By Susan Triemert
Owner Ling Yu proved that she beautifies not just people but also places when her Salon Ling at 2095 Como Ave. underwent an extensive renovation in 2017.
Yu’s expansion included the addition of three pedicure chairs, a manicure station and three treatment rooms (one for massage, one for waxing and one for facials).
Hair styling is nothing new for this seasoned hairdresser. A salon owner back in China, Yu and her family moved to Minnesota in 1988. After working as a hair stylist at JC Penney, Yu attended the Aveda Institute where she continued to study both hair and skin care. In 2007, with the support of her family, Yu opened Salon Ling.
Salon Ling is not Yu’s only place of employment: She styles hair and provides skin care services at an Aveda salon in Inver Grove Heights. She works mornings there, but reserves her afternoon and evening appointments for her St. Anthony Park salon clientele.
Yu said she likes working in St. Anthony Park because she is able to serve many of the University of Minnesota students who are also from China.
“Sixty percent of my clients are Chinese,” Ling said. A native Cantonese speaker, Ling also learned to speak Mandarin from working in southern China. She said her fluency in multiple languages is appreciated by those clients who speak little English.
After the 2017 expansion, Yu hired three employees whose jobs did not survive the pandemic. She hopes to hire more employees, but for now her daughter, Belinda Prestemon, is joining the salon as a nail artist.
Prestemon, an art student, is teaching her mother some of her techniques, which is perfect for Yu who has turned learning about hair, skin and nails into a lifelong passion.
To stay up to date, Yu regularly attends hair shows in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Florida.
When asked what she plans to do in the next five to 10 years, Yu giggled and said, “Well, I did sign an eight-year lease. So, this.”
To find out more about Salon Ling, visit salonling.com or call 612-723-6868 if you would like to make an appointment with Yu.
Susan Triemert is a freelance writer for the Bugle.
