MUNCIE — Every week Cindy Degan makes the trip to Amber's Beauty School for a hair and scalp treatment and a manicure. She's been a regular for as long as she can remember.

"It's a treat to myself," Degan said. "First time for the pedicure. Enjoying their new facility."

Amber's moved from long-time location in the White River Plaza to 3611 N. Briarwood Lane, next to Dazzle Dance Studio, in January. The move was just part of upgrading facilities and adding services to the 75-year-old beauty school.

Known for teaching future cosmetologists the tricks of the trade and offering low prices, Amber's does more than hair and nails. Pedicures and facials now are a part of the regular services; both have separate rooms that offer customers comfort and privacy.

Anyone who walks into the pedicure room definitely will want to stay for a pedi. Customers take a cushiony seat in front of one of the five foot baths. The room is softly lit with low-hanging chandeliers above each sink, creating a spa setting.

This definitely isn't the old Amber's, where equipment was outdated and buckets used to catch leaking water littered the floor. The new place is spacious enough to also have a shampoo room, a main floor with stations for each student, hair dryers, a breakroom and a classroom upstairs.

"We wanted to build this so it was aesthetically just like a high-end salon," owner Brian Shrieve, 33, said. Shrieve is the grandson of Amber's founders Marjorie and George Shrieve.

It also helps that Brian Shrieve's wife and Amber's co-owner, Brooke, is a hairstylist and provided plenty of input on the new building. After graduating from Ball State University, Brooke graduated from Amber's to become a licensed cosmetologist. She works at Red Head.

While Shrieve is proud of the new facility, it's Amber's reputation that he's most proud of. That reputation has kept the business alive, attracting new clients and students every year.

"We're really proud of our history," Shrieve said. "We're probably one of Indiana's oldest cosmetology schools, and now we have this new facility."

The school's quality is what brings Phil Chin to Muncie from New Castle regularly to become a nail technician. His wife owns Nail Expert in New Castle. He visited other schools before choosing Amber's.

"I liked the instructors," Chin said.