Chrystina Morteo-Bowman is the owner and CEO of Gaia Waxing Studio and co-founder of Gaia Bare Care Products.

Please tell us about your background.

I was born in the South Side neighborhood of Chicago, the youngest and only girl out of five siblings. We moved to Guttenberg, Iowa when I was 8 years old. There, my dad was a police officer and later the first Hispanic Chief of Police. When I was 12, my parents divorced and I moved to Dubuque with my mom to finish my school years. 

Dubuque couldn't hold me, so I ventured off to college in York, Pennsylvania and eventually Atlanta, Georgia, where I finished school. I obtained my esthetician license and became a mother that same year. In 2014, as a single mother, I moved back to Dubuque and started Gaia Waxing out of my mom's attic. 

Please tell us about your business.

Gaia Waxing began on the tax return money of this single momma. Every year I'd reinvest those returns into a better space, new supplies or whatever my tiny venture needed.

I now operate my full-body waxing studio (with a specialty in brazilians) out of a 1500-square-foot space in the Historic Millwork District of Dubuque. We currently have two full-time wax specialists, and rent space to Gotta Glo, a company that offers spray tans and custom blend foundations, concealers and tinted moisturizers.

In 2019, along with my brother and sister-in-law, I began a line of 100% natural and organic skincare products specifically designed for ingrown hairs, razor burn, beard bumps and keratosis pilaris called Gaia Bare Care (G Bare Care LLC).

Why did you join NAWBO Iowa and what do you appreciate about it?

I joined NAWBO Iowa because it was recommended by the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Businesses program, which I graduated from at the end of 2021. I have been very pleased with the number of opportunities for growth, development and networking that have come from this group.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I have the unique situation of interacting with women in very vulnerable moments. I am always one of the first to hear milestones (such as pregnancy, marriage, divorce) and often get to become a supportive confidant or simply a listening ear. It brings me great joy knowing that I am able to make something that could easily be incredibly awkward and or uncomfortable into a lasting relationship and easy wax experience. 

What are you most looking forward to in 2023?

We've seen incredible growth and exposure to our product line. We are currently working on U.K. distribution and huge marketing campaigns, including the Des Moines Hummingbirds!  Looking forward to how the product line grows this year!