A small Calgary studio with a big heart

For Ute Geronazzo, owning a business isn't about a career. It's about enjoying every minute of life. In 2006, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Ute took time off to care for her, and came out of it knowing how short life is, and wanting a new direction.

As a single mother, the change was a huge undertaking. She went back to school in Calgary and Montreal to study laser treatment and esthetics, while her sister, a hairdresser, helped her find her feet. By 2008 she was ready, and opened Struktur just west of Marda Loop.

“It was a bit unnerving starting a new business on my own, learning all the dos and don'ts,” she says. “And it is still a work in progress.”

Duck day, and other lessons

Not every lesson came from a textbook. Ute once acid-washed the salon's concrete floors herself, with the wrong product. It was meant to dry in two hours. The next morning the floors were so sticky that every step quacked, and the team still calls it “duck day.” Note to self: stick with the usual floor gloss.

Small, on purpose

Struktur is a boutique salon, and Ute prefers it that way. The esthetics room has professional skincare and laser equipment for everything from an acne facial to RF tightening and IPL. There is a private pedicure room, so you can have your nails done while your colour processes, a real help if your week is full.

“We work hard to make sure our sense of family extends to our remarkable staff and loyal guests,” says Ute. “It makes me happy to meet all these wonderful people I call clients.”