Spotlight on You: Angela Zajic and Rah Hair Studio

A South Lake Tahoe hair salon is gaining attention from around the country because of their specialized wedding hair services, and its all because of Rah Hair Salon's owner Angelia Zajic and her team of eight stylists.

Zajic, a South Lake Tahoe native and a graduate of Whittell High School, opened Rah in 2009 after working at New Wave and in the Aveda Salon at MontBleu. It was her experience with Aveda that led Angela to creating a spa-like atmosphere at the studio which is located at 2572 Lake Tahoe Blvd #4.

The couch is trendy and comfy; there are tea, coffee, sodas or wine waiting for clients; soft music playing in the background; a new make-up center and products for sale that also grace the shelves at top salons.

Rah expanded 18 months ago, giving them room for wedding parties along with regular clients. Zajic and Rah are coming off their busiest wedding year yet. In 2017 they did the hair for 125 wedding parties and she is already booking weddings out weddings for a year from now.

But they aren't just about weddings.

"We have great local clientele," said Zajic.

That might be why Rah has won two straight Best of Tahoe awards for hair dresser. But exactly who won is in question since there are two Angelas that work at Rah, and the award went to "Angie at Rah." Zajic, and the other "Angie," Angie Lukins- Ricci, are happy to share the honors.

Besides using her artist talents with up-dos and other salon services, Angela is also a singer who once tried out for American Idol. Those attending Marcia Sarosik dance recitals have been treated to Angela's singing, including "Santa Baby" during holiday shows. She grew up dancing with Sarosik and has been part of her teaching staff for years.

That talent has been passed on to daughter Aurora Gooch, now 18 and a student at Santa Barbara City College. Aurora starred in musicals at South Tahoe High, and was in the cast of "It's a Wonderful Life" this month at college. Like her mother before her, Aurora has trained with her great-aunt, famed mezzo-soprano opera singer Dolora Zajick (who added a "k" to the name to make it easier for people to pronounce).

Many in the South Lake Tahoe community may also know Angela from her work with childhood diabetes and the Nevada Diabetes Association. She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a 10-year-old student in South Lake Tahoe and started an annual prom fundraiser to send children with the disease to Camp Buck.

"Soon after my diagnosis I was told about a place for kids like me, Camp Buck," Zajic says on the Bubbles and Bow Ties website. "There, I met new friends, doctors, nurses, and counselors and immediately felt like I had found my new home full of people just like me. The sense of community that I took away from Camp Buck that year and almost every year thereafter has been instrumental in guiding my life to where I am today. My experiences at Camp Buck have given me the courage to battle and live with this disease and the relationships I've formed have been key in helping me maintain a positive outlook."

And now, besides specializing in wedding hair, Angela will soon be planning her own wedding to Charles Boldwin of Newport Beach.

For more information on Rah, visit their website at http://www.rahhair.com/.