Meet Amanda Pederson | Licensed Esthetician & Spa Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Pederson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’d known for a long time that I wanted to be self-employed, but I had no idea how I wanted to accomplish that. My career at the time was in the IT space, doing technical support, network and server administration, and then later project management. I didn’t see how I would transition that to a business, and it wasn’t something I loved anyway, so the idea of entrepreneurship simmered on the back burner for many years. Meanwhile, my sister, Dayna, went to esthetician school in Wisconsin, where we’re from. She ended up moving here to work for the esthetician that I was a client of at the time. The short version is that job didn’t work out, and not only was my sister seeking employment again but I was seeking a new esthetician. I saw a few here in Tucson that had good reviews, but I was ultimately unimpressed by both the customer service and the quality of the services from a technical perspective. I remember laying on the table at the last place I tried, thinking “I know I can do this better”. I also have a son who at the time was 18 months old. I wanted to be able to make my own schedule to be more accessible to him as he grows, and I set a goal of being completely self-employed before he started kindergarten.

That was the summer of 2021. By September, I was in esthetician school at night and still working my day job. In October, I filed articles of incorporation. In December, I signed a lease on a salon suite and hired my sister. So The Fern Grove Spa was born.

What should our readers know about your business?
I saw an unmet need in the community for a safe aesthetics space for people traditionally overlooked and underserved by the beauty industry. We openly welcome, affirm, and cater to the LGBTQ+ community, diverse body shapes and sizes, and anyone else who wants access to aesthetics services in a shame and judgement-free zone. I also envisioned an environment where we know and form long-term relationships with our clients. We aren’t going to do your Brazilian wax in under 10 minutes and send you on your way. Some people want that; that’s fine and there are places for that, but we’re not it. What we will do is an excellent, meticulous service while also ensuring your physical and emotional comfort and taking a genuine interest in you as a person.

I’m proud of what we’ve built so far and I’m excited to see what the future holds. I’ve got big dreams and lots of ideas about how we can continue to serve our clients and the community at large.

Our biggest challenges are getting people to know we exist and the seemingly never-ending game of chicken that startups play- “can we build up fast enough before we run out of money?” We honestly haven’t overcome either of those challenges fully yet. I joke that I’m tired of being Tucson’s best-kept secret. In reality, I know we’re doing great for how long we’ve been open. We started with no clients and I was super naive about how hard it would be to get people in the door. I didn’t think it would be easy, but I didn’t realize how hard and what kind of hard it would be. I do a lot of networking now, which is something I had neither the knowledge or desire to do when I started. Now I actually enjoy it, but initially I thought I could set up shop, run some ads on social media, and people would book and show up. I didn’t realize how relationship-driven business in general is and specifically how much of a small town Tucson is in that regard. I also didn’t understand that I was signing up to be the face of a brand. I figured, as a consumer, I don’t necessarily know the owner of the local place I shop, so why would the public want to know me? But it seems they do, and that’s been an adjustment in perspective for me. I have my own self-image issues, as we all do, and imposter syndrome is always lurking somewhere on the fringes, looking for the opportunity to pounce.

I want people to understand that even though we may offer similar services as the next place down the street, there are critical ways in which we’re different. We baked body-positivity, inclusion, approachability, and authenticity into our branding from the start. I wanted to be deliberate about that, because I felt the communities and demographics I wanted to serve shouldn’t have to guess whether or not we’re a safe space for them. We are, and we walk the walk.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a tough question for me! I became a parent right at the start of COVID, so that colors where I’ve spent my time the last few years. I’m also a transplant from the Midwest. I’ve been in Tucson 7 years, but there’s lots of local things I haven’t even done myself. I can talk food, though. My go-tos for out-of-towners are Zemam’s (Ethiopian food) and Rocco’s Little Chicago. I like the outdoor space at Union Public House and their mac & cheese is perfection. Culinary Dropout has a nice hangout area and I’m moderately obsessed with their pretzel “bites” (the size of baseballs). The Screamery for ice cream. The Desert Museum is a must-visit. I also love the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. It’s unique and delightfully weird. A day trip to Bisbee would be on the docket as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people, honestly, but my husband Alex deserves a huge amount of credit for supporting this entire adventure in every conceivable way. He picked up a lot of slack and sacrificed a lot for me to go back to school and start this business while we were both working full time, raising a toddler, and he was a part-time student as well in a demanding major. It was a crazy year we’re still recovering from in many ways, but he’s gutting it out with me.

Website: www.theferngrovespa.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/theferngrovespa

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theferngrovespa

Image Credits
Rachel Castillo, Rachel Marie Photography