At Zealand Spa Salon in Commerce, owner Jody Hunter thrives on sharing her relaxing, pampering space that leaves clients looking and feeling their best. We took time to chat with Jody about her business, her journey so far, what’s next, and what she is thankful for this season.
What is the mission at Zealand Spa Salon?
The mission at Zealand Spa Salon is to consistently provide an exceptional experience for our clients. We want the time spent here to feel like a mini resort trip, by being pampered, refreshed, and energized. My vision when entering this industry was to create a warm inviting space that meets all the client’s needs in one beautiful and relaxing setting.
What makes Zealand Spa Salon unique?
What makes Zealand Spa Salon so unique are the variety of services we offer, including hair, makeup, waxing, facials, massage, nails, and the like. I’ve been working for the past 18 months to widen our service menu, adding dermaplaning and microneedling along with the intent to offer other services such as Botox, fillers, weight loss, vitamin injections, and more as we enter 2023. We aspire to fulfill all the needs of our clients while exceeding their expectations.
We host monthly events, which range from makeup demonstrations to beauty bashes and blow-drying lessons. We are working on our 2023 event schedule which will venture outside of beauty by offering wellness events for everyone to enjoy. Zealand is also active in our community by donating to Hospitality House, Haven Oakland, and Wigs 4 Kids Michigan. Wigs 4 Kids is special to me, as I have a good friend that lost his young daughter to cancer. He is now on the board of Wigs 4 Kids and it brings me great joy to help such a wonderful organization.
Tell us a bit about your team. What is great about them?
Our client-centered staff at Zealand Spa Salon has a wide range of specialties to offer. Whether it’s a short fashion haircut, balayage, special event styling, highlights, hair donation, fashion colors, or anything in between, we have a stylist that is perfect for your unique vision. Our team is like family—we work very well together and have a bond that stretches far beyond our walls. Whether it be camping or vacationing together, dinners, boat rides, or just a night out, we genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
I acquired Zealand Spa Salon in March of 2021. In that time have been steadily making improvements and progress to the business. Personally, I love the feeling I get after having my hair styled, nails manicured, or a facial. My goal is to enhance that feeling for our clientele during their experience. Our skilled and talented staff help our clients build their confidence by showing them the best version of themselves. I love nothing more than interacting with our clients while operating the salon daily. Listening to what’s new in their lives, with families, vacations, coupled with what the current visit has them excited about makes my day complete.
What about outside the salon? Can you share a bit about your family and interests?
I’m beyond lucky to have two wonderful children. Emma (23) is an ICU RN, who helps at the salon during our medical spa events. As we move into 2023, she’ll be at Zealand more to assist with the medical services we’ll be offering. Ethan (20 this month!) is furthering his education while working for Valvoline. I’ve tried to get Ethan to work at the salon, but it’s not his idea of fun! Both children graduated from Walled Lake Central High School.
When not at Zealand, I love to travel, cook, bake, read, hike, and practice yoga. I especially love going on yoga retreats—my most recent retreat was in September at Joshua Tree National Park and it was absolutely AMAZING!
November always brings thoughts of thankfulness. What are you thankful for?
I’m most thankful for Zealand and the new friends I’ve made along this journey. The wonderful people I have met thus far make it easy to go to work each day and I cannot wait to see what the future brings. I’m also thankful for the support of my family, friends, and team. This journey hasn’t been easy, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and care of them all. I am also grateful for my wonderful neighbors—the teams at Lulu’s, Princess Grill, Commerce Nutrition, and Biggby not only take care of us with great food and drinks but have been wonderful to work with.