🎉 🥂 Dream Come True for West Ave’s Newest Business Owner

Feb 28, 2023 | Shopping

Contributor: Jamie Richardson

The Bronzed Beauty Lounge officially opened on West Ave in Downtown Kannapolis on Saturday, Feb 25th! This elevated salon provides luxury services including custom spray tans, facials, and lash extensions.

Gigi Palacios is the owner and is an expert spray tan artist, practicing for over five years and LOVING EVERY SECOND. She said, “Opening The Bronzed Beauty Lounge is such a dream come true.”

Previously, Gigi worked in the Beauty Bar at Maven Salon for three years before deciding she was ready to go out on her own. She originally looked for space in Charlotte, but the West Ave District had come to feel like family to her.

She realized she could stay in Kannapolis AND still meet her goals. She approached the owner of Maven and asked if she could take over The Beauty Bar area of the salon and in December of 2022 began the process of remodeling the space into her own beauty lounge.

“Our goal is for our clients to leave feeling a million times better than when they walked in. We’re not only providers but friends,” said Gigi. “We want to offer a welcoming environment where there are no worries walking in before your service. The Bronzed Beauty Lounge is a judgment-free zone where clients come to feel better about themselves.”

How a Skin Disorder Led Her to Start a Business
Gigi was born in New York but grew up in Salisbury, NC. When she was 10 years old her parents found out she had a recessive albino gene, meaning her skin would never be able to collect pigment. She was picked on in school which led to a struggle with low self-esteem. Before going on a family beach trip her mom suggested getting a spray tan.

This was a life-changing moment for Gigi, she suddenly had confidence and felt like a new person. Now her goal is to make people feel beautiful and give them the confidence that her first spray tan gave her.

Meet Gigi’s Beauty Dream Team
In addition to spray tans, The Bronzed Beauty Lounge also offers facial treatments, waxing, lash extensions, and more. Megan Lotter (left in picture) specializes in lash extensions and result-driven facial treatments.

Megan is a graduate of the Aveda Institute. While attending school, she enrolled in a lash class and fell in love with the art of eyelash extensions. Her main goal is for her clients to walk out looking good but feeling even better.

Tahlia Gina (Sandoval) (right in picture) specializes in waxing, brow mapping, and laminating. She attended Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s cosmetology program and graduated with her license in 2019.

She started her own mobile beauty service company, TGS beauty, in 2020 and has now joined the team at The Bronzed Beauty Lounge. Tahlia’s biggest goal is to make women feel beautiful while doing something she’s passionate about.