Vagaro is proud to present iconic.22 on September 25-26 in the heart of San Francisco. The two-day conference will inspire and connect small business professionals from the beauty, wellness & fitness industries from around the world. Here, we will honor industry professionals who received nominations for growing their small businesses through hard work, tenacity, and Vagaro. Combined with an entrepreneurial spirit, these visionaries have impacted their respective industries. We are proud to announce the winners of the inaugural iconic.22 awards, honoring the best small businesses in the beauty, wellness & fitness industries.
Beauty & Salon Awards
Bad-Ass Barber: 2022 Barber of the Year
Rawknykz Barber Shop
Since 2011, Rawknykz Barber Shop has created a community more like family. From watching young clients grow up to welcoming old faces back home, Rawknykz has built a loyal client base. Aside from fresh cuts, Rawknykz can bring any design dream to life. The combination of pure talent and an environment that feels like a meeting place for old friends sets this barber shop above the rest.
Color Me the Best: Best Hair Coloring
Christina Kelly, Crook+Co
Within her first six months of working with hair, Christina Kelly’s client list was full. Her flair for hair grants her a keen eye for the nuances of color tones, creating beautiful looks for every client she sees. Kelly provides seamless color melting for her clients, working with natural and unnatural colors. Kelly’s craft and careful commitment to making a client’s color dream come true demonstrate why she is a color master.
Ink Master: 2022 Tattoo Artist of the Year
Lola Tatts, Flesh Tattoos
With 20 years of experience under her belt, Lola Tatts’ versatility, creativity and badass attitude solidify her as a tattoo expert. Despite closures because of the pandemic, Lola continued to grow her business and give back to the community. Clients leave Lola’s studio with stunning and creative art that lasts a lifetime.
It’s a Vibe: 2022 Beauty Salon of the Year
Macy Perry, The Body Bar
Over the past eight years, Macy Perry has expanded her business from working out of her home to a downtown location in Gainesville, Texas. She has plans to expand The Body Bar even further to offer medical-grade spa services. Her venue is not just aesthetically pleasing and cute, it’s where her clients feel welcomed. Her goal is to help clients feel and look their best. She consistently delivers through excellent customer service, upkeeping her space and cultivating an air of inclusion and positivity.
Lush Lashes: 2022 Lash Technician of the Year
Rutvi Patel, Lash World
Rutvi Patel’s precision, kind demeanor and expertise have clients raving about her services. Many clients come to Rutvi after experiencing subpar lash services and are blown away by her care and dedication to her work. Rutvi creates showstopping length while instilling confidence in her clients by helping them achieve their desired look with each personalized service. She has elevated herself above the competition by lifting lashes to new heights and offering unparalleled service.
Muaccolade: 2022 Makeup Artist of the Year
Alexis Cascio Makeup
From red carpet events to weddings & print campaigns, Alexis Cascio uses her skills to create unique and beautiful looks for all her clients. In addition to helping others feel beautiful, Alexis offers lessons to teach clients how to do their own makeup and to help aspiring makeup artists meet their potential. Her looks have been seen at the BET Awards and in magazines. Cascio can effortlessly create glamorous evening looks as well as more natural ones. Her artistic vision and kind demeanor have garnered a large social media following and client base who recognize her innate talent for all things makeup.
Nailed It: 2022 Nail Technician of the Year
Giouvanna White, Nervani Beauty Boutique
Each nail design from Giouvanna White is a delicate work of art that makes a statement. From basic gel application to elaborately sculpted acrylics or sparkly Swarovski crystal embellishments, White’s skill and artistry elevate each manicure & pedicure to a nail experience like no other. She also offers classes to help aspiring nail technicians reach their goals, demonstrating her experience and talent.
Shear Perfection: Best Hair Stylist
Ally Kondratyev, Lex & Mase Studio
Constantly pushing herself to be the best, Ally takes time to engage in educational opportunities to elevate her business and provide the best service possible to her clients. Working with meticulous attention to detail, she is adept at helping a client achieve their hair goals. From long styles to beautiful bobs, Ally takes all hair to the next level.
Totally Textured: Best Textured Hair Stylist
Marie Ash LLC Natural Hair Salon
Founded in 2016, Marie Ash Natural Hair Salon has provided high-quality, personalized service to clients with textured hair in Charlotte, NC. Aside from the beautiful natural hairstyles, Marie Ash strives to make all clients feel beautiful and leave with healthy, luscious hair they love. With care and precision, the team at Marie Ash proves their expertise by making all textured hair dreams a reality.
Wiggin’ Out: Best Wig & Hair Extension Stylist
Trisha Cadwell, TCStyling
Trisha Cadwell has been doing hair for 20 years, but her passion lies in styling hair extensions. She became the first exclusive hair extension stylist in Montana in 2018. Specializing in Invisible Bead Extensions, she customizes each extension to the client’s desired length, color and texture. Every client who comes to Cadwell has unique hair needs. With clients who fly in from around the country for her services, it is no question that Cadwell is a master of her craft.
Spa & Wellness Awards
The Ahhhward: 2022 Massage Therapist of the Year
Twaynia Owens, Helpful Hands Therapeutic Massage
vagaro.com/helpfulhandstherapeuticmassage
Going beyond a traditional massage, Twaynia personalizes each massage treatment, addressing what a client truly needs. If a particular spot needs a little more love, she provides special attention to the area to remove any tension. Her knowledge and expertise put clients at ease, making them feel comfortable, allowing for total relaxation.
Besthetician: Best Esthetician
Karina Amezcua Limon, Dikaro Aesthetics LLC
Karina Amezcua provides top-tier skin care services while creating a safe space for all her clients, filled with peace and trust. Her goal is to provide a relaxing, luxurious experience. She seeks to empower her clients by making them feel at ease through treatment & aftercare education. She even lets clients choose the music in order to feel more at home. Her dedication to providing the best experience is evident in the reviews she receives from both new and returning clients.
Mighty Medspa: 2022 Medspa of the Year
Dr. Daniel Haddad, Elysium Medical Esthetics
By blending the delicate techniques of fine art with the science of medicine, Dr. Haddad helps clients enhance their natural beauty. Dr. Haddad and his wife Sandra work tirelessly to provide a premier luxury med spa experience. Through a complimentary consultation, each client will receive a custom treatment plan to help achieve any desired goal.
Well Well Well: 2022 Wellness Center of the Year
Pathways to Beauty
Utilizing a holistic approach to wellness, Pathways to Beauty provides services to relax and rejuvenate the mind, body and soul. Each practitioner cultivates a sense of serenity while delivering a range of services from massages to Reiki healing practices, offering a wellness experience you should add to any self-care routine you may already have.
Fitness Awards
Pain Palace: 2022 Fitness Studio of the Year
OSJ Yoga & Well-Being
Nestled on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico in Old San Juan, OSJ Yoga & Well-Being is a slice of heaven. The bright and clean space lends itself well to various classes such as yoga, salsa and pole dance. Aside from the aesthetically pleasing venue, the instructors are experts in their respective disciplines, offering classes that range from challenging & dynamic to slow & steady.
Fab & Fit: 2022 Most Fun Workout of the Year
Eighty-Eight Studios
Offering both scheduled dance classes and one-time masterclasses, Eighty-Eight Studios has something for everyone. The studio offers four classes a day, has over 2,500 square feet and provides plenty of room to groove & grind to the music in front of neon lights. Eighty-Eight Studios is more than a traditional dance studio; it’s where dancers come together to express themselves through movement.
You Got This: 2022 Fitness Instruction of the Year
SLAY
Opened in 2019 by the Olympic heptathlete Louise Hazel, SLAY empowers women as the only female-first performance gym in Los Angeles. Hazel emphasizes that a fitness performance journey shouldn’t rely on how someone looks but rather how someone feels. By shifting the focus away from vanity and toward how powerful a body can be, Hazel aims to show women how to transform their bodies and lives through self-care, self-awareness and education.
Overall Awards
The GOAT: Best Use of Vagaro’s Features to Grow Business
Erica Kovitz, Beverly Hills Microblading
beverlyhillsmicroblading.com/beverlyhillsmicroblading
As a celebrity microblading artist, Erica Kovitz possesses extensive knowledge of the med spa and beauty industry. She is a global microblading icon and opened the first standalone microblading salons in Los Angeles. Aside from offering her unmatched microblading skills, she serves as a teacher and mentor for aspiring microblading artists. Recently, Kovitz took to TikTok to promote a GoFundMe for a woman in Texas who experienced a botched microblading job. Kovitz offered her services free of charge using GoFundMe to help with transportation costs. Her artistry, drive and dedication have earned Erica the title of the GOAT.
The Glow-Up: Most Growth
Genicia Berry, CreateYourDestinySpa
vagaro.com/us02/createyourdestinyspa
Combining professionalism with passion, Genicia Berry has taken her business to the next level with Vagaro. Attentive and informative, Berry’s clients quickly point out that she is easy to talk to and goes out of her way to make each client feel pampered and special. Her dedication to her work and the connections she creates with her clients have driven Berry’s success.
Social Butterfly: Best Social Media Presence
Athena Reavis, The Estie Bestie
After over 10 years in the hospitality industry, Athena Reavis decided to follow her passion and learned how to tattoo eyebrow makeup and nipple reconstruction. She didn’t stop there; she continued her education, studying medical esthetics while growing her client base. Shifting to online services during COVID, Reavis reassessed her marketing skills and decided to learn more about promoting her business. Last summer, she opened her brick-and-mortar location, The Estie Bestie. Through perseverance and determination, Reavis has transformed her business, amassing a large following on social media.
Client Whisperer: Best Service Provider
Selene Hale, Selene Styles
Selene goes above and beyond for her clients, making each client feel at ease and listened to. Even when clients can’t quite express what they want, Selene collaborates and checks in with them to make sure she’s helping their vision come to life. With 16 years of experience in hair, Selene is an expert who continually pushes herself to learn more and stay on top of any new trends in the industry. The care she puts into her work shines through in how she interacts with clients, ensuring everyone walks out of her salon feeling beautiful.
5Star: 2022 Customer Service of the Year
Jen Berlin, Bronzed & Bare
With over 800 five-star reviews and an 80% client retention rate across platforms, Jen Berlin is the epitome of top-tier service. A traditional Brazilian wax service can take up to an hour, but Berlin can perform a full Brazilian wax in as little as 10 minutes without sacrificing quality. Her clients rave about her professionalism, noting that she makes them feel at ease, even if they’ve had poor wax experiences in the past. The data doesn’t lie: Berlin consistently delivers and has hundreds of happy clients who swear they will never go elsewhere.
Unicorn: Entrepreneur of the Year
Eric Jackson, SAGE 68
Born out of a childhood dream, Eric Jackson established SAGE 68 in the winter of 2020. With an unwavering goal in mind, Jackson and his wife, Kylee, worked to make this dream a reality. Inspired by the gentle healing properties of sage and the symbolism of change and integrity represented by the number 68, SAGE 68 lives up to its name by providing a positive and caring environment for every client. Jackson’s innovation, dedication and passion show us how to make a dream come true.
Celebrate with Vagaro at iconic.22
Congratulations to all our award winners! We are excited to celebrate you at iconic.22 presented by Vagaro in San Francisco this September. If you haven’t already, register for the two-day conference to network and connect with other like-minded professionals. Interested in learning how to grow your beauty, fitness or wellness business? Start a 30-day free trial to see how you can take your business to the next level with Vagaro.
About Vagaro
Vagaro is a cloud-based scheduling software commonly used by beauty, fitness, and wellness businesses to manage booking, credit card payments and processing, marketing, payroll, inventory management, reporting, and much more.