“But Black people are making some real money as entrepreneurs, and that’s a big deal.” “A lot of people have made six figures, but multiple people have made $300,000 or $500,000 and five of us have made a million.” Is Holyfield one of those five? “Yes I’m one of the people,” she says modestly. As part of the Black Spa Awards, Holyfield created the “Spa Hall of Fame,” to give spa owners their due when they hit certain revenue goals.
There’s no putting a price on the value of the community spaces that Holyfield is creating for Black spa owners, but an important part of empowering the group has been to acknowledge their financial achievements. “But since I started, Back people are making six figures from spa, and that wasn't happening before.” “To this day, African Americans are not dominating the spa industry whatsoever,” she says. The 39-year-old created the Queen Spa Expo, the only expo for Black spa professionals, and the first Black Spa Awards, which have been held annually in Atlanta since 2016. The founder of Six Figure Spa Chick, a Memphis, Tennessee-based business consulting firm for Black spa owners, Holyfield says she’s served 15,000 clients over the past decade. If anyone has a finger on the pulse of what’s a big deal in the Black community - at least, regarding all things spa - it’s Candace Holyfield. “If Gwen goes and talks about it, people make a big deal, but in African and Haitian communities, this is an ancient ritual.” “It's a really, really big deal in the Black community,” she says. A few years ago the internet lit up over Paltrow’s v-steam recommendations, debating and debunking.īut all of that chatter doesn’t have much to do with Holyfield and her clients. If this sounds like something Gwyneth Paltrow would talk about on Goop, that’s because it is. If you’re trying to conceive after years on birth control, or get “juicy down there” after a hysterectomy, try red raspberry, the “women’s herb.” Black cohosh for period problems, wormwood for infections, maca for sex stamina. You might just want to relax before a date, in which case an all-purpose herb like mugwort is great. Herb choice is key depending on what your v-steam goals are. Even if they want it hotter, I sit them down on three to get adjusted and then take it up or down.” But in my classes I teach students to use a crockpot, which has five settings, and I never sit anybody down higher than three. “Oh it can burn you!” she says with a big laugh.