40 Under 40: Christine Villareal

Christine Villareal runs Christine’s Wax Room and Salon in Moses Lake. Villareal started her career 20 years ago when she went to an aesthetician school in Bellevue at Aesthetics Northwest. She continued her studies at Mimi’s Nail College in Seattle. Almost 10 years ago she came back to Moses Lake and opened her business. 

Christine’s Wax Room and Salon has three nail techs from the local school, Elegance Hair Academy. Villareal goes to the school to talk with the students, giving them advice, picking their brains, offering one-on-ones and allowing them to do job shadows at her salon. Customer service is Villareal’s top priority at the salon. 

“I always tell the girls at work, ‘Customer service is more important than how good you are,’ because if they like you, they’re forgiving and if you treat them right, they’ll come back,” Villareal said. “Versus if you have a bad attitude, even if you’re the best, people don’t want to be around you.”

Villareal is involved with her kids’ elementary school, Midway Elementary, and this last school year helped coordinate a photoshoot with a backdrop and a cap and gown for the graduating kindergarteners. Villareal bought all the supplies because she wanted the students to have a memory of their first graduation when they graduated from high school. 

“Being a mom and working full time and having your own business, it’s hard, it’s hard to make that extra time for the community when you have such small kids,” Villareal said. “I don’t have that extra time, what I do is whatever my kids are involved in I just try to go the extra mile, just to try to make it extra nice for them.”

Villareal is also involved with her church and can be found decorating events, painting kids’ faces and volunteering around the community.