Cindy Grossman (left) holds scissors with Kristen Heath (right) at the KC Beauty Lounge ribbon-cutting ceremony with the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
Emilie Gilbert
KC Beauty Lounge celebrated its grand opening as the first full-service beauty salon on campus by holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
The salon began operations on Nov. 16, 2025, in Knights Plaza, providing a range of beauty services to students and the community. At the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony, the lounge staff welcomed attendees and chamber members to an open house with tours showcasing what they offer clients.
“To be able to connect with students and offer products and services they need is great, but also the general community to bring people here on campus,” Andrew Cole, president and CEO of the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce, said.
Aria Fernandez gets her hair done by hairstylist Payton Opiela in KC Beauty Lounge on Monday.
Emilie Gilbert
Cindy Grossman, CEO and owner of KC Beauty Lounge, was at the ceremony alongside Kristen Heath, the director of operations.
“Our mission is really to help people feel beautiful and most confident in themselves,” Heath said. “We wanted to be a place that you can come and know that you’re welcome and leave here feeling better than when you came in.”
Grossman and Heath toured the former space of The Princeton Review in Knights Plaza in February 2023. They said that opening the salon was a lengthy process due to setbacks related to permitting and procedures to ensure compliance with all regulations. Construction began in the summer of 2025.
“It was really a dream come true to work with UCF,” Grossman said. “It was years in the making, and it’s been a long journey.”
The staff said that most of the clients they have seen so far have been students, but their services are available to anybody.
“We basically made it so that our staff can service any person who comes through the door, no matter what,” Grossman said. “We really made sure that we had the staff to cater to everyone, which I’m very proud of.”
Kayden Peets, junior biology and writing and rhetoric double major, was aware of the lounge before its opening because she often walked past the storefront.
Peets made an appointment to get her nails done in January for an upcoming photo shoot. She said the staff was “very knowledgeable” and “skilled.”
“It’s amazing because of how close and convenient it is,” Peets said. “I went right after my class, and I was able to go to another activity that was right on campus.”
Margaret Ayala, a local resident, heard about the new salon from her sister. She has visited the salon twice for nail and facial appointments.
“They are very friendly, very open and you instantly feel comfortable,” Ayala said. “It’s like luxury with ease.”
The lounge is 3,000 square feet and features a variety of accessible rooms equipped to provide services including hair, nails, eyebrows, eyelashes, spa and hair removal.
“I was happy that we were able to be on the campus and to supply a much-needed type of place for the students,” Grossman said.