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creating beautiful hair color. The area of Brooklyn became very
trendy with professional people who worked in New York and
wanted to look good. Ignacio worked with a diverse clientele
and became skilled in styling hair for every ethnic group.
By 2009, Ignacio had been in the United States for 14 years
and was ready to return to Ecuador. He settled in Cuenca
and opened a salon. He was delighted to be reunited with his
mother and family. Often when he’d attend social events, he’d
meet former schoolmates and old friends. He also reconnected
with the Sanchez family and opened an optical shop in Mornay
Plaza in partnership with them. He hired one of his sisters as the
general manager there.
Ignacio continued his love of body building and fitness in
Cuenca. When the gym he frequented was offered for sale,
he purchased it. Like many of his ventures, the gym needed
some re-organizing and updating, but Ignacio used his years
of experience to turn it into a successful venture. He started
sponsoring women participating in Miss Cuenca and Miss
Ecuador pageants, offering all the candidates physical training
and conditioning in preparation for competitions.
The spinning studio at Fox Gym
The treadmills at Fox Gym
When the owners of the new River Side building across from
Hotel Oro Verde, wanted a successful gym as a tenant, they
approached Ignacio and invited him to move his gym and salon
to a prime location. He moved his businesses there in July.
Fox Gym Center is now the largest and best equipped gym in
Cuenca. It offers a wide variety of classes including aerobics,
spinning, functional fitness, tae bo, and dance, along with
weight lifting and a wide variety of exercise machines. There
are seven personal trainers available, all with college degrees.
All the trainers are full-time employees of the gym so that Ignacio
can ensure the quality and professionalism of the training.
Many expats work out at Fox Gym, attracted by the English
speaking staff. It’s the kind of gym where everyone is welcome,
from the highly fit to those just beginning a fitness journey.
Right next door is the Ignacio Valdivieso Salon and Spa, which
Ignacio owns with his business partner Alicia Pesantez. The
salon and spa offers cuts, color, facials and waxing, manicures/
pedicures, and massage. Ignacio is considered the best hair
colorist in Cuenca by many expats, especially those with blonde
hair. The salon serves men and women, and at least half of the
clientele are expats.
For the owner of three successful businesses in Cuenca, Ignacio
is surprisingly humble. He still works hard, spending time at all
of his businesses to ensure that customers are well treated and
never taken advantage of or misled in any way. He alternates
between seeing clients in the salon and encouraging people
at the gym. He is still growing. His next goals are to open
another fitness center for yoga, Pilates, and other quiet fitness
activities. After that, he wants to open a restaurant.
Ignacio with children he helps.
page 10 | cuenca expats magazine
When asked for some fitness tips, Ignacio shared that it is
important to begin slowly, especially if it has been a while since
engaging in regular exercise. It’s best to start with walking and