JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Johnstown woman has taken a longtime passion and turned it into a career where she can leave her customers feeling polished.
Tawnya Hess, of the West End section of the city, worked for an area school district for 20 years, but said about two years ago, when she was 48 years old, she knew she had to go in a different direction.
“I decided it was time to make a change, and I wanted to do something where it would bring out my creative side and also would help people feel better about themselves,” Hess said. “So I decided to go back to school and be a nail tech.”
Hess recently opened Polished Nail Studio in the back of West End Styles on Strayer Street.
She said she became certified earlier this year, but has been doing her own nails since high school.
“It has been a passion of mine that I’ve done on the side before I was actually certified to do the nail tech stuff and I’m starting out, but I’d like to think that I’m growing every day. The more I do it, the better I’m going to get, the more experience I get,” Hess said.
According to Hess, one of her favorite parts of her job is giving pedicures because of the experience she can provide clients.
“I love to give pedicures. I didn’t think that I would because I myself don’t like when people touch my feet, but I love to give pedicures because it helps the person that’s getting the pedicure to relax. … I always tell them, relax, enjoy,” she said. “To me most of the time when somebody leaves after getting a pedicure, they’re more relaxed than they were when they came in, and I feel everybody needs that. Everybody needs just a little bit of an escape, even if it’s only half an hour or 45 minutes. That’s the escape that they need.”
Hess said what sets her apart from other nail salons is the experience she creates for customers.
“I’m more interested in your experience. I’m more interested in how you come out of this, feeling comfortable, feeling better about your nails, feeling better about yourself. To me, it’s not about making money. It’s more about making people happy,” she said. “My goal is to help people feel better about themselves. Yes, granted, I have to make money, I have to pay my bills, same as everyone else, but to me, it’s more about your experience than it is about the actual just doing the nails.
“To me, it’s an art. Like my motto for the shop is why just paint when you can polish and I firmly believe that I want you to feel polished when you leave here. I want you to feel better about yourself and better about your nails,” she said.
Hess can be contacted at 814-565-3002.
