In November 2024, Owner Carissa Porter enhanced her service menu at Salon Hype with the launch of new medspa services from Victoria Senyk, a nurse practitioner ofAesthetics Temple. Salon Hype has two locations in the Chicago suburbs.  

In line with Porter's commitment to health-conscious beauty and her desire to give her clientele a one-stop beauty and wellness destination, Senyk prioritizes treatments featuring natural and organic ingredients, rejuvenating therapies and vitamin boosters that support radiant external results from within. 

“I am excited to introduce these innovative services to the clients at Salon Hype, as they share my vision to make luxury beauty treatments accessible and affordable,” Senyk says.

A few months after introducing these services within her salon's walls, Carissa Porter sat down with SALON TODAY to discuss the partnership and how it's benefitting both businesses. 

SALON TODAY: We’re always interested in the origin of a salon’s name—why Salon Hype? 

Porter: "Nineteen years ago, when I started the salon, I was trying to find something different, unique, easy to remember, as well as exciting. For us, HYPE stands for 'Help Your Personality Explode.' It’s been a fun, all-around name. I decided to create the brand and create hype around it. I believe in helping people feel beautiful, look beautiful—there’s nothing more rewarding than sending someone out the door while making them feel good about themselves." 

SALON TODAY: What was your original salon concept?

Porter: "The first salon I opened was and is hair, nails and skin—it’s the works. The trend over the years I’ve felt is that nail salons have branched off, skincare has branched off. So, the second salon I opened was just hair. But I’m seeing the differences between the two, and I love the one-stop shop. Our flagship has retained clientele better—people come for multiple services and spend the day with us, and I think that has benefitted us through the years."

SALON TODAY: Talking about one-stop shops, you’re branching into something new—medspa services. How did that evolve? 

Porter: “I’m a big believer in skincare myself, and I work very hard at it. I’m 47 years-old and have never had plastic surgery, and little Botox. I love both the Obagiand Lumière skincare lines, which we carry in our salons. In order to carry those products, you have to have a doctor who will sign for them and oversee them as you have it. I always had purchased them for myself from a dermatologist, but when I learned salons could carry them with the right supervision, I knew it was something we had to do. 

"Bringing these amazing products to clients, people sometimes say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re how old?’ And I tell them I’m the mother of high schoolers with one going to college. I think taking care of yourself as a whole has been a benefit to me, and I wanted to share that with people. I wanted to help them look good and feel good without having to go to five different appointments at five different places. Our time as Moms in this world and as entrepreneurs—we are limited with the time we have. I knew I wanted to bring that convenience to my clientele, I knew it would be a game-changer for us.”

SALON TODAY: What did it involve to bring medspa services on board? 

Porter: "Originally, my reps from Obagi and Lumière connected me to an amazing skincare person, a nurse practitioner named Victoria Senyk of Aesthetics Temple. She has a business up north but was looking to branch out and reach more clients. As for the services that are injected and the services that are filler, those small services can be done in my salon by Senyk with a waiver signed by the client. 

"All the proceeds from these services go to the nurse practitioner, but in turn she brings new clientele into our business and their retail purchases are ours. We work together in unison, there is a waiver the clients sign that says we are not responsible for her injections. She has a secondary waiver, and she carries the insurance on those services. 

"In turn, she puts clients on a six-month regimen of chemical peels, skincare products and things to do in-between injections. She’ll put them on a six-month regimen, and our estheticians do those recommended procedures as well as help with the product recommendations. It’s great teamwork that we have together.

“Senyk is at our salon two days a month, but she helps fill up our rooms with services. She builds up our business while we’re building up hers—it’s a match made in heaven.”

SALON TODAY: What kind of medspa services do you offer? 

Porter: "She offers injectables like Botox and filler, focusing on different types of dermal fillers so that the body doesn’t become immune over time. And, she does wellness shots like B12. I get one every other week, and I definitely feel a difference in my energy levels. She also does Vitamin D and C shots. 

"And, she offers NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) which is all the craze right now. It’s supposed to create wellness on the cellular level helping you feel better from within and not age as quickly. I’ve been doing the NAD+ since November and my sleep has definitely improved and I am feeling better. I feel like all of that in unison creates health from the inside out, and is something more people need to do." 

SALON TODAY: It sounds like you are your own guinea pig for your business? 

Porter: "I love it. And, you know what? I’ve been feeling better and I have more energy. I understand some people don’t want shots, and I get it, but it’s quick—literally 30 seconds for a better feeling for weeks to come. I don’t see why I’d ever stop doing it at this point."

SALON TODAY:How have these medspa services enhanced the the experience for your existing guests? 

Porter: "They are starting to see how these wellness shots can enhance their beauty appointment. One thing we’re doing is a B12 and Blowout promotion. Guests come in on a Friday for a blowout with the extra benefit of the B12 shot and it enhances their weekend. Like I said, some people are a little hesitant about the shot, but once they’ve gotten one and they are feeling better from it—it’s been picking up quite a bit. 

"In our marketing, we definitely focus on affordability in all aspects. We want people to feel healthy and look beautiful while keeping it all within budget. As we see more people coming in our doors, we are tapping into more opportunities with them. The world has changed dramatically over the past few years. Every body and anybody is marketing on social media—they all have their name out there, but you have to make yourself different. You have to find the different niches that make people want to come back into your salon—or come into it for the first time."

SALON TODAY: So, your nurse practitioner comes in two times a month, do you think that it will grow beyond that?

Porter: "She’s interested in coming in every week if the business is there. Slowly but surely, we’re building an expanded clientele business for both of us."

Editors Note: In the video interview, Porter goes into further detail with things like pricing, so tune in above for more. 

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