Customer of the Week: Sugaring NYC

Daria Afanaseva is the owner of Sugaring NYC, organic face and body waxing salon. Sugaring, sugar waxing, or Persian waxing, is an ancient method of hair removal that has been around since 1900 BC. Modern day hot waxing replaced sugaring due to its simplicity. Anyone can use wax strips, but sugaring requires special technique and skill. You have to manoeuvre a ball of ‘sugar paste’ (a sticky combination of sugar, water, and lemon juice) over the skin and ‘flick’ it back to remove hair.

Daria believes the benefits of sugaring outweigh the simplicity of wax strips. She moved to New York City in 2013 from Europe, where sugaring is just as popular as waxing. Daria couldn’t find anywhere in NYC that offered sugaring, and figured they had better alternatives for hair removal. All she could find however, were methods like hot wax, hard wax, threading, depilatory creams, and tweezing. None of these methods worked for her sensitive skin. A quick Google search revealed many others asking about sugaring in NYC, but nobody actually offering the service. So Daria stepped up.

In 2014 Daria opened ‘Sugaring NYC’ that offers an organic and all-natural method of hair removal. The ‘sugar paste’ is a gentle alternative for clients with sensitive skin. There’s no risk of burns, no ripped skin, it lasts longer than regular waxing and it works for shorter hair, so there’s no need to grow it out.

“People appreciate how natural the sugar paste is and how it is better for the skin!”

Daria started from a treatment room that she rented out in a salon. Soon she got so busy that her husband Dmytro quit his job and got involved in the business. By the end of 2014 they had opened their four-room salon in the heart of Manhattan. Now they operate six Sugaring NYC locations in 3 different states (New York, Massachusetts, Illinois). In December 2017 they took Sugaring NYC to the next level and started franchising.

“The best thing about running this business is seeing our clients happy!”

A lot of the people Daria talks to, who have never heard about sugaring, don’t believe that pure sugar (with a little help of lemon juice) can remove hair with no chemicals involved. You can imagine the look on their faces when she reveals that they can eat the sugar paste if they want to! It tastes like candy, apparently.

Daria believes her business became successful because of the unique service they provide and their high level of customer service. When she first started the business she was using a notebook to keep track of bookings. After opening the first salon though, she knew that the notebook wouldn’t work for much longer. After a couple of months testing various software options, they landed on Timely, which was able to provide the vital functions necessary for their sugaring business.

“A lot of our customers choose us because of the convenience of our booking system.”

The team at Sugaring NYC love that there is no need for clients to call the office. The majority of people just go to the website and book online, at any time. They also enjoy that Timely sends automatic appointment reminders and have used the ‘packages’ feature to help create ‘Yearly Unlimited Passes’ as an option at Sugaring NYC. This level of customer service ensures a long list of regulars for the business.

We’re thrilled that Timely has been able to help Daria in her business journey, and proud to join with her to bring an all-natural alternative to hair removal to NYC.