
September 20, 2023
MANITOWOC – A lot can change in 16 years – just ask Manitowoc native Kim Wilda.
From starting out as an esthetician at Kohler Water Spa to working a few different jobs after the recession in 2008, Wilda said she found herself getting “the itch” to get back into the esthetics industry – this time to start her own business.
Taking the leap, however, Wilda said, wasn’t as easy – thanks in part to old esthetician laws.
“When I first got my license, I wasn’t able to (open a shop of my own) without having someone with me that had a manager’s license,” she said.
But in 2021 – after a change in Wisconsin’s esthetician laws – Wilda said she was able to open her own esthetician practice, Glow Beauty Bar, in a rented space inside Sola Salon in Green Bay.
Fast forward a year and a half – an opportunity to move her business back home into its own location downtown Manitowoc, Wilda said, was too good to pass up.
“When this space (1410 Washington St.) became available, everything came together – it’s like the heavens parted,” she laughed. “It was supposed to happen.”
Glow Beauty Bar’s new location opened Sept. 1.
Just as the location made sense, Wilda said the timing for the move also felt right.
“I aspired for more space because I had outgrown the space (at Sola Salon),” she said. “I was on the third floor in the back of an old office building and was hidden. I had built a loyal clientele, and it was time for me to go somewhere (that had) more space and more visibility.”
Why Manitowoc?
Though Wilda said she is happy to be back working in her hometown, she said it’s not the sole reason why she decided to bring Glow Beauty Bar to the area.
“I feel Manitowoc has been up and coming for a long time,” she said. “I’m familiar with the area, and I wanted to be able to service the people I know. It’s smart business to start with a base where you know people.”
Kim Wilda
Wilda said her services also help set her up for success in Manitowoc.
“There are other spa-type businesses in the area, but I feel I set myself apart with the services I offer, the way I offer them and the products I use,” she said. “All of my products are natural and organic, produced in the U.S. I use products by FarmHouse Fresh Skincare. A lot of the things that go into their products, they grow right on-site at their farm.”
The services (and expansion)
One of Glow Beauty Bar’s main services is facials, which Wilda said are customized to each individual client.
Before each facial, Wilda said she has a consultation with clients where they go through any allergies and sensitivities and anything they are trying to address, such as acne, fine lines or wrinkles.
For those just looking to be pampered, Wilda said her seasonal facials are a great option.
Right now, Glow Beauty Bar offers a s’mores seasonal facial – which Wilda said on top of hot face towels and a relaxing environment, “there’s a chocolate enzyme and marshmallow fluff mask that are great for any skin type.”
“It will transport you somewhere not in Wisconsin,” she laughed.
In addition to facials, Glow Beauty Bar also offers body contouring, waxing, lash tinting and lifting, brow tinting and shaping, Reiki energy healing (a technique that uses gentle touch) and more.
Glow Beauty Bar offers a selection of all-natural retail goods from Farmhouse Fresh. Submitted Photo
And, now that Wilda has a larger space to work with, she said she has plans for expanding her services, which will include skincare classes.
“When we were younger – and even now – nobody teaches us what makes a good product,” she said. “(Or) ‘what is my skin type? How do I determine that?’ These are all things I want to teach people so that going to the store and buying things for yourself to take care of your skin isn’t so overwhelming.”
Wilda said she will also be expanding her retail offerings, as well as her staff – eventually.
“I would love to be able to grow my team down the road,” she said.
A new era of self care
While estheticians aren’t anything new, Wilda said the COVID-19 pandemic took self care to a whole new level, causing a boom in the beauty industry – which has included a deeper focus on self care, and specifically skin care.
“It’s not just going and getting our hair done… Now there’s skin care, massages and acupuncture…” she said. “(And) it’s more than just going and getting a facial – I think it is a great way to take care of yourself and your mental health.”
Glow Beauty Bar is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
To learn more about the business, head to glowbeautygb.glossgenius.com.