Rebekah Johnston

I have been very active in the beauty industry for over 16 years and I have loved all the ways I am able to use my artistic talent through helping my guests achieve their dream hair goals! Through continued education and lots of practice, I have developed a love for balayage, vivid color and multi-dimensional hair color. I also enjoy custom transformation haircuts. My goal with each service is to leave the hair in better condition than when I start, so your hair not only looks amazing but feels strong and moisturized. 

Recently, I have found a new love for educating. Specifically training new stylists in the beauty industry! I have developed an internship program for new stylists to go from beauty school graduate to chair rental stylist & running their own business in 1 year! 

Here is my story:

I was born in Hudson, WI in 1988. When I was 4, my family moved to the small town of Moose Lake. I was always very social and artistic. In high school, I was in every art and drama class I could take! I married my high school sweetheart, Jesse in 2010 and moved to Glenwood City, WI. While my husband, and I were living in Glenwood City, I was working 2.5 hours away at a salon in Moose Lake. The drive to Moose Lake was getting to be too much every week. Jesse and I started to have discussions about moving closer to the twin cities. I was praying that God would lead me to the right salon in the perfect location. I decided to google "salons in Stillwater" as I've always adored the city of Stillwater. Ultima Bellezza Salon was the only 5-star salon in the area that had rave reviews. I emailed the owner, Mary explaining I was new to the area searching for a salon that was luxurious and valued their clients like family. Mary was also praying for God to send her a stylist she could grow with in the industry. I met Mary in person at the salon a couple weeks later and felt right at home. 

I began working at Ultima Bellezza Salon on November 3rd, 2011, Jesse and I continued living in Wisconsin, until we found our next house and moved to North St Paul in February 2012. I didn’t know many people in the area. I had to work hard to build my clientele. I would walk around Stillwater everyday handing out my business cards and striking up conversations with people. Eventually I had a fast growing clientele and knew the area well. The thought of owning a salon was in the back of my mind, but was a large responsibility I wasn't ready for at the time, as I was a new mom, raising a toddler and a baby. 

In the beginning of 2018, Mary asked me to be the social media manager for the salon. As Mary coached me in my new role, I became more passionate about everything she was doing behind the scenes. I was able to learn more about what goes into owning a salon. I volunteered my time, painting, cleaning, decorating and ordering for the salon boutique. I wanted to help Mary as much as I could and I genuinely enjoyed it all! All the training that Mary had poured into me, lead to Jesse and I having conversations about owning a salon someday. 

2 years later, Jesse and I were flying to Connecticut to attend a very intensive, 2-day training for confident business strategies and strategic hair color placement. A couple days before we left on our trip, Mary asked to meet for coffee and offered me ownership of her salon. She told me to talk to Jesse about it and come back with our thoughts after our trip. Though, I already knew my answer. 

I had not told Mary that Jesse and I had been discussing salon ownership for the past two years. When she asked me to be the owner, I beamed! God was so evident through this journey all along! As Mary was praying about stepping back, I was praying about moving forward. I have no doubt God led me to Ultima Bellezza Salon. I believe there's even more He has in store for this little salon. Needless to say, I accepted Mary’s offer, and on June 1st, 2020, I became the new owner of Ultima Bellezza Salon!

My vision for this space is to be a welcoming haven for people in all walks of life. For our staff and clientele, my hope is that everyone will feel beautiful, confident, and renewed when they walk out our door.