Desert Beauty Lab features a menu of innovative and health-conscious services that refrain from using harsh or abrasive chemicals. Photo by KBS Photography
Beauty Meets Bravery
Las Vegas Cancer Survivor Turns Dream of Owning a Salon into a Reality
BY HEATHER TURK
When Susan Salas got laid off from her job as a nail technician at The Salon at Wynn Las Vegas during the COVID-19 pandemic—a position she held for 16 years—she decided to use her free time to follow her dreams.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved to make people feel good about themselves,” Salas told Chic Compass. “My mother was the one who exposed me to facials at a very early age (11 years old). She would take me to her Mary Kay classes, and I was so fascinated by all the makeup and skin products people would use on themselves. I always dreamed of opening my own salon with my own twist. I kept telling myself that this was my calling, and when the timing was right, it would happen.”
However, the day Salas was going to sign the lease to transform a former Kidz Rule Indoor Play & Party Center in Southwest Las Vegas into the salon of her dreams, she received the worst news of her life—she had breast cancer.
Salas said that she knew “the chemicals, odors, and in-and-out mentality” most salons have were all things she wanted to change when opening her salon. Photo by Nicole Szewczyk
“My thoughts went from ‘Do I give up on what I thought I was meant to do?’ to ‘Do I fight for my life and what I was meant to do?’” Salas recalled. “It was then and there that I decided to fight harder than I have ever fought. Nothing could have prepared me for my battle with chemo—my side effects were worse than I could have ever imagined—but the business needed me, and I needed it.”
On December 10, 2021, just two weeks after Salas underwent a double mastectomy, Desert Beauty Lab opened its doors at 7260 S. Cimarron Road. While Salas was advised after her long surgery (more than 6 hours due to the additional removal of her lymph nodes) to take six to eight weeks to heal, the day following her operation, she made herself walk without pain pills. Eight days later, Salas was busy assembling furniture at her salon and doing as much as possible to prepare everything for its grand opening.
Far from your typical salon, Desert Beauty Lab is a holistic luxury salon where beauty organically coexists with wellness. It offers reasonably priced manicures, pedicures, facials, and hair services for women, men, and even little “princesses.” It uses only top-of-the-line products that are safe and organic in its treatments, like FarmHouse Fresh, Eminence, and the vegan nail polish line, sundays.
“Desert Beauty Lab is a place where you can embark on a journey of transformative services that focus on the mind and body,” Salas said. “Our salon smells different since there are no fumes from acrylic nails, as we have chosen to offer Aprés Gel-X nail extensions as a cleaner and healthier alternative to acrylics. It also feels different, as our guests are treated like family. Simply put, Desert Beauty Lab is a different realm altogether, and I hope that what we do can become a new concept for other local salons.”
Desert Beauty Lab offers a high-end salon experience off-Strip. Photo by KBS Photography
Guests are given VIP treatment from the moment they arrive at Desert Beauty Lab by being offered a complimentary beverage to enjoy, including (for adults) champagne, wine, or beer. They can also book a wide range of services not typically found at your neighborhood salon. Highlights include the unique men’s Honey Beer Bath Manicure, which includes a beer bath soak to soften rough skin, and the rejuvenating Wine Me Down women’s pedicure that includes a fragrant Cabernet scrub to leave feet feeling silky smooth. Additionally, guests can customize their manicures and pedicures by adding on an invigorating Theragun deep muscle massage or the use of relaxing guided meditation headsets, the latter of which pairs perfectly with the salon’s zero-degree gravity pedicure chairs.
Guests can put a little pep back in their step by adding a Theragun massage to their pedicure. Photo by KBS Photography
While salon-goers can book treatments à la carte, monthly membership packages are also available, providing additional benefits for frequent guests. Since Salas knows more than anyone that life can be unpredictable, any unused services can be rolled over to the following month for members to use. Additionally, one unused monthly service can be gifted to friends or family for a nominal transfer fee, which is practically unheard of at other salons.
With Desert Beauty Lab’s first anniversary on the horizon, Salas continues to look toward the future. She noted that she would love to expand the salon to different parts of Las Vegas “when the time is right” and is in the process of creating her own product line to use at the salon. Most importantly, though, the woman who opened a beauty salon in Sin City that believes wellness is a necessity is working hard to take care of herself.
“I am in the recovery phase right now,” the mother of three said. “I lost a lot of weight and am still trying to gain energy through my food intake. I have started to work out again, though—it feels good going back to the gym and getting some of me back. I have two more surgeries to go, but I will be here for a long time living the best life I can.”
As for what words of encouragement the inspiring salon owner would offer to those still trying to turn their dreams into a reality, Salas simply said, “If it is a thought, it can become a reality. Become obsessed with what you want, and do not let that slip away from you. Don’t let people tell you who you are—be you and love you.”
To see the salon’s complete menu of services, visit: desertbeautylab.com
Desert Beauty Lab has zero-degree gravity pedicure chairs for guests to lounge in while their feet are being pampered. Photo courtesy of Desert Beauty Lab.