The Sugarista

Out with the old (waxing), in with the new (Sugaring)!! My first time sugaring and I will never go back to waxing! You cannot get burned, there’s no gross mess and it did not hurt as much. Stephanie was friendly, fast and answered my million of questions. Sugaring is a relatively new thing and a lot of it is by word of mouth. Definitely recommend this cute, quaint place. I’m hooked.

Wow! What a cute, relaxing and aesthetically pleasing space! I love this area of town so was very excited for this new business to be going in. My appointment was with Kyle and after just 1 sugaring session decided that she would be my life-​long sugarista – I know that’s a heady statement but it’s the truth. Kyle takes her time, is gentle, precise (gets all the hairs!), has an amazing «bedside» manner and is hilarious and super smart to boot. Great location with plenty of parking, delicious coffee across the street, sweet, smart sugaristas… get your hairy self in here stat!

I just had an appointment with Kyle for a Brazilian wax which can be a bit uncomfortable, but I must say that she was simply amazing and made me feel very comfortable! She did a fantastic job, was very engaging and just all around a total sweetheart! She even referred me to a hairstylist when I told her that I just relocated to the area several months ago! Now that’s the way to go above and beyond the call of duty! I’ll definitely be going back!

I just had my third appointment here and have had services from Aja and Tara. I agree with other commenters about the superior smoother results from sugaring and the professional customer service provided by Aja and Tara. I’ve been driving from the burbs — leaving closer hair removal establishments in my wake — to keep my appointments at The Sugarista. Recommend without hesitation.

Having never had any waxing done, I thought before my wedding was a good time to start. Stephanie is THE BEST. Not only does she do an amazing job, she makes the experience comfortable and fun… she is so easy to talk to! All staff I have encountered are friendly, and their scheduling system is easy to use. They have weekend appointment times, as well as later weekday times for those of us who can’t get off work early. I couldn’t recommend this place enough — go to Stephanie, she will change the way you look at brows!

If you haven’t experienced The Sugarista service you are missing out! The best customer service and smoothest skin you will ever receive. I was skeptical years back after always using wax… after seeing Stephanie for years now I would never go any place else. No more ingrown hairs, no bumps and no redness. Just baby smooth skin right after my treatment and it lasts for weeks! Thank you to her and the employees for always providing an exceptional service.

I’ve been waxing for many years but this my first time sugar waxing. No comparison! It was less painful and lasted twice as long. Aja was great– made me feel comfortable, was friendly, but not constantly talking which I appreciated, and she was efficient. After a lot of research I found that most places charge about the same for the sugaring so I will go back to Aja every time–

First time getting sugared! I had a great first impression. The place was clean and inviting. Tara was very warm and welcoming. I got a Brazilian (which can be very intimidation the first time), but Tara out me at ease. We chatted throughout the whole appointment and it was over before I knew it. Not only was did she have great customer service, but sugaring itself seemed to work a lot better than waxing. It’s not as hot and it seems to pick up a lot more hairs. The building was slightly difficult to navigate through, but that didn’t detour from my great experience. I will definitely be coming back.

Stephanie is the BEST in Portland! She is a Jedi master in perfect brows and magically making other hair remove. In addition to bring an expert, she is a total sweetie !

I’m disappointed in myself that I have neglected to write a review for Sugarista and the fabulous Stephanie. Let me just say that I’ve been an avid sugar lover for years, so much so that I was flying back to San Diego to see my sugarer to get my «maintenance» done. Do the math… on a five week average cycle, it was costing me quite a bit to get sugared.
That was until I found Stephanie. Finding a Sugarista is like the dating scene. You meet a couple duds, a few that are ok but don’t quite get you and when you’re patient and lucky, you find the person that not only understands you but also makes you feel totally at ease having your lady bits exposed. And did I mention that she knows her sh! t? Growth patterns, what causes your skin to react negatively and has the best demeanor ever… I can’t say enough great things about her. So, one year later I only fly to San Diego to have fun and see Stephanie for everything else.
The dedicated parking lot is a plus and so are the lovely products she sells. I particularly love the Billion Dollar Brows line! Pricing is right on point and worth every penny. Scheduling has been a breeze online and she has gone above and beyond to accommodate my ridiculous schedule. I’ve only sugared there but I know they offer lots of other services I can’t wait to try!

I started going to the Sugarista after a good friend recommend them.
I’m so glad I listened!
Stephanie has sculpted my brows so expertly — they’ve never looked so good! She even went above and beyond and applied a soothing mud mask after my first few sugar appointments (I was using a cream prescribed by my dermatologist that made my skin extremely sensitive).
I love that they have a mobile app that you can use to book your appointments, just make sure to sync it to your calendar so that you don’t forget (sorry Stephanie!).
I highly recommend sugaring, just book your appointment in advance as they do fill up!

This is the 2^nd place I’ve been sugared in Portland — the first was also great but I sometimes had problems finding parking… not so with this place! There’s a small lot right next to the Victorian building housing The Sugarista.
What can I say but Stephanie is awesome! I’ve been seeing her since before she moved to her new space in NW and she always makes me feel so comfortable — the space is bright and quiet and she’s a really fun conversationalist. She does my Brazilians, underarms and (sometimes) brows. She and Aja recently got «Billion Dollar Brows» certified and I got the full treatment — seriously, having nice brows has taken 5 years off my face (you know, so it looks like I’m 21 again (right!)). I haven’t used Aja’s services but I’ve spoken with her and she seems like a sweetheart as well & I’d have no hesitation booking with her.
I’ve been prepping for an extended vacation and Stephanie was so great at helping me determine how often I should come in for my services and, with the easy online booking tool, I was able to confirm my appointments months in advance so I could get exactly the times that work for me.
Use either of The Sugarista’s services and you won’t be disappointed. I’ll just have to make sure I keep booking online in advance so all of you soon-​to-​be new clients don’t take the timeslots I want!

I just walked home from the least painful Brazilian I have ever had. Why have I not tried sugaring before? I am now a complete convert.
Aja was very professional, easy going, and knowledgeable. She was kind to answer all my questions about sugaring while I had my service.
The salon is quiet, soothing, and relaxing. It’s also clean and comfortable.
They even have parking and a secret passage way.
I will definitely be back!

After being devoted to waxing while I lived in Cleveland, I was a bit panicked at the thought of finding a new esthetician in Portland. While Unilocaling around, I found great reviews on some waxing salons, but sugaring kept popping up as well. I decided to give it a shot because, hell, it’s not like I have my regular esthetician here anyway. It was going to be an adventure whether I chose waxing or sugaring.
Enter the Sugarista… Miss Stephanie herself. You guys, this woman is GOLD. I am 100% a sugaring convert. After going here for several months consecutively, I can say without a doubt that Stephanie is the most professional yet accommodating and sweet esthetician I’ve ever worked with. Oh, and did I mention she’s a perfectionist? You will never leave her office and then realize that she missed a spot, or even a hair.
Stephanie always explains what she is about to do before she moves on, asks if it’s ok to tweeze (ugh, yes, fine), and makes the appointment fly by. I don’t know how someone can be so professional and funny at the same time, while I’m half naked.
She has also been a dream when it comes to rescheduling, for any reason. Snowpocalypse got your Streetcar lines frozen? No biggie. Realized your hair grew back in a week sooner than anticipated? She will try her absolute best to accommodate you, always. I’m almost afraid to gush this much about her, because if she gets too much new business, she might not be able to accommodate my changing schedule so much. But, I have to share — she deserves all the praise and all the business.
Stephanie is also fantastic with brows. I’ve previously only gotten my eyebrows threaded, or have tweezed them myself. I’ve been terrified to get them waxed because they’re naturally thin and all it takes is one «oops» for me to end up without any brows. Stephanie took great care to clean up my brows and shape them without taking too much off. Some people, unfortunately, get way too nervous when I say I have thin brows, please don’t remove them entirely — they barely do any cleanup and I feel like I paid for nothing. Stephanie struck the perfect balance and also did a great job of trimming the eyebrows.
Are you still reading this? Have I convinced you?
Oh, I should mention, for me personally this hurts pretty much the same as waxing. However, there is FAR less irritation, which for me was always a bigger deal than the instant pain, anyway. Stephanie did my brows the day of an event (a usual no-​no) and there was absolutely no redness.
If you have any hair on your body that you’d like removed, please visit The Sugarista. It’ll be the best hair-​removal experience of your life, I promise.

As long as I live in Portland, I will never go anywhere else again. I had my first appointment with Aja, used the $ 45 for $ 65 Unilocal deal, and I am sold for life.
This sounds dramatic, but seriously, go here. And don’t be deterred by the slightly confusing location… Enter the adorable yellow house, go up the stairs in the main entryway, then go down to the basement from there to L101.
This was my first experience with sugaring, and I really don’t know why anyone waxes. It was significantly less painful, and much quicker. This technique works on shorter hairs as well, so you don’t have to wait until things grow out before retuning (good for my obsessive personality, bad for my wallet).
Lastly, Aja was so sweet and comforting. I recently had a waxing appointment elsewhere where the stylist (waxist? grooming professional?) didn’t even bother to introduce herself. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to know each other’s names before exposing everything to someone new.
All in all, this was as close to enjoyable as a hair removal appointment could possibly get.

In my previous life in Seattle, I had wonderfully close relationships with a few key professionals: my hairstylist, massage therapist, and sugarist. I’d been seeing each of them for about five years, which covers a wealth of conversations, connections, and plain old comfort with each other that’s impossible to replace.
But a move to a new city forced me to get back on the market and start over. And when it comes to sugaring, I’m thrilled that I landed at The Sugarista and in Aja’s skilled and capable hands; she’s made the transition to this new relationship easy and seamless. On my first visit shortly after my move, she was full of valuable suggestions for where to go for things like yoga, food, etc: I felt right at home, and welcomed and valued as a new client.
For anyone who doesn’t know, sugaring is a less painful and all-​around more skin-​friendly alternative to waxing; if you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out! Being a client at The Sugarista is so easy, in part because of their online booking system (MindBody, the same system your yoga studio probably uses) but also because the women who work here are welcoming and wonderful. Their space is located in the basement of a lovely old house on NW Kearney (pro tip: go UP the entry stairs in order to head down the other side to the basement), and it even has a small parking lot outside. Prices for services are excellent; I’m paying around $ 15 – 20 less per session than I did in Seattle for the same.
I haven’t had services with anyone other than Aja, but she’s fantastic. After only a couple of visits she easily remembered what I did and didn’t want, and she’s always willing to change things up depending on your preference. Sugarists all have their own style; she’s quick and firm, and excellent at immediately minimizing any post-​pull pain. Not to mention she’s so easy to chat with despite the unavoidable oddness of the situation (which you’ll quickly forget anyway).
The Sugarista, like my old studio, also sells their own ingrown-​minimizing product: a tamanu oil balm. It’s incredibly effective and smells beautiful, and at only $ 12 a tin you can stock up (as you should). If you’ve been curious about sugaring, head to The Sugarista and start up a new and hopefully long-​lasting history.

Update:
So I just received hair removal services from Stephanie. She too made things quick and painless. She is very knowledgeable, efficient, and pretty damn funny as well. I bought her beauty archaeology tamanu balm, which is an antibacterial, luxurious necessity for proper aftercare. I highly recommend this place!
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I cannot say enough about how Stephanie has changed my life! She makes voluntary pain (at an affordable price) so pleasant with great conversation, so that it’s all over before you know it. And because she works swiftly and quickly, with precision to boot, you will never want to wax again. In fact, you’ll probably curse yourself for ever having waxed in the past.
Her space is also very cozy and cute, and includes free parking… Whoohoo! She does book up rather quickly though, so last minute appointments are not really possible. Make sure to make your follow-​up appointments the day you see her.

If you’ve never gotten a Brazilian before, I recommend getting sugared by Stephanie.
I’ve gotten sugared at other places before but Stephanie is the most thorough, not to mention QUICK. She has a positive and friendly attitude and will make you feel comfortable.
The only downside is that she books up fast! Appointments are booked through the online scheduler but you can always call to try to schedule a time that is not showing up online.

Had my first sugaring experience yesterday. All I can say is fantastic! The results far exceeded my expectations, and it was virtually painless.
Aja is delightful, experienced and efficient. The setting is serene and sweet. I am definitely making this THE place to go for all my waxing (excuse me, sugaring!) needs.