Community Highlights: Meet Miranda Barringer of Mirmaid Esthetics /Salt & Spirit Skin Rituals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Barringer.

Hi Miranda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m the owner of Mirmaid Esthetics, a waxing focused spa studio in Ohio, and the cofounder of a small batch skincare and wax manufacturing brand called Salt & Spirit Skin Rituals. The path to getting here has been anything but straightforward.

I have always been someone who likes to create. I am a licensed cosmetologist by trade, but at heart I am an entrepreneur and a builder. I started my esthetics business with a simple goal to take great care of people and create a space where clients feel comfortable, confident, and genuinely cared for. Over the years Mirmaid grew from just me working behind the treatment table into a busy studio with a loyal community of clients.

Along the way I realized that I didn’t just love providing services. I loved understanding skin, ingredients, and the rituals people build around self care. That curiosity eventually turned into Salt & Spirit Skin Rituals, a natural small batch skincare line my cofounder Alex and I are building together. We formulate and produce our own products with a focus on simple, effective ingredients and sustainable packaging.

Like most small business journeys there have been plenty of challenges. I have navigated health struggles, financial stress, and the realities of running a business in an uncertain economy. Those experiences shaped how I approach entrepreneurship. Community support, authenticity, and resilience have become core parts of how I build and lead.

Today my work is about more than skincare. It is about creating meaningful experiences for clients, supporting other entrepreneurs, and building something lasting. Mirmaid continues to serve our local community while Salt & Spirit is growing into a brand that reflects my love for nature, ritual, and thoughtful product design.

At the end of the day I am someone who believes in building things with heart. Businesses, products, and spaces where people feel good in their skin.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Like many small business owners, a lot of my journey has been learning through trial and error.

In the early years I was doing everything myself. I was the service provider, the receptionist, the marketer, the cleaner, and the accountant all at once. As the business grew, learning how to hire, manage a team, and handle the financial realities of payroll and overhead was a huge learning curve.

I have also faced personal challenges along the way. Over the past few years I have dealt with significant health issues, including fibromyalgia, which forced me to rethink how I work and how I take care of my body. When your career is very hands on, that can be a difficult adjustment.

At the same time I have been navigating personal growth and recovery in my own life. That process has required a lot of honesty with myself and a willingness to rebuild certain parts of my life and business in healthier ways.

There have definitely been moments where things felt overwhelming, especially when balancing business responsibilities with personal challenges. But those experiences also made me more resilient and more intentional about how I build.

Today I approach my work with a much deeper sense of purpose. I am focused on creating sustainable businesses, surrounding myself with the right people, and building something that supports both my life and the lives of the people around me.

We’ve been impressed with Mirmaid Esthetics /Salt & Spirit Skin Rituals, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mirmaid Esthetics is a waxing focused spa studio built around helping people feel comfortable and confident in their own skin. We specialize in full body waxing, especially Brazilians, and we have built a reputation for being approachable, judgment free, and really good at what we do. A lot of our clients come in nervous for their first appointment and leave realizing it was not nearly as intimidating as they thought.

What sets us apart is the experience. Our goal has always been to create a space that feels welcoming, relaxed, and a little bit fun. We focus on education, great technique, and building real relationships with our clients. Many of the people who come through our doors have been seeing us for years, and that sense of community is something I am incredibly proud of.

Alongside Mirmaid, I am also building Salt & Spirit Skin Rituals with my cofounder Alex. Salt & Spirit is a natural skincare and wax line that we formulate and produce ourselves in small batches. We focus on simple, effective ingredients and sustainable packaging, with products designed to support healthy skin before and after services.

One of the things I am most proud of is how these two parts of the business support each other. Working hands on with clients every day gives us real insight into what skin actually needs, and that knowledge directly influences the products we create.

At the end of the day our goal is simple. We want to help people take care of their skin, feel good in their bodies, and enjoy the rituals that come with self care.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was part of an Air Force family, so we moved about every two years. Because of that I learned pretty early how to adapt to new places and new people. It made me pretty independent and comfortable with change.

I was always a good student and gravitated toward creative and people focused subjects. In high school I spent a lot of time studying things like creative writing, poetry, psychology, and sociology. I was fascinated by how people think and why we behave the way we do. I even took some college classes while I was still in high school because I enjoyed learning and wanted to challenge myself.

I was also involved in music. I sang in church choir and participated in show choir in school, which was a really fun outlet for creativity and performance.

At one point I thought I wanted to go into the mental health field because I found psychology so interesting. Eventually I realized I might not be cut out for dealing with that level of heavy every day. Now I joke that I still get to play therapist sometimes, just in a much lighter way while working with my clients.

Looking back, a lot of those early interests still show up in what I do today. I have always loved creativity, understanding people, and building connections, and those things ended up becoming a big part of my career.

Pricing:

• Brow wax $24
• Brow Membership $20
• Brazilian wax (maintenance) $84
• Brazilian membership $68

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mirmaidesthetics.com
• Instagram: @mirmaidesthetics
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/mirmaidesthetics
• Other: https://www.saltandspirit-skinrituals.com