LAPLACE — Hey, Gorgeous Hair Studio of LaPlace is a one-stop shop where men and women can have their hair and beauty needs met without having to travel outside Parish lines.

Located above Donut Hole at 421 W. Airline Highway Suite D, the full-service salon offers haircuts, highlights, color corrections and blowouts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

This month, services are expanding to include facials, waxing, makeup and brow and lash tints with the addition of Mandi Lee L.L.C., a business operated by licensed esthetician and makeup artist Mandi Sweeney.

Sweeney will work alongside Hey, Gorgeous Hair Studio co-owners Ashley Clement and Kelley Loupe to deliver a salon experience unique to the River Parishes.

Very few salons in the region offer expert skin care, in depth consultations and Brazilian blowouts capable of keeping even the frizziest hair sleek and straight on a humid day, Loupe said.

Loupe said Hey, Gorgeous excels in crafting hair and makeup looks for every occasion, from everyday outings to extravagant pageants and Mardi Gras balls.

The addition of Mandi Lee L.L.C. is great news for local pageant participants, Loupe said.

Sweeney has participated in beauty pageants since she was 2 weeks old, and it was the high-end beauty world that drove her to become a licensed esthetician.

A perfectionist when it comes to her style, Sweeney started doing her own pageant makeup when she was in middle school. By eighth grade, she was doing makeup for wedding parties.

After graduating from Aveda Institute of New Orleans in May, Sweeney was eager to expand her services to reach a greater number of people.

“This is what I love to do,” Sweeney said. “I’ve been stuck doing other jobs to save money to do what I love, and it’s finally all so close.”

Having lived in LaPlace for the first 12 years of her life prior to moving to Montz, St. John the Baptist Parish is near to her heart.

“Bringing my services to my home town and it being open for everybody that lives here is just incredible,” Sweeney said.

Serving a close-knit community was a driving force behind the creation of Hey, Gorgeous, according to Clement. After moving back home from Tennessee, she partnered with Loupe to establish the salon in April 2013.

“Kelley and I both grew up here,” Clement said.

“The community is always intertwined. There’s something very comfortable about working with people you know. There is a closeness about our community and I just love that.”

Hair has been Clement’s passion as long as she can remember. Growing up, she was always the one doing hair and makeup for friends.

Ventures pursuing different career paths always ended with her returning to the work she enjoys most.

“There has never been a day where I didn’t feel like doing hair or coming to work,” Clement said. “It’s just something I love to do.”

She said color is her biggest passion and one of the services Hey, Gorgeous is known for.

Client Cathay Allen first visited the salon last month seeking help with her extensions. After sitting down with Loupe, she’s entering 2018 with a shorter style that has earned her a lot of compliments.

“(Loupe) knows what she’s doing,” Allen said. “If you have any questions, she’ll explain everything to you. She’s not here to take your money and run.”

Clement said the Hey, Gorgeous team, also including stylists Jessica Borne and Pamela Brady, has gotten positive feedback from the community.

Since moving to the salon’s current location in May, the business has become more accessible to clients, Clement said.

The venue also offers room for expansion. Clement said two booth rentals are available, and she looks forward to adding new stylists to the Hey, Gorgeous family.

For more information, call 985-651-0878, visit the salon or like Hey, Gorgeous Hair Studio on Facebook.