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Isis salon near Niagara Falls here to stay, says owner

Isis salon near Niagara Falls here to stay, says owner

1Torontonians continue to flock to Isis, and its leader says it is here to stay and growing bigger.
Don’t be alarmed. Not that ISIS. We mean Isis, a small body-sugaring and esthetics salon, in Fonthill, a community not far from Niagara Falls.
The salon is named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, reflecting body sugaring’s roots as an ancient Egyptian hair-removal process. Its name predates the prominent moniker of the extremist group, also known to many as Daesh, by about 13 years.
“Everybody knows me as Isis,” says Brigitte Boucher, owner of the salon.
Boucher opened the business 15 years ago in London, Ont. then moved it to its current location about three years ago. She specializes in natural body hair removal using homemade products. You can also get a manicure, pedicure, lash extensions and a facial.
“There’s no beheading going on,” Boucher says. “There’s a lot of hair removal.”
The name of the salon has raised a few eyebrows over the past few years. Boucher says she has noticed people taking photos of the storefront, which sports the company name. She also deals with the occasional caller phoning to inquire if the business is connected to the Islamic State.
This has prompted her to post a sign in the front window stating “We are not affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq Syrie (sic)” in capital letters.
Boucher said she cried when she first learned the name of the radical Islamist group a few years ago.
“I’ll watch the news every once in a while, and there’s an ISIS bombing and I’m like, ‘Here we go. I’m gonna get a call or two,’” she says.
Reviews on Isis’ Facebook page are all positive. One patron posted that she was “totally in love with Isis.”
“Isis is the real deal!!” another wrote. “Once you try Isis, you will wonder how you ever lived without them.”
Some organizations have chosen to change their names to avoid the perception they have connections to ISIS. In 2014, Halifax’s Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services (ISIS) became the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, or ISANS.
Isis, the dog on the television drama Downton Abbey, was killed off that year amid rumours the show didn’t want the canine sharing its name with the jihadist group, although producers denied that was the case.
Boucher says she thought she would change the name of her salon if it is ever vandalized, but so far that hasn’t been a problem. Business has actually improved lately, to the point that Boucher will expand into the next door unit this fall.
She attributes this to the salon’s name, which brings in a new client almost everyday. Many visitors from Toronto and Hamilton, curious about the name on the sign, stop in to ask about it.
“A lot of people think it’s adorable, they go ‘don’t change your name, we love your name!’ ” says Boucher. “I have clients that are from the military, police officers come in and they’re all hairy too. Once they come in, they’re hooked.”
While she was at first hurt by the sight of strangers taking photos of her storefront and laughing on the internet, she feels the salon’s brand has only grown stronger.
“Isis is here to stay,” Boucher says. “Let them post. It’s free advertising. Everybody knows where I’m located now.”

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