A mother-daughter duo is bringing beauty, wellness and community together under one roof in Shell Rock’s wellness center, created by Kelli Zahrt of The Body Shop by Kelli.
April “AJ” Smith, owner of Salon AJ and her daughter, Piper Wild, owner of Wild Tranquility Massage Therapy, are building more than businesses — they’re creating a welcoming space centered on care, creativity and connection.
Smith, who recently registered Salon AJ, is preparing to officially open her hair studio within the next three to four weeks and work in the same building as her daughter who does her massage therapy work in the wellness center.
The wellness building already includes massage therapy, salt room services, infrared sauna, red light therapy and tanning, fitness spaces and mental health counseling with Kate Nitz of The Olive Branch Counseling Services in Cedar Falls. Both women believe adding a salon creates an even more complete experience for the community.
“You can come here for your wellness needs all in one place,” Smith said. “Hair services just complement everything else already happening here. It’s a beautiful addition to the services that are running here in this building.”
To book any of the building’s services, call or text Zahrt at 319-559-7950, direct message her on Facebook (The Body Shop by Kelli) or visit her website at bodyshopbykelli.com. To book with Wild, her website is mysite.vagaro.com/wildtranquility or visit her Facebook page (Wild Tranquility Massage Therapy).
The upcoming local hairstylist, Smith, graduated from cosmetology school shortly after high school in 1997 and worked in salons throughout the area before eventually stepping away from the profession full time. Even then, hair never fully left her life.
“No matter where we lived, friends and family would always ask me to cut or color their hair,” she said. “It was always something I loved doing.”
For years, Wild and others encouraged her to return professionally.
“She [a friend] kept saying, ‘I don’t know why you’re not doing hair again,’” Smith said. “I finally realized it wasn’t just something fun on the side anymore. I really wanted to devote my time to it.”
Salon AJ will offer traditional barber and salon services, but Smith also hopes to focus on hair health and specialty treatments. One of her newest additions she hopes to include is a steam hood designed to deeply moisturize hair and help reduce frizz and dryness.
She also hopes to introduce convenient “blowout bar” appointments, where clients can stop in before work for a quick shampoo and style.
“I love the idea of helping people feel cared for,” Smith said. “Whether it’s someone getting ready for work or someone recovering from surgery who physically can’t wash their own hair.”
Smith said she’s especially excited to offer fun seasonal styles for children and families, including colorful extensions, braids and sparkles.
Meanwhile, Wild officially opened Wild Tranquility Massage Therapy in January and has already built a strong client base within the wellness-focused building.
Originally, Wild planned to pursue chiropractic care and was even debating enrolling into a chiropractic school in Australia before realizing she wanted a more hands-on and flexible path.
“I’ve always loved taking care of people,” Wild explained. “I’m a tactile learner, and massage therapy just clicked for me.”
After leaving her job as a phlebotomist, Wild became certified in massage therapy and has now been practicing for over a year. She previously worked in Cedar Falls before deciding to open her own business closer to home. Wild also hopes to become an esthetician and nail technician to add to her current services sometime next year.
“Seeing Kelli and the other businesses here flourish really inspired me,” Wild said. “It felt like the right place.”
Both women credit business owner, Kelli Zahrt, for encouraging them to join the space and helping make the transition possible.
“As soon as I said yes, that same day she was remodeling the room,” Smith said. “She has been trying to recruit me for a number of years here, so when I finally said yes, she was stoked.”
Wild added, “Kelli makes it so easy to continue to grow. She always has new ideas and new projects.”
For the mother and daughter, working together is something neither fully expected, but now they can’t imagine it any other way.
“It’s scary starting your own business, but we’ve had so much support from our church family, friends and this community, ” Wild said. “It’s also important to note that it’s God who brought us here and made this really happen for us.”
Smith added, “It’s easy to want to come in here because it already feels like home.”