Small Business Spotlight: Luxury Is the Standard-Lanitra Middlebrook Is Building Beauty, Healing, and Legacy, One Chair at a Time

Yanice Y. Carter
Dec 19, 2025
3 min read

Courtesy Photo-Owner of the Standard Salon Troy, Lanitra Middlebrook

Recently, I visited The Standard Salon in Troy, Michigan, and left with more than just a silk press and a facial—I left feeling lighter, seen, and restored. Feeling self-conscious due to a recent breakout, I hesitated to be seen that day. However, Lanitra’s invitation to experience her Salon and Spa Services transformed my spirit in unexpected ways.

Photo Credit-The Chronicle Media Group-From Publisher Yanice Carter at the Standard Salon in Troy, Michigan. Self-conscious to self-assured, proof that beauty rooted in care changes how you feel, not just how you look.

But, that is what happens when beauty is treated as care, not vanity.

For Lanitra, hair has never been just hair; it has always been ministry.

Lanitra's journey began with Barbie dolls and evolved through her own hair, guided by her mother's braiding skills. Throughout life, she has kept her craft close.

Her professional roots in Lansing include Addixions Salon, which first operated out of the Lansing Mall before relocating to a space on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The early years were deeply community-centered, grounded in service, and skill-building. They laid the foundation for everything that followed.

Today, Lanitra is the founder and visionary behind The Standard Salon, a luxury beauty destination rooted in Troy. She is also a working mother of eight, currently six months pregnant with her ninth child. Lanitra is a living example that ambition and motherhood are not opposing forces.

Her journey has taken her from the Mitten to Cali, to Atlanta, and back. Along the way, she gathered technique, perspective, and clarity.

What grounded her was community, her neighbors, friends, and family.

These are the very people she now enjoys and serves daily.

“I built The Standard because high-quality haircare should feel like a retreat, not a chore,” Lanitra says. “I created a space where people can chat , connect and leave out looking and feeling better then when they came ie.

That vision is felt the moment you step inside.

Stepping into The Standard Salon, you immediately feel the warmth and intention behind its luxurious design. Clients are treated with care, ensuring they leave feeling better than when they arrived.

“People carry a lot,” she says. “If I can help them leave feeling better than when they arrived, then I’ve done my job.”

That philosophy extends throughout the salon.

During my visit, I received a facial from Naomi, an esthetician specializing in facials and body waxing. Her work is rooted in healing, shaped by her own journey with skin challenges. What began as a personal necessity became a purpose. In five years, she sees herself teaching and mentoring others, continuing the cycle of care that defines the space.

Mentorship is not an afterthought here. It is foundational.

Mentorship is foundational at The Standard. Lanitra proudly speaks of stylists like Regan and Mya Nicole, who are considered family. Their bond, built on mutual respect and shared values, strengthens the salon's culture.

“We’re moving legacy forward,” Lanitra says. “This isn’t just about today.” That vision is clear in The Standard’s mission. The salon sees itself as a sanctuary of beauty and mentorship, where luxury haircare meets holistic healing, and where empowerment, excellence, and spiritual alignment live under one roof.

At The Standard Salon, luxury is not an extra—it's the standard. Through every transformation and conversation, the salon redefines what it means to be whole, healed, and unapologetically powerful.

MEET THE OWNER

Courtesy Photo-Lanitra MiddlebrookVisionary. Mentor. Master Stylist. and founder of The Standard Salon, whose work blends luxury haircare with healing, intention, and community legacy. Follow her on Instagram: @LanitraLashay