With each new design for a client near or far, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh artist and entrepreneur Santana Walker brings new meaning to the expression, “nailed it.”

Santana owns Revive ‘Wa áynexwi7’ Day Spa, a busy salon on the Squamish Nation’s Xwmélch’sten (Capilano) Reserve that offers facials, massages, nail enhancement, pedicures, and manicures. But her unique nail art, applied in what she describes as a “contemporary Coast Salish style,” has taken her business far beyond the North Shore, shipping press-on designs as far as the island of Guam.

“Because I’m working with such a small canvas, the art really does have to take more of a contemporary form over traditional,” Santana explained.

“I feel blessed to even have the opportunity to decolonize in this way. I haven’t perfected it, but it’s definitely come a long way and I’m really proud of what I do.”

Last month, Santana’s nail art was spotlighted on social media by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. Yet, she said, the most rewarding part of her career remains the impact on her clients.

“It’s the way it makes people feel to wear the art and how excited they get. I’ve had a lot of people get very emotional while I’m drawing, especially if they know the history and what Indigenous People have gone through in Canada.”

Santana works with two other nail technicians at Revive ‘Wa áynexwi7’ Day Spa and is a proud mentor to other Indigenous women who reach out, inspired, to learn more about starting their own nail art businesses.

Asked for her advice to other Indigenous entrepreneurs, she said:

“If it flows nicely and it feels right, then continue with it, even when it gets tough or you feel a little bit discouraged. See it all the way through because there is a bright shining light at the end of the tunnel.”

To see Santana’s work online or book an appointment, visit Revive ‘Wa áynexwi7’ Day Spa on Facebook or follow her on Instagram: @indiginails_ and @waaynexi7dayspa.

Interested in being listed on the Squamish Nation Community Business Directory? Call us at 604-329-1752, email applications@nchu7mut.com, or visit the Directory online.