Greetings! Welcome to the internet home of Sugar and Henna by Elle.  My name is Elle and you are witnessing a dream become realized.  Once upon a time in New York City, I was working as a freelance production assistant.  While on-location one summer, I fell in love with the spa atmosphere at a commercial shoot for a face cleanser.  I was 27, already in love with skin care, and obsessed with eyebrows, so it occurred to me that becoming an esthetician was probably the next logical step for me to take. It took me some years to actually manifest this, but eventually I decided to return to where I spent my much younger years, the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  I knew that going to school full time and paying to live in New York City would not be feasible, so I moved back home with my parents and siblings.  I enrolled in the Esthetician Program at The Graham Webb Academy located in Rosslyn, VA. During my time in school, I was introduced to the art of Sugaring by the waxing instructor who also happened to be the lead educator for a national sugar paste brand.  I was so intrigued by the technique, that I went, on my own, and obtained a certification in sugaring right after I finished the Esthetics Program. While I absolutely loved the results, and started to get it done myself, the technique was intimidating enough to have me shy away from (abandon) the whole thing for the next few years. 

    Upon getting licensed in Virginia and Maryland, I worked as a spa manager where the already-planted seeds for entrepreneurship were able to bloom and gain traction for me.  I decided it was time to leave the spa world, and dove right into doing hair removal services at local waxing studios. Interestingly enough, what started out as an eye-brow obsession, organically evolved into a Brazilian waxing specialty. The reason was pretty simple: Brazilian waxing was (and still is) the #1 most-requested service in the Esthetics industry.  I focused on perfecting my brazilian waxing technique for 2 years, and then an opportunity came to open and do services in my very own space.  With only 15 regular clients and a part time job at a tech company, I took the leap of faith.  It wasn’t until a year later, that sugaring crept back up on my radar.  It was 2am and I had to do my own brazilian for a flight at 6am! To my horror, I ONLY had my sugaring kit at home, and I hadn’t touched it in almost 4 years!  It was like riding a bike. I finished my brazilian in 10 minutes and was instantly reminded of how much I loved it!   I iimmediately contacted my instructor to sign me up for her very next refresher class.  It was blissful. FInally! After all these years, something finally clicked.  I found what I wanted to focus on in my business.  Naturally adding in my love of Henna adornment, Sugar & Henna was born on March 2, 2020.  3 weeks later, the whole world was shut down and everybody was instructed to stay home.

    4 months later, we were allowed to reopen and once I officially added sugaring to my menu, the influx of new clients has been non-stop! It seems like everybody has been looking for a sugarist, and here I am!!