Women in Redmond now have a new salon to visit for their pampering needs and a special service not offered in many places.

In addition to waxing, facial and chemical and fruit peel services, The Lash & Wax Boutique at 16651 N.E. Redmond Way, Suite 160 in downtown also offers eyelash extensions, which involves attaching synthetic, silk or mink lashes to the natural lash for a fuller look.

Owner O.J. Johnson said the procedure takes about an hour and a half to two hours as each lash extension must be glued to an individual natural lash.

“It is really tedious,” he said.

Lash & Wax is the second location for Johnson and his wife Carolina Cruz. Their first salon, which goes by the same name, is located in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle and has been open for a few years. Cruz runs the Seattle salon while Johnson is in charge of the new Redmond location.

Johnson said the Seattle Lash & Wax was the first salon in the state to open that specialized in eyelash extensions. His wife has been doing eyelash extensions for about 10 years and was working extremely long hours to accommodate her growing clientele until they opened the Seattle salon. Johnson, who had a previous career in construction, started helping his wife about a year ago after attending Evergreen Beauty College in Everett. He was the first male student to enroll in the school, which was not easy.

Johnson said he faced a number of people who told him working in the beauty industry would be difficult because of his gender. He added that one person even said they would not hire him because he is a man and therefore, not able to perform all of the services they provide such as bikini and Brazilian waxes, in order to protect the clients’ privacy.

While Johnson understands this and will have one of his female employees perform such services, he said he did not appreciate the person’s attitude because people should be able to do anything they want.

“I just think society needs to change,” he said.

Johnson said he has also been faced with clients who have been hesitant to have a male esthetician working on them. But Johnson, whose goal is to set the standard in how eyelash extension are done, lets his work speak for itself. He said when he was working in Seattle he was “horrified” to see clients come in with bad extension jobs where four or five of the client’s natural lashes were glued to one extension. He said this could damage the natural lashes as they will be pulled at and can eventually fall out altogether.

Johnson admits it took quite a bit of practice for him to get to the level he is at now and a lot of time watching his wife work on clients and learning from her.

“I can’t thank my wife enough for being there,” he said.

The hard work and practice paid off as clients eventually began coming back to Johnson for repeat business.

But now that he is in Redmond, Johnson has to start from the beginning to build his clientele. Additionally, he said he opened his new business at the worst possible time, in the middle of the holiday season as people have been out of town or preoccupied with spending time with family.

“We’re still pretty slow,” he said.

But slow business does not mean no business.

Redmond resident Josie Canales first discovered Lash & Wax when she was driving on Cleveland Street and saw the salon’s sign. It was exactly what she was looking for because she “needed a place for lashes and waxes.”

Canales, who lives on Education Hill, got eyelash extensions and really enjoyed her experience.

“I love the fact that when I left the spa, I looked perfect,” she said.

This was the fourth time Canales had gotten eyelash extensions. She said her first experience was good but the second and third time were not. As a frequent spa visitor and a self-admitting “high-maintenance” person, Canales has not had the best experiences with salons in the area. She said there has been a lack of quality of services in the area and she has encountered spa workers who were cold and distant.

But Lash & Wax was a very different experience.

“I’m very happy with the service and how they treat you,” she said.

Canales was so happy with her extensions and the service she received that she returned in less than a week to get a facial.

This type of service that Canales received is what Johnson wishes to provide for all of his clients. He said he enjoys getting to know them and making them happy and confident at the end of their visit.

“I can feel their joy inside of them, passed over to me,” he said. “I really get a kick out of that.”