New salon does hair with a heart

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

May 11, 2026

ANTIGO – After a decade in corporate salon settings, Kiana Janney said she decided to branch out on her own.

That vision became reality, she said, with the early April opening of Aura Salon & Spa at 612 Clermont St. #9 in Antigo. 

Though not necessarily her original goal when she entered the industry, Janney said owning her own salon now gives her more freedom in how she operates day to day.

“I’ve always been very passionate about my work, but I’d just reached a point where I wanted to be out on my own,” she said.

Janney said opening Aura also provided her with an opportunity to give back more directly to her community, without the red tape of larger franchise operations.

She said she quickly put that mission into action by launching the salon’s first fundraiser, donating proceeds from hair tinsel services to support a client’s family facing ongoing medical challenges.

“It’s not a lot, but every little bit helps – even with things for gas, because they have to go to Madison and places all over the state,” she said. “And it will help raise awareness about the issue. Plus, it is something cool for her because she’s five years old and thought it was pretty cool that people were getting hair tinsel for her, especially since she was getting hair tinsel in her own hair, too.”

Taking the leap 

Janney said though she appreciates the opportunities of salon ownership, the decision to go out on her own came with mixed emotions.

“The salon I was at before starting my own was a place I’d been for about six years, and we all got along really well – so well that we were like family,” she said. “So, it was hard leaving the super comfortable family feel of where I was at. That was, I think, the hardest part.” 

Though there was “a lot of thought and preparation that went into it,” Janney said taking the leap into salon ownership was also a bit scary.

She said no longer having a set paycheck – knowing she would be responsible for generating her own income and paying herself – came with understandable worries.

“But I did a lot of research and ran all my numbers from my clientele – without any walk-ins – to make sure I could still support my family,” she said. “Basically, I wanted to make sure I could make the salon happen and still be comfortable financially doing so. Even though it was initially kind of scary, once I got into my own shop and the more I saw my numbers matching what I projected them to be, it became a little less scary.”

Janney said many of her former clients followed her to her new salon, and support from her former employer helped make the transition easier.

“My old boss was very good about letting me tell all of my clients I was leaving and switching locations,” she said. “I got so much positive feedback from everyone I talked to about it. I had a lot of clients book right away for my new salon, and others took my information down, so they could book the next time they were ready to come in.”

Janney said the response to her decision to start her own salon has been entirely positive, which she found especially reassuring given it could have been received differently.

“Everything definitely fell into place the way it needed to, and I’m extremely grateful for that,” she said.

Comfortable from the start

Not one to take the easy route, Janney said she was searching for a new salon location while also planning her wedding.

The wedding, she said, went off without a hitch in February, and just six weeks later, she secured a location for her new salon and spa.

Janney said the 612 Clermont St. Suite #9 location stood out to her for its cluster of women-owned businesses – “ a small community of [women] just doing their own thing.” 

“It was a small building in the middle of town surrounded by a bunch of other small businesses supporting each other,” she said. “I liked the location, I liked the vibe that it had, and I liked how it had the potential for what I wanted to do.” 

Despite there being two other salons in the business suites, including one owned by the building owner, Janney said she doesn’t view them as competition and doesn’t believe they see her that way either.

“We all have our own client base, so there’s not a lot of overlap,” she said. “I asked the building owner if she would be concerned about a third salon being in the building. But she was very positive about my coming in there.”

With the other salons in the space not accepting walk-ins, Janney said she benefits from consistent foot traffic from clients seeking same-day haircuts.

“That’s nice, because I have something to offer the others don’t,” she said.

Janney said her previous salon used to accept walk-ins, but stopped doing so about five years ago.

That change, she said, was felt in the community, which had grown accustomed to having a walk-in option available.

“There are a couple of other ones in the community who take walk-ins, but there aren’t many,” she said. “So, there definitely was a need for a salon that offered that kind of walk-in availability.”

Janney said the walk-in business has been a welcome addition, noting that it also helps build and grow her clientele.

Beyond that, she said much of the salon industry relies on word of mouth, which is especially important in a small community like Antigo.

Janney said she went back and forth on several ideas before her new husband, unintentionally, came up with the one she ultimately chose. 

“He always says I have a really good aura surrounding me,” she said. “My energy and my positivity are just always high. So, I started thinking about that and began visualizing the logo I was going to have before I even named it. It just kind of came together and fell into place, and I liked the idea [of having an aura in the logo].”

What sets her apart

As a full-service salon, Janney said she offers a wide range of services, including cuts, color, styling, consultations, braids, extensions and removal, highlights and lowlights, balayage and updos.

The only service she does not offer, she said, is perms, which she said have never been her specialty and are outside her comfort zone. 

In the main salon, Janney said she has two chairs – which allows her to run services efficiently by doing longer color appointments in one chair while handling haircuts in the other. 

“I wanted to make sure I had plenty of space, and that it was going to be comfortable for me to do that,” she said. “So far, I’ve been able to accomplish that really nicely.”

Janney said she has enough space that she could take on a second person at some point.

“I have more than enough space in the salon I’m in to be able to accommodate another person,” she said. “I made sure I could do that, too, when I was looking at the space and planning where everything was going to go in there.”   

Janney said she offers haircuts for women, men and children, including beard trims, with clients ranging in age from four to 80.

“I have a lot of people who bring their kids in, so there are times I’ll do whole families together,” she said. 

Beyond its salon offerings, Janney said Aura Salon & Spa provides Malibu moisture treatments and full-body waxing.

“There are three separate spaces in my suite,” she said. “I have the main salon area. Then, I have a separate room I use for storage of my supplies and so forth. And in the third room, there is a locking door – that’s where I have all my waxing stuff set up and can do body waxing in a completely private setting.”

Janney said she is considering expanding services in the future, including full-body exfoliating treatments to help with ingrown hairs, as well as skin-lightening services for clients with uneven skin tone.

“But that’s something I have to delve much further into before I start offering services like that,” she said. “Adding those things later would give me time to obtain any certifications that might be required to offer those services.” 

Depending on how things align and how much time she has for research, Janney said additional services could be added within the next year or two.

Janney said she believes her passion, along with her talent and experience, is what sets her apart.

“The amount of passion I put into my work really matters,” she said. “There are a lot of people who go into doing hair thinking it’ll be really easy and would be a fun thing to do. But I really take my time and learn who my clients are.”

Janney said she is very thorough with her consultations, making sure every service fits each client’s lifestyle and budget.

“The amount of detail I put into things is also a draw for people,” she said. “Anyone can slap some color onto someone’s head and call it a day, saying it’s good enough. But I really take my time and make sure everything is done the right way the first time, so there are no mistakes that happen. I think my clients are very receptive to that.”

Janney said all Aura Salon & Spa prices are clearly listed on its Square site – which can be accessed through the salon’s Facebook page – and broken down by basic services, with additional costs only added as needed.

She said this approach helps ensure clients only pay for the services they actually want or need.

“I wanted everything to be completely transparent so nobody has any surprises when they come in about what things would cost,” she said. “It mattered a lot to me that everyone could get their hair done and feel good about themselves without having it cost an arm and a leg. I know some things can be out of reach for some people nowadays. So, I wanted to make sure I had a very accessible salon price-wise.”

Aura Salon & Spa’s hours vary depending on the day, which are also on the aforementioned Square site.