New salon opens in The Village at Westlake
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 | Esther Robards-Forbes
When Villa Salon and Spa opened three months ago in The Village at Westlake shopping center, it was the culmination of 23 years of dreaming for the Jbeily family.
Ati Jbeily left Lebanon in 1987 with $50 in his pocket and a fake visa, trying to escape the war that had claimed so many lives. Eventually, he ended up in Canada and was granted asylum as a refugee.
“Ever since I was little, I wanted to do hair,” he said.
While staying in Montreal, he had several roommates, young men like him that were struggling to make ends meet.
“We were all broke,” he said. “I bought a pair of clippers and started cutting their hair. They loved the way it looked. Eventually, I started charging just so they would leave me alone, but they kept coming back.”
He met his wife Pascale, also a Lebanese war refugee, in Canada. After marrying, they moved to Austin and Pascale started as a student at Huston-Tillotson University. After stops at Austin Community College and Texas State University, she ended up at the University of Texas.
While his wife studied and worked part time, Ati drove a cab at night attended the Tony and Guy stylist training program during the day. After working 11 years as a stylinst in the Westlake area, he thought it was time to start his own salon.
“I learned a lot in all those years, and now I’m excited to take my knowledge and experience to the next level,” Ati said.
His wife, who earned her degree from UT two years ago after a decade-long break spent in nonprofit work and raising her children, stepped up to help launch the new business. They have two sons, ages 16 and 11.
“I see myself as a woman who makes dreams come true for her family,” Pascale said. “I want to help transform someone’s image, illuminate them inside and out and educate them.”
The couple said their goal was to bring the style and atmosphere of a New York or Las Vegas salon to Westlake. They turned to the Las Vegas architecture firm that designed the Palms hotel and casino to design the interior of the salon.
The salon will offer hair and skin care services in addition to spa services, like nails and hair removal. They have one of two ashiatsu massage masters in the Austin area on staff, Pascale said.
While the couple said they have endured many challenges over the years, starting a new business has been a new level of nerve wracking.
“I think no one understands what starting a business is all about until you do it,” Ati said. “It’s stressful dealing with the unknown and getting out of your comfort zone. To us, this is not just a business. We’ve sunk our savings, our heart and soul into this.”
Pascale chimed in, “We survived a war and we can survive this. As human beings, we look back and say, ‘That was hard, but look at me now.’
Villa Salon and Spa, 701 S. Capital of Texas Highway, Suite N-800, will hold its grand opening 5:30-8 p.m. Nov. 11. There will be refreshments, door prizes and specials. The salon is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call 328-2020 or visit their Facebook page.
