebook. Make sure to like and follow them and book yourself for a session of pampering, a restorative yoga class, or perhaps try the immersive intuitive painting class!
