Bettina Howard — Owner, Leader, Educator
Bettina HowardCornelius, NC · Est. 2014
Founder · Leader · Educator

Bettina
Howard

“People remember a feeling more than they remember a look.”

Salon Owner · Lead Stylist · Team Leader · Educator

Salon Today 200 Honoree · #1 Best Rated 2025 · 4.9★ / ~690 reviews

Read My StoryIn the News
Bettina Howard, founder of Sanctuary Salon and Spa
The Philosophy

I didn't build a salon floor. I built a community.

Luxury, to me, was never a price point — it's attention. The blooming tea, the Italian espresso, the aurora ceiling over the shampoo bowl, the weighted blanket and the lavender eye pillow. The extra mile, every single time.

Everything I've built over the last decade goes back to a single idea: how a person feels when they walk out the door. Get that right, and the rest — the loyalty, the referrals, the team that never wants to leave — takes care of itself.

I
The Journey

From behind someone else's chair, to my own.

The
early years
Learning the craft
Years behind someone else's chair — learning the craft, the discipline, and the kind of owner I did and didn't want to become. [TO CONFIRM: where Bettina trained/worked before 2014, and the moment she decided to open her own.]
2014
I bet on myself
I opened Sanctuary Salon & Spa in a historic bungalow in downtown Cornelius — the calm, plant-forward, community-supported space I always wished I'd worked in. [TO CONFIRM: why the name “Sanctuary.”]
A decade
in
Building a team, not just a client list
I grew from operator to owner to leader — developing stylists, protecting the culture, and turning Sanctuary into an L'ANZA Healing Lab salon with a holistic head spa and light-up salt walls.
Today
The highest-rated salon in town — and a national honoree
4.9★ across roughly 690 reviews, a Salon Today 200 recognition, and a community that drives past a dozen salons to sit in our chairs. Still learning. Still behind the chair.
Sanctuary Salon and Spa, a historic bungalow on Catawba Ave in Cornelius NC
The Space

A historic bungalow on Catawba Ave.

Downtown Cornelius, NC · near Lake Norman

II
Leadership & Culture

The calm is real — because the culture is.

i.
A no-drama policy
Drama isn't allowed on my floor — it protects the client's experience and the team's peace. The calm is the product.
ii.
“Pillow Talk”
Our conflict-resolution ritual: only the person holding the pillow may speak. I coach the team through it until they end up hugging, loving each other, and coming back in a healthier place.
iii.
A community, supported
A plant-filled, saged, community-supported environment — not a salon floor. Stylists here are built up, not burned out.
III
Education-Focused

I grow stylists, not just hair.

The thing I'm proudest of isn't a transformation on the wall — it's the artist who does it. Sanctuary runs on mentorship, structure, and continuing education.

  • An associate & apprentice path New talent learns the craft and the Sanctuary standard, hands-on. [TO CONFIRM: program details.]
  • Ongoing education Extensions certification, color, curls, and healing haircare with L'ANZA.
  • A career, not a chair My people build books, skills, and confidence in a culture that has their back.
IV
Recognition

The work, on the record.

  • Salon Today 200National honoree — recognized among twelve salons nationwide by Salon Today for guest experience, education, and growth (2026).
  • #1 Best RatedQuality Business Awards 2025 — #1 among Cornelius hair salons, quality score above 95%.
  • 4.9★~690 verified Google reviews — the highest-rated salon in town.
  • Since 2014A decade owner-led in Cornelius, near Lake Norman.
Sanctuary Salon and Spa #1 Best Rated 2025, Quality Business Awards
V
In the News

Salon Today 200.

Bettina Howard accepting the Salon Today 200 national honor on stage
2026 National Honoree · Top 200 salons in North America
Salon Today 200 · National Honoree

Recognized among twelve salons nationwide — chosen by Salon Today for guest experience, education, and growth.

“As a locally owned salon operating out of a historic bungalow in Cornelius, this recognition means a great deal to our team and our community. Our mission has always been to create a five-star guest experience that begins before a client ever walks through our doors — and continues long after they leave.”

Bettina Howard, for Cornelius Today

Read the Feature
VI
Watch

A moment from the chair.

@howardbettina on Instagram · View on Instagram

Leadership

The team I built is the legacy.

A salon is only as strong as the people behind the chairs. I've spent a decade choosing, training, and championing a team that stays — because when the people are cared for, the guests feel it. That's the whole job.

Proud Partners
L'ANZA Healing LabPhorestMYAFully Booked AI®

L'ANZA Healing Lab salon · Phorest salon software · MYA stylist-matchmaking survey · Growth & marketing by Fully Booked AI®

“Don't beat yourself up so much — because you don't know what you don't know, and you can't learn it until you go through some of the things that you don't know.”

Bettina Howard — advice to my younger self

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Bettina Howard - now hiring stylists at Sanctuary Salon and Spa
The Chair Is Yours

Want to build your career here?

I'm always looking for stylists who care about the craft and the culture as much as I do — people who want a career, not just a chair, inside a team that actually has their back. If that sounds like you, I want to hear from you.

Apply to Join the Team