THUNDER BAY — Opening a waxing spa seemed to be in the cards all along for a local Thunder Bay entrepreneur.
In 2017, Kate Lamers, born and raised in Thunder Bay, opened the first Stella Wax Bar.
Lamers started in aesthetics after graduating high school in Thunder Bay.
After finishing the college program, she wanted to get into medical aesthetics.
“I moved down to southern Ontario and lived there for about eight years. I did medical aesthetics and I also went to school for public relations down there. And also worked in a lot of restaurants,” she said.
Lamers said while being in southern Ontario, Brazilian waxing was becoming more and more popular.
“I worked at a giant spa in Square One, which is like the biggest mall down there. They asked all the aestheticians who wanted to learn how to do Brazilian. I was one of the only ones that said yes.
“My books became scheduled with all of that. Waxing kind of chose me; I didn't choose it. It forced me, because I was so new in the industry, to have that as my niche.”
Lamers fell in love with waxing, loved the social aspect and being able to connect with her clients month after month.
“When I decided to move back home, I was actually working in the restaurant industry. But, I realized there wasn't a specific place in town that specialized in waxing and, or Brazilians. There are a lot of places that do it, but no one that specializes in it.
“With such an intimate service, it's something you want to go to somewhere where they're an expert at it. So, I decided to bite the bullet and start my shop and all on Algoma in 2017,” she said.
It's been seven years since the initial opening, Lamers said, and she’s opened multiple locations across the region since the business's inception.
“I opened Algoma in 2017, I opened up in Westfort in 2020, and opened an out-of-town location, in Fort Frances in 2023.”
Lamers found a way to get through the pandemic in 2020 by selling her own line of products.
“Because we couldn't do services, I had to pivot. I created my own line of beauty products. Stella Wax Bar has its own line of sugar scrub, cuticle oil bath bombs, candles, bubble bath and lotion.
“And that is how we got through the pandemic, by selling those online.”
Some people mistake Stella Wax Bar as a chain however, Lamers is the only owner.
“This year, I decided to amalgamate both of our Thunder Bay locations because I really wanted one central location, but I call it our ‘super location’ because it's so much bigger than our other two.
“When I found this space, we did a lot of renovations, but it was absolutely perfect with the amount of treatment rooms and the retail space, and we love the parking.
“I think it's really cool that, there's more local businesses coming into the Thunder Centre, like Urban Eyewear and Milk and Water.
Lamers said it just shows how much Thunder Bay loves their local businesses.
“I find the local business community really works together; all the owners kind of know each other. And even with other spas, we do a lot of cross-promotions. It's not really competitive, it's like working together,” she said.
Lamers, as well as all of her employees, have one goal of making clients feel 100 per cent comfortable as soon as they walk in the door.
“When a client tells me that, that's my biggest compliment is that my vision has come true and with the success of being able to open such a large location, it must be working, because we're getting people in the door."
Stella Wax Bar offers full body waxing services to all genders and is LGBTQIA+ friendly.
“Anyone can walk in the door and feel comfortable,” she said.
Stella Wax Bar has a selection of products from body care to bathing suits.
“We carry size-inclusive bathing suits all the way up to 4X,” she said, adding that they also offer membership pricing to help offset the cost for regular clientele.
Stella Wax Bar is hosting the grand opening of its new location in the Thunder Centre on Aug. 27 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Swag bags will be offered to the first 50 people, and they will be giving away free bathing suits with every $40+ purchase while supplies last.
Complimentary wine and charcuterie cups will be available as well as a permanent jewelry pop-up by Marie Elizabeth Permanent Jewelry.
Lamers encourages anyone to stop by the new location to browse, ask any questions or even just say hello.
