Meet Mônica Lakey: Beautician

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

Hi Mônica, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Brazil in a small town called Parintins in Amazonas, where I lived until I was 18 years old.

My original dream was to become a dermatologist. After finishing high school, I applied to take the entrance exam to became a doctor, but unfortunately I didn’t pass. I then decided to move to Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where I could study to became a beautician and get closer to the my main dream. Besides that, I would be able to have more opportunities that only a big city could provide.

I lived in Manaus for 4 years and in 3 years I completed my college with a lot of effort, dedication, focus and love. During the first years of studying, I started to do some home care, going to my clients house to do the procedures and after a while I started to work in an aesthetic spa.

Each year the love for my profession was growing more and more and also the desire of becoming the best version of myself, always trying to innovate, to learn new skills and to give my clients the best results.

After finishing aesthetics school and I decided to leave Amazonas and go live in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, where I did my post graduation in Pre and Post surgical procedures for 1 year and a half. During this period of 3 years living in Sao Paulo I worked in a spa, I did some home care procedures and took many courses that added to my self knowledge and professional life.

As I always dreamed big, in 2018 I decided to move to California – USA and became an au pair, on a exchange work visa, taking care of 3 kids, and after completing my program I returned to my real profession, studying and taking all the necessary licenses to be able to work here.

After getting all my licenses, I started to advertise my work on various social media platforms such as instagram, facebook, google, and yelp. I started being recognized and I started to win my clients trust and preference, and after months and months of hard work, dedication and persistence and became the owner of my own spa “Monica Lakey Beauty Spa” located on 2nd street in Santa Monica, California.

My spa offers facial and body procedures, waxing, and eyebrow services. Each day my dream became more true and today I can count on a team that works with me at the spa, providing the best techniques and innovations to offer our clients the best spa experience.

What should our readers know about your business?
Mônica Lakey Beauty SPA is a quiet, clean and comfortable place, where we make sure that every single client feels comfortable and relaxed.

Our gol is to provide to our customers well-being, health and especially self-esteem. That’s why we put love and care and everything we do.

Thats is also why I’m always seeking to learn more, to grow more. So I constantly take courses to keep myself refreshed. Besides that I’m always investing in new machineries, new devices and products to provide the best treatment to my clients.

But the secret for the success comes with all the love and dedication that my team and I have. We have passion for what we do!

I’ve been dedicating myself as a beautician for 9 years now and the advice that I have is to never give up on your dreams, no matter how big or difficult you think they’ve might be.

I’m proud of where I’ve got so far, and that is thanks to my family, friends, and my clients. Thanks for believing on me and for helping me grow my business, my dream.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
On the first day I would take them to the Santa Monica Pier, a place that moved me a lot when I arrived in California, as I never imagined that one day I would live here. Then I’d take them to the 2nd street in Santa Monica, where my spa is located haha. I also would love to take them to the Third St promenade, where we could sit and chat, do some shopping, and finally see the very beautiful sunset. During the week we could explore Los Angeles by going to The Grove, (where one of my favorite Brazilian restaurant is, it’s called Pampas Grill), the Urban Lights, Beverly Hills, Malibu and if we have more time go up the Pacific Coast Highway to Ventura and Santa Barbara. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First of all, I thank God very much for giving me all the strength, wisdom, and courage that made me get here. It wasn’t easy, but with him nothing is impossible and everything came out better than I imagined. I also thank my husband Joshua who was always present, giving me all the support and encouragement that I needed along with my parents Lucia and Onias. They taught me to not give up, always work hard, and go after my dreams.

Website: https://en.monicalakeybeautyspa.com

Instagram: @monicalakey_beautyspa

Facebook: Mônica Lakey Beauty SPA

Yelp: Mônica Lakey Beauty SPA

Other: Vagaro: Mônica Lakey Beauty SPA

Image Credits
Taylor William Roberts