This Loyal Uni K Wax Customer of Over a Decade Now Owns Two Locations of Her Own in New York City

Serden Dagalti moved to New York from Turkey over 16 years ago. During her time in the city, she became a customer of Uni K Wax, a natural waxing franchise known for its unique and comfortable waxing experience. She often recommended the brand to friends and family visiting from Turkey; most of them would call afterwards, raving about their experiences at Uni K Wax and even suggesting she open her own location. 

When Dagalti eventually decided to go into business for herself, Uni K Wax was her first and only choice for franchising. The corporate team informed her that there was an Upper East Side territory available, and she lost no time purchasing it (with the help of a few family members). She opened her first studio in 2019 and eventually a second location in Kips Bay in 2022. Dagalti is now focused on growing both locations and spreading the word about her franchises in their respective communities. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Dagalti about her franchise journey with Uni K Wax and plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Dagalti: I had been a customer of Uni K Wax for 10 years, before we decided to open up the studio. I'm originally from Istanbul, Turkey, but we moved to New York 16 years ago. So I have a lot of friends visiting New York from Turkey and they would always ask me if I could recommend a place for waxing. I would always recommend Uni K and I would always get a phone call afterwards where my friends would rave about the brand. They would say I should open up my own store or bring it back to Turkey. Back then, I wasn’t really thinking about opening a franchise. I used to have a PR company back in Turkey, but when we moved to New York, and I had my kids, I stopped working. But eventually I wanted to go back to work and I wanted to do my own thing. I reached out to the corporate team and asked if they had any availability for franchising — this was right before COVID. We had meetings with the team and found out they had an Upper East Side territory available. 

Then, four months later, COVID hit and we closed our studio for four or five months. It was a really challenging time for us. But then people started getting vaccinated and becoming a little less scared to come to the studio. We eventually had a lot of customers back and decided to open another studio around a year later. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Dagalti: I never thought that we would open up a franchise, but it always felt better to open a business with a franchise because of all the help and support you get. Otherwise, you would have to do everything yourself with no experience or help. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? 

Dagalti: I was a longtime customer before I decided to franchise. I’m not just someone who decided to open a franchise, I was also a loyal customer. I love the brand. I always recommended the brand to all my friends before I decided to open up the studio. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Dagalti: Our Kips Bay location is fairly new compared to our Upper East Side location — it hasn't been open two years yet — so we want to reach out to more customers and build more awareness in the neighborhood. Of course, we still want to grow traffic on the Upper East side location as well, even though it's one of the highest revenue-generating stores in the franchise — there’s always room for growth. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Dagalti: I’m doing this with my family. My husband and my mom are partners in this. And if we can continue to succeed, we want to open more locations in the New York area. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Dagalti: I think location is really important — it's more than just financials. The location can really make a difference. It’s also a long term commitment. You might not get results right away. If you’re not successful in a year, they should know that they should hang on and not give up. 

ABOUT UNI K WAX:

Uni K Wax, the 34-unit hair removal and waxing franchise, was founded in 1993 by Noemi Grupenmager. Frustrated by inadequate waxing options for her daughters, Grupenmager developed a natural, elastic wax as an alternative to the painful honey wax and paper strips. She also introduced a skin-friendly application and removal technique for faster, more comfortable services. Today, the brand offers a dynamic blend of 160 waxing services — from eyebrow waxing to facial waxing, Brazilian bikini wax and full body wax — for unisex customers.

The Uni K Wax brand began its franchising journey in 2007 and has since expanded to include 33 franchised and one corporate location in states including Florida, New York, New Jersey and Texas. 

In 2023, Grupenmager decided to retire and sell the company. Exaltare Capital Management, a Boston-based private equity firm with a focus on franchise and multi-unit businesses, and Heather Elrod, former Amazing Lash CEO and Managing Partner at Conscious Capital Growth, acquired the Uni K Wax brand. 

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Uni K Wax Studio ranges from $327,943 to $558,766, depending upon the size of the location and the type of market in which it is located.