If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything.
It was super important to us in the early days of Elevate to be a space that did things differently. When we dug deep and considered our main pillars for Elevate, though, we were stuck.
We took time to write out paragraphs about our mission, vision, and committments to our clients but how could we boil this down? — We can't exactly have a dissertation written on our front windows.
After a few sleeps and some careful consideration we finally came up with three main phrases that embody what we do here at Elevate:
Low Tox, High Vibe
Whole Person Culture
All Humans Welcome
These are our guideposts, our beacons, and the values that we align with when making any decisions. (And you actually can find them on our front windows!)
Low Tox, High Vibe
We choose products with the lowest amount of toxins, work with materials that aren't toxic to the earth, and make it a point to put a stop to toxic environments (like those with gossip or hate speech). We steer clear of the toxin of Cultural Appropriation. Instead of going with mainstream products that pay no mind to their wasteful single-use plastic packaging, we opt for those who use post consumer recyclables or infinitely recyclable materials like aluminum or glass.
Our space is mindfully cleansed with responsible smoke cleansing practices, sound cleansing, and maintained at a level that you can feel when you arrive. Through keeping away from toxins in all ways and inviting in wholesome, loving, kind ingredients and energies, we create a space where you can fully relax and be yourself.
Whole Person Culture
For a long time hair salons, beauty spaces, and even some wellness spaces have been shrugged off as "extra", "unnecessary", or "vain". We're here to create a new conversation. One where we embrace the whole person in their experience with their Hair Artist. One where their Esthetician asks them about their hydration + appetite. One where their Massage Therapist supports their whole-body healing. We have a whole-person culture at Elevate, one where we meet you where you are and support all of what you're going through, even if it isn't related to your outer appearance.
All Humans Welcome
We can't make all spaces perfectly safe but we can make them a safer place where people feel brave enough to be true to themselves.
Even though beauty spaces have historically been where 2SLGBTQIA+ folks gravitate towards, they have often had to make compromises when it comes to their comfort. They find themselves walking into a space that has "Ladies" on the restroom door, "Women's Cuts" on the menu, and images on the walls of a beauty standard they can't or don't want to achieve. Traditionally beauty schools don't train their students on cutting or working with hair that isn't straight and Black women have even found themselves in the chairs of stylists who weren't equipped to work with their natural texture. We aren't about that.
All humans are welcome here with genderless pricing, straightforward hourly rates, trauma-informed team members, and an affirming atmosphere. We're working daily to break down our own internal biases, create space for all types of hair and skin, and the full spectrum of people who exist in the beautiful truth of themselves.
Our promises to you are that we welcome you, we are excited for you to be here, and we created a space with you in mind. You aren't an afterthought. We created a space for you and we work very hard to make sure you can feel it.
We know that we will make mistakes. All of us do. We're only human, after all. We have and will continue to have folks call us in when we misstep. The most important thing we can be is truthful, loving, kind, and open.
We're so grateful to be able to create a space with you in mind. Hope we see you soon.
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