We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimmie Alessi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimmie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I originally started Salt & Rind with a friend in the Bay Area as a means to help my clients get access to professional-grade skincare during Covid. During quarantine, my clients were heartbroken that they couldn’t physically come see me at my skincare studio I owned for a facial so I started making custom facial kits as a temporary solution.

After making my way back down to San Diego from SF, I became the owner of Insiders Collective Salon & Spa and started thinking of how I was going to expand Salt & Rind as a skincare brand and beyond.

Fast forward to 2022 , I’m living my best life after selling Insiders Collective and officially running Salt & Rind the spa, specializing in sugaring, facials, and professional grade skincare products. This is only the beginning for Salt & Rind and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

What should our readers know about your business?
Not only do we specialize in sugaring hair removal and facial treatments at Salt & Rind the spa, we also believe in providing an enjoyable mental/emotional space where clients don’t need to sacrifice relaxation in order to get great skincare results. Every appointment feels like you’re hanging out with your best friend while receiving professional, high-quality spa services. We believe in providing a personal touch to every aspect of a client’s experience at Salt & Rind and we look forward to keeping that intimate feeling as we continue to grow!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, I love this question! Ok, so the first person/place I would take someone to is to go for a night out country swing dancing and a little line dancing to pair with my girl, Dancing Deb! She’s a fantastic country swing instructor and an all around amazing human being. I’d then follow up our session with Deb by dancing the rest of the night away at Moonshine Beach.

Another thing someone who is visiting San Diego should experience is all the great speakeasys we have here! Young Blood, Raised by Wolves, and Grass Skirt are just a couple of my favs but I’d also recommend anywhere in Little Italy for a fun drink—you just can’t beat the location and atmosphere down there. Lola55 is another great spot I just can’t get enough of in the Downtown San Diego area that has the most delicious tacos and margaritas.

There are also so many beautiful places to enjoy the year-round incredible weather we get! A few other honorable recommendations for someone visiting and who wants to enjoy nature/being outside would be the San Diego Zoo, Sunset Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve trail, Balboa Park, and Old Town.

Finally, I’d round out the visit with some of my favorite breakfast/coffee spots. I have food allergies and feel lucky that there are so many places in San Diego that are safe for me to enjoy my favorite meal like Great Maple and Fig Tree Cafe. I also can’t forget my favorite place of all time: Coffee & Tea Collective. Located right by the Salt & Rind, Petco Park, The Pendry Hotel, and so many great restaurants, C&T Collective has single handedly fed my coffee addiction for years and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If it wasn’t for every other place I worked at in my esthetician career, those experiences wouldn’t have motivated me to start my own salon and skincare brand. One person I can specifically thank for inspiring me is Kelly, former owner of La Di Da Sugaring for encouraging me to get into skincare during my time of being a Haircolor Specialist in the salon world.

It also goes without saying that I couldn’t do any of this without my AMAZING clients. Some of them have been with me since 2015—following me as I moved to the Bay Area and back to SD all while supporting me through every stage of Salt & Rind’s growth.

Website: www.saltandrind.com

Instagram: @saltandrindsociety

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.