Meet Tawnya, the Esthetician Behind Wax & Lash
I have been waxing for 25 years, and I opened Wax & Lash in Denver in December 2013 with one belief: a Brazilian should be quick, comfortable, and done by someone who cares how you feel walking out the door. Almost 13 years and two Denver studios later, nothing about that has changed.
The Beginning
A For Lease Sign and a Napkin
Wax & Lash was never the plan. In the summer of 2013 my husband Roeland and I walked past an empty space on Larimer Square with a for lease sign in the window, and by the end of dinner that night the business plan was written on a napkin. I had been waxing for more than a decade by then and owning businesses since 2004, so I knew exactly what I wanted the studio to feel like: warm, private, unhurried, and run by estheticians who treat a Brazilian as skilled work rather than an awkward errand.
“Anyone can remove hair. The care around it, from the warm towel to the way you are spoken to, is the part people come back for.”
We opened in December 2013 as a two room studio with me on the table. Roeland built out that first space and every studio since, and I designed each one to feel more like a friend’s home than a clinic. The things I set on day one are still how every appointment runs: a hot towel before any intimate wax, your esthetician stepping out while you get settled, soft wax applied by someone who does this all day, and aftercare we make ourselves. That is what sets Wax & Lash apart from any other waxing studio in Denver, and it is why our clients tend to stay.
ROOTED IN DENVER
Open for Almost 13 Years, Two Studios, One Standard
Wax & Lash has been open for almost 13 years, and Denver is the reason it grew. This is a word of mouth city, and a studio that treats people well gets passed along from friend to friend. We have grown from that first two room studio to two neighborhood locations: Berkeley at 4407 Lowell Blvd, a few blocks from Tennyson Street, and Central Park at 10525 E 40th Ave, just off I-70. Same menu, same pricing, and the same training at both.
Between the two studios our clients have left more than 2,000 Google reviews, averaging 4.9 stars in Berkeley. I now work behind the scenes from Southern Oregon, and the estheticians in the rooms are the ones who earned every one of those reviews. Several people who started their careers with us have gone on to open studios of their own, which I count as one of the best things to come out of these years.
13
YEARS IN DENVER
2
STUDIO LOCATIONS
25+
YEARS AS AN ESTHETICIAN
Born in the Studio
Just The Strip: The Story Behind It
Beautifully Bare, Naturally Nourished
Just The Strip started on the treatment tables at Wax & Lash. After years of watching clients fight ingrown hairs and irritation between appointments, I wanted aftercare I could stand behind, so in early 2020 I made the first product myself. Smooth Operator, our ingrown hair serum, was tested on our own clients in our own studios long before it had a label.
Today the line covers the whole routine: Simply Pure Body Wash for the shower, Truth Serum and Smooth Operator for ingrowns, and Nourishing Oils for the days after a wax, plus the lash lift and brow lamination products our estheticians use in the rooms. It is used at both Wax & Lash studios and by professional estheticians across the country. What sets it apart is simple: every product was built for a real client on a real table before it was ever sold.
About Wax & Lash
About Wax & Lash: Your Questions Answered
A few of the things people ask most about who we are and how Wax & Lash began.
Who owns Wax & Lash?
Wax & Lash is owned by Tawnya Fornerod, who founded the studio in Denver in December 2013, and her husband, Roeland Fornerod, who is co-owner. Tawnya has about 25 years of experience in waxing and esthetics, and Roeland has built out every Wax & Lash studio.
How long has Wax & Lash been open?
Wax & Lash has been open for almost 13 years. We opened as a two room studio in December 2013 and now have two Denver locations, Berkeley at 4407 Lowell Blvd and Central Park at 10525 E 40th Ave, with more than 2,000 Google reviews between them.
What is Just The Strip?
Just The Strip is the professional waxing aftercare and skincare line Tawnya created in 2020 after years of helping clients with ingrown hairs and irritation. It includes Smooth Operator, Truth Serum, Simply Pure Body Wash and Nourishing Oils, and it is used at both Wax & Lash studios and by estheticians across the country. You can shop it in the studio or at justthestrip.com.
What makes Wax & Lash different from other Denver waxing studios?
We specialize in waxing, and every esthetician is licensed and trained in the same gentle soft wax technique, so you get the same experience at either studio. Every intimate wax starts with a hot towel, your esthetician steps out while you get settled, and we use single-use tools with no double dipping.
Two Denver Wax & Lash Studio Locations
Wax & Lash Berkeley
book@waxlashdenver.com
Friday to Monday: 9am to 6pm
Wax & Lash Central Park
STE 201A
Denver, CO 80239
book@waxlashdenver.com
Sunday: Closed