Humans of Urban You | #12
December 2019 marks 12 months of “Humans of Urban You”
We have so enjoyed interviewing our guests, members, and employees over the last year and look forward to continuing this series in 2020. For our last feature of the 2019, we interviewed the Urban You CEO, Nicole Gregory. You’ll get to know a little bit more about the visionary behind “Trends live here, YOU belong here.” and what Urban You has in store for the new decade.
Ready to dive in?
Where are you originally from, Nicole?
“Marquette, Michigan.”
For those who have never been, Marquette is across the Mighty Mac and about 4 hours northwest, and is surrounded by the beautiful Lake Superior. With a population just over 20,000, it’s known as the Queen City of the Upper Peninsula and home to the Northern Michigan University Wildcats and some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Tell us about a recent travel experience of yours.
“Today I am in NYC. The city has so many new experiences we don't have access to in Grand Rapids. Even though the city is busy and stressful, it has so many options for wellness. Workouts, healthy food options and wellness centers, I love exploring them. I tried a a sweat bed at the Shape House, 55 minutes, burns 1,800 calories. Not sure if that is an accurate calorie count, but I felt detoxed, my face was glowing and I got a nap in during the time.”
Fun fact: Urban You was originally designed for the modern woman. There wasn’t a place where you could get all of your beauty and wellness under one roof at the time, and sometimes the newest trends would never make it to Michigan. Nicole is intentional about the exploration of new beauty and wellness trends on her travels and looks for ways to incorporate those experiences into Urban You so that our guests can try something new right here in Grand Rapids (and soon, Northville!)
What is currently on your to-do list?
“SO many lists.. My personal goal is to finish up 2019 strong, and be re-centered for 2020. Taking the last 90 days of the year to clear up any items I did not finish, but also sets me up for success. From there I think my lists will get shorter.”
Back in October, Urban You adopted the #last90days movement by the Hollis Co. Each employee was gifted a Start Today journal and encouraged to take the last 90 days of the year to make the best versions of themselves. Wellness is a core value of Urban You and it doesn’t stop at monthly facials and B12 shots.
How or why did you get started in the beauty and wellness industry?
“When looking for services myself, there were not options to find all services I needed in one place, where I could be myself. Most places feel too clinical or too expensive. I wanted to design an experience that was "street level", where conversations felt comfortable and it was normal and encouraged to ask about the newest services. I wanted to feel and make others feel like awe belonged to something. Which is why we incorporated memberships, monthly touch points with our guests.”
In the age of custom shampoos, cleansers, vitamins, and wardrobes, the beauty and wellness industry is nearly completely curated. At Urban You, it’s no different! With a bespoke membership, you simply commit to “me time” each month and our beauty and wellness experts design a custom treatment plan with services and products that are in line with your lifestyle, beauty goals and budget.
What does “beauty and wellness” mean at Urban You?
“Confidence in yourself, carefree of worries, curious of new, connected to the world.”
This industry is ever-changing and something new is always popping up in our feeds and inboxes. Urban You takes the time to break it down with free educational events, the Slow Mo podcast, and free comprehensive consultations for each guest. Through this, guests and members are empowered in their beauty and wellness journey and remain confident, carefree, curious and connected.
Urban You is fast-growing with THREE locations in less than three years... how did you do it and how do you feel about it?
“Nerve-racking, but exciting. I've seen myself, my partners and our team grow professionally and personally; significantly in a short amount of time. The passion of the team is our secret to success.. Love that we are able to offer services in our 3 locations, and that members can enjoy their benefits between all three. Next year there will be even bigger things to come, keep watching.”
The third location is about to open… why Northville?
“We have many clients that come from Northville and the Lansing area, now we can service both. The town is adorable a place you could hang for a whole day, the people (town) has been so welcoming!”
One of the core values of Urban You is flexibility to fit beauty and wellness into your lifestyle. More locations = less time traveling and more time relaxing!
A full-service medspa, with non-invasive body sculpting, lashes and brows, facials, blowouts, injectables, fun events… everything people love about Urban You will be at the new location.
The first 50 people to enroll in a Loving On Me membership will be recognized as Founding Northville Members and enjoy exclusive benefits for just $99/month, forever (normally $125/mo) — You can get on the wait list for it by clicking here.
Pick one Urban You service EVERYONE should try and tell us why.
I've always loved how a good facial can make someone feel uber confident. Facial hands down, add a dermaplaning. Your skin glows and you feel like a million bucks. I love our blow-dry bar too, getting my hair styled allows me to get ready fast on the daily.
What was the highest high for Urban You in 2019?
This is a hard question. There are so many ups and downs that you look at the end of year and smile, we've done great things and are growing into the company we want to be. This year has been a year of process, it feels really good to know the team has the day to day and I can focus on culture and growth.
What did you learn in 2019 that is going to make Urban You even better in 2020?
How much we are a family together, the good, bad and ugly. Our guests LOVE our memberships, they are part of the family, coming in sometime to just say hello or drop off a treat for our team. EVERYONE on the team has grown this year, we've had some changes and will have more, but it feels good to walk into one of our locations knowing you belong.
Anything else you'd like to share with our guests, members, readers?
In 2020, Urban You will be focusing on WELLNESS each quarter through the lens of brand; Curious, Confident, Carefree, Connected. We are excited to grow with our guests, members and team in understanding what each of the C's mean to us individually and how to support each other. There is not enough thanks in our hearts for 2019, with love and gratitude, Nicole... my personal 2020 mantra.. Giddy up.. and do you.