When I found out that there were vocational programs available through my high school, I jumped at the opportunity to apply for cosmetology. I had always loved messing around in hair design and was in awe of the fun of salon culture. I could learn a trade, have a side hustle, and then pay my way through university.

But to do.. what exactly?

I wasn’t sure but I started my journey. Then, I fell in love with hair artistry.

In. Love.

I recognized a potential in myself to be a creator and a healer through this art form. I wanted nothing else.

I became a licensed cosmetologist just a few weeks before graduating top of my high school class. I worked as an assistant, then a stylist for the next year and told anybody with an ear.. “I’m moving to LA to work for Jonathan Anton.” (He was a celebrity hairstylist at the time that I just adored.)

So, I did just that.

In my midwestern mind, to make it big in hair you either went to LA or NYC.

Off to LA I went. Jonathan hired me immediately where I worked under the top stylists and colorists of the industry. TV. Photoshoots. Movies. Music videos. Celebrities. I did it all. But my heart was always behind the chair. Being one on one with my clients.

Eventually, I met two amazing women who I partnered with to create RA_ Hair House. A staple salon in West Hollywood that has been thriving for 10 plus years.

Even so, something was pulling me in a new direction. My husband, toddler twins and I miraculously settled ourselves on Tiger Mountain in the beginning of 2022. I was captured by the beauty of this place, the heart of the Issaquah community I’ve found, the bigness of this perfect little town.

And now, I’m honored to cultivate and share with you what is more than just a hair salon but a true project of the heart.

House of Layo. Salon. Boutique. A place of Holistic Beauty.

xx,

Audrey Rae