Sweet Southern Rain Wellness and Beauty opens second location |

They are not related to her, but Jacqueline Cook refers to those women who run businesses within Cook’s business as “my girls.”

Cook, the owner of Sweet Southern Rain Salon and Spa, has opened a second location in Sebring. It is called Sweet Southern Rain Wellness and Beauty. The address is 3324 Commerce Center Lane behind South State Bank.

“If I can help my girls, or whoever is working in this area, by doing events and advertising for them and just trying to build their business up,” she said. “It’s a blessing for me to be able to help others.”

If they need some extra help with marketing or putting information on social media, Cook will do so as much as possible.

“I want them to succeed,” she added.

Cook started the business three years ago. It was originally located in the Fairmount shopping center and then moved to Sun ‘N Lake Boulevard last year.

Cook previously worked at the JC Penney salon in Lakeshore Mall in Sebring. When the store closed, she said more than 30 stylists were going to be displaced.

“I finally took that leap and opened my own business,” she said.

The women are independent contractors. They rent space from Cook and set their own hours.

One of them is Tiffani Panagiotopoulos who operates Elegance Esthetics. She does facials, brow lamination, waxing, dermaplaning and chemical peels.

Panagiotopoulos said Cook is one of the best people she has ever worked for.

“She has a great attitude,” Panagiotopoulos said.

Another contractor is Casey Leal whose business is called Broken Bones Beauty. Leal is a facial specialist who is available for evening appointments.

The name for the business came about because Leal said she “likes darker things,” adding that her favorite color is black.

Cook wants to add more people to the south location that would include a massage therapist and a nurse practitioner who will handle the Botox injections.

It has a lot of space. Cook said it is 3,300 square feet, which is more than double the size of the north location.

That part of a large building where the wellness and beauty needed work. Cook said a lot of it was done by themselves, noting that she did all of the painting.

“I put a lot of love into this place,” she said.

It has been a big undertaking, and Cook said she couldn’t have done it without her husband, Andy, whom she said “he’s definitely been a trooper.”

“He is my maintenance person, so anytime I need things fixed or anything else he is right on it,” she said. “He’s amazing,” she added, noting that son Danny has also helped.

Sweet Southern Rain does full-body waxing, color, haircuts, hydrafacials and facials. Body contouring is only offered at the south location.

“We do a lot of skin care, anti-aging and acne treatments,” Cook said.

A nurse comes there once a month to do hydration IVs and facials.

One of the reasons for the second location is convenience for customers. Cook said people come from the south end of the county, Lorida and Okeechobee, to see her.

She also tries to accommodate customers by being open until 8 p.m. on Friday. The telephone number for the new location is 863-273-4046.

A grand opening is planned for late August. Cook hopes to have several vendors participate in the event.

As far as the name for the business, it involves a family member. Cook explained that the middle name of her youngest daughter is “Rain.” Being in the South and Cook said she is a country girl, Sweet Southern Rain “kind of just came together.”

Her ultimate goal is to establish a beauty academy. She said if she can start teaching and educating more she can help future business owners.