Cherry Bomb Esthetics and Tattoo is a unique beauty collective in downtown Bellingham. Co-Founders Kelli Morones and Tyleranne Armstrong want to break the industry’s mold of a typical beauty studio experience.
Morones and Armstrong met as cohorts in the first graduating class of Bellingham’s Evergreen Beauty College branch, where they gravitated toward each other due to their shared experience not quite fitting in with the rest of their classmates.
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
“I feel like the beauty industry can attract a very specific person, and we were both more of the alternative-type people in school,” says Morones. To get ahead of the competitive nature of their industry and bring their unique styles to the Bellingham market, the two joined forces and opened Cherry Bomb just six months after graduating from Evergreen.
Self-described as an “inclusive beauty collective,” Cherry Bomb wants to bring accessibility, inclusivity, and individuality to the esthetician’s realm. Both Morones and Armstrong felt that gendered pricing and language in the industry are outdated and, at times, condescending. Afterall, would you really want to go in and ask for a “mankini” wax?
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
“There are a lot of places [where] if you’re assigned male at birth, you’re going to get charged more,” says Morones. “I just feel like in the industry as it is, it was probably pretty prohibitive for people who didn’t fall into a binary to get services.”
“For me personally, I was really [focused on] body inclusivity,” says Armstrong. “You see a lot of the time in spas, a certain look of a person [being more represented], but also… they don’t have a lot of accessibility for people who weren’t born in a straight-sized body, or a non-disabled body.”
On top of that, some folks who lean into alternative looks can feel unwelcome in a typical salon. That won’t be a problem in Cherry Bomb’s bright-green-and-pink lobby, Morones’s all-black studio with a wall-mounted skull, or in Armstrong’s bubblegum pink studio.
Armstrong focuses on eyebrows, eyelash lifts and tints, facial waxing, and facial skincare, and was recently certified in tooth gems. Morones offers body waxing and lash extensions, and has extra-fun options like bright colors, tinsel, and UV-glow lashes. It’s important to both of them to offer esthetics services that provide more opportunity for customizing your look.
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
“It’s not just like correcting a flaw or making someone necessarily ‘more beautiful,’ but making someone feel good on the outside … just like tattoos and piercings, it’s the same thing. It’s not just like a beauty standard thing, more of a self-expression thing,” says Morones.
When Cherry Bomb moved to its new larger location earlier this year, they were joined by two tattoo artists, Anna (Banana Wheels Tattoo) and Tiger Varah (Tattoos by Tiger). This is a step toward Cherry Bomb’s goal of functioning as a beauty collective, a space where different independent specialists can offer their services, and where customers can one-stop-shop and support small, local providers. Cherry Bomb hopes to run more flash events and find the right nail technician to join the collective in the near future. They also proudly offer a 15% discount to all students and school employees with a valid school ID.
“We are definitely a non-traditional but fun experience,” says Armstrong. “We want everyone to come and enjoy.” 1210 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, 360.726.2372, cherrybombesthetics.com
