Esthetician Amber Syer of Bad Cat Beauty vibes with her pets and clients in The Pitch Questionnaire

Courtesy of Amber Syer

Esthetician Amber Syer kickstarted her passion for the beauty industry nearly 20 years ago with a dream to make people feel more comfortable in their own skin. Today, Syer is the creator and owner of an alternative-style express day spa where she offers services ranging from facials to lash lifts.

After becoming licensed in 2009, Syer found herself working as a skin therapist before the all too familiar job-snatching pandemic came into the picture. Growing up with a cosmetologist as a mother and a knack for artistry, Syer thought a business of her own might be in her cards.

She began brainstorming ways to make her dream a reality, and eventually, Bad Cat Beauty was born.

Hometown: North Chili area of Rochester, NY

Current neighborhood: West Plaza

Social handles: @badcatbeautykc, @badcatamber

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

I spend all of my free time with my family and pets. I have a 4-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, four cats, a dog, and a fish, who all keep me very busy. I’m really into home decorating, so at any moment, I could be moving a piece of furniture or painting an accent wall.

Tell me about a cause close to your heart.

Animal rescue is very important to me. I spent many years caring for a bonded pair of beagles, Daisy and Copper. Daisy was my first beagle, and I rescued her from a puppy mill/hoarding situation in the Northland in 2007. I was so young and had never seen anything like it. With my beagle pup in hand, I ran out of there and reported it immediately. A couple of months later, I adopted another beagle, Copper. At age 4, he had a spinal injury and suffered permanent paresis of the back legs. They both lived very long, wonderful lives.

I have another rescue dog, Odell, who is reactive, so he can’t be around other dogs. But he’s cool with cats, which leads me to the cats. As I said, I have four of them. Eleven, Mike, Maxine, and Jonesy. Pets make life better. Go rescue a pet today!

What does the perfect day look like to you?

A simple day by the water, a Zweigle’s white hot, chicken wings, icy cold beer, and laughing with people I love.

How did your journey as an esthetician begin?

I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 20 years. My mom is a cosmologist and worked in a studio in the basement of my childhood home. I knew I didn’t want to do hair, but I was interested in the creative side of the beauty industry.

Courtesy Amber Syer

I was a graffiti and sketch artist in high school, so I started with makeup. Before I became licensed, I worked in boutiques and cosmetics counters, hustling bronzer and lipstick until I decided I needed something different. Artistry was still a passion of mine, but I wanted to shift my focus on overall skin health, especially being someone who suffered tremendously from cystic acne most of their life. I received my esthetics license in 2009 and went into the field specializing in acneic skin and brow shaping.

After working in every corner of the industry, I dove into a skin therapist role, only to be laid off due to COVID. I had to start over completely. I almost gave up. But instead, I decided to get out there and build Bad Cat Beauty.

What inspired you to start Bad Cat Beauty?

I think there’s a misconception about spa treatments and how/where they should be performed. I wanted to create an inclusive beauty bar concept that wasn’t time-consuming—something easy, efficient, and comfortable for the client without being trapped alone in a dark room. The name was inspired by my black cat, Eleven. It’s something I said out loud one day and just ran with it.

Which of the services you provide is your favorite to perform?

Brow services are my favorite because the results are instant for the client. I love putting beautiful frames on gorgeous faces.

What is the best part of your job?

Connecting with people is one of my favorite things to do. There’s no better feeling than vibing with someone. Human beings aren’t meant to be alone in any sense. I thrive when my clients thrive. Their success is my success. That goes for anyone I work with. Support in this business means everything.