Longtime Falls Church Area Salon and Spa Opens with New Owner

Patch recently caught up with Pooja Miglani, the new owner of Bibi Salon & Spa, at 6201 Leesburg Pike, located at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Patrick Henry Drive in the Falls Church area.

Miglani was born and raised in Virginia, attending Falls Church High School and then earning a marketing degree from George Mason University. A few years after working in Virginia, she moved to New York City, where she spent five more years in the corporate world.

“That experience was immense in further shaping my personality through real world corporate experiences in an extremely fast paced city,” she said.

Miglani is no stranger to the business world. Her father owns a diamond and gold showroom in the Falls Church area, just a few minutes from her salon. Tri-State Jewelers (Apna Bazaar) is located at 110 West Broad St. She grew up helping out at that business.

“ I cannot speak highly enough of what that experience and working with my dad taught me,” she said. “My parents have been such a continual inspiration to me with the way they have dealt with obstacles in their lives.”

“I could not have asked for better mentors than him and my mom,” Miglani said. “My mom is an RN with years of nursing experience, and she is the reason our entire extended family was able to come to America. Hearing the stories of what she and my dad have endured to build this life for them has always made me feel immensely grateful for the opportunities I have.”

“My parents made it a point to raise us as very strong individuals but put a big emphasis on compassion,” she said, adding that it’s one of the reasons she is confident that she will succeed in business.

“Business requires a risk-taking and multi-tasking strong personality but it also equally requires compassion,” she said. “One thing some business owners do not realize is that you are only as good as your team. I believe that together, we have built an amazing team here at Bibi Salon and Spa, and that is the reason we will succeed.”

Here’s more of our Q&A with Miglani:

Patch: What was the name of Bibi Salon & Spa previously, what year did it first open and who were the owners?

Miglani: It was previously called Master’s Touch Salon and Spa and the original salon was built more than 30 years ago. The salon has undergone five different owners in the last 30 years. The most recent owner was Cindy Sheikh, who was formerly a hair stylist at the salon before taking ownership. After she passed away her family tried to handle the salon for a few years but eventually put it up for sale.

Patch: How did you decide to purchase the salon and why did you want to get into the salon/spa business?

Miglani: I recently moved back to Virginia from New York City and was looking for investment opportunities since I had decided to go down the entrepreneurship track after eight years in the corporate world. This past September I started my MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship at New York University and left my corporate job to focus on starting something of my own. I have had background in beauty services such as laser hair removal since I grew up helping with our family businesses: One of which involved gold and diamond jewelry and the second which was a small salon that also did laser hair removal.

Patch: How did you decide on the new name?

Miglani: The new name is based on my grandmother’s name. I was extremely close to my grandmother growing up and had always wanted to do something as a tribute to her. I remember she always used to lecture me to put on more jewelry, to have my hair done, and to generally not behave like a tomboy as some young girls do. No matter how much older she got, her beauty regimen was a part of her day. So it made sense when I took over a salon and spa, to name it after the person who had always been such a big part of my life and an inspiration to me.

Patch: What is different now that the salon has reopened? (Was it actually closed for a time?) Did you make many changes?

Miglani: When I took over the salon, I had construction done everywhere to change the ambience. I remember I purposely chose a Tiffany blue color for the walls to give off a luxurious vibe to the salon. That was my goal behind reconstruction, to offer a place to clients where they can be pampered and get a break from the fast pace of the outside world.

Another major change made was installing a spa in the salon. For many years the spa portion of the salon had been left alone and when I came in I completely redid it. The spa may be one of my favorite parts at the salon. My main goal behind that was to make it a relaxing sanctuary and I do feel that we have succeeded in that.

Patch: How many employees are at the salon? Are some of them longtime employees? Who has worked there the longest/how long have they worked there?

Miglani: There are 21 employees at the salon. Six of the employees are longtime employees that have been in the salon during all the previous owner changes for at least the last 25 years. They truly are a pleasure to work with and I made it a point to let them know how much I want them to stay when I came on board. The newer employees and longtime ones all get along great so I can definitely say it worked out well.

Patch: What is your education and work background?

Miglani: I have more than eight years of experience in the corporate world working in various areas such as business process documentation, risk management, and operational risk. I have my bachelors degree from George Mason in Marketing and minors in Information Technology and Event Management. Currently I am pursuing my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in entrepreneurship from NYU Stern (New York University).

I also have a background in operating small businesses because I grew up helping my father with the family business. This included a gold and diamond showroom, in addition to a salon that included laser hair removal. This way I have gotten exposure both to small businesses and the corporate world, preparing me for having a business of my own.

Patch: What do you like most about owning and running a salon? What is the most challenging aspect?

Miglani: I love the changes that come with each new day. Every day brings more challenges or new aspects of the salon/spa business to light, and it keeps it exciting. I also absolutely love seeing satisfied customers, it makes me feel like everything we are doing is absolutely worth it.

The most challenging aspect I would say is managing such a large staff of varied backgrounds, interests, and personalities. My main goal is to have an open door policy with the entire team because I believe in complete transparency. I believe that enables everyone to have mutual respect for each other and just helps keep the environment positive and encouraging.

The salon and spa offers:

· Hair Services: Haircuts, Color, Highlights, Ombre/Balayage, Blowouts, Perms, Keratin Treatments, Conditioning Treatments and Shampoo/Sets.

· Spa Services: Massages, Facials, Make-Up Services, Nail Services, Eyelash Extensions, and Eyebrow Tinting

· Hair Removal Services: Laser Hair Removal, Waxing, Eyebrow Threading

For an appointment, call (703) 533-1402 and find out more about the salon and spa on its Web site.