Be careful what you wish for ... it might
come true. We've heard this warning before and in most
cases, probably never pay attention to it. Sondra Scott
didn't either, but because of her life experiences, she
knows it can happen.
Scott has worked in the industry for more than 30 years,
both in sales and management. As a child, however, she
vividly remembers experimenting with the cosmetics that her
mom sold. "I guess it was in my background," says Scott,
owner of Aesthetics by Sondra in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
She worked with retail
lines for several years but in 1981 enrolled in the Career Academy
of Beauty in Seal Beach, California. After receiving her esthetic
license in 1982, her career in skin care began. For five years she
worked with a woman who had just opened a salon and wanted an
associate to help her manage it, as well as work as an esthetician.
Scott had the management background, and she was good at what she
did, but she desired to work more with clients doing skin care and
do less of the managerial work.
In 1987 she opened her own business. "Actually it was more like a corner of a closet in an existing salon," Scott admits. "In six months, though, I had expanded to two rooms in that salon and was working with an associate.
"In 1992 I opened a larger, stand-alone spa and hired two estheticians. I always was busy and business was very good ... for seven years. I had gotten to the point where I wanted to slow down a bit, and I
missed my family in Arizona. It was then that I made the decision to
make the move."
She wanted to slow down
and experienced this in her business career once she made the move.
It had happened ... her wish to slow down became a reality, but
Scott wasn't sure she really was ready for it to such a degree.
"I own a small spa with
a treatment room and reception area. It's been very slow building up
a clientele," she says. For her professional treatments and retail
sales, she uses products from YG Laboratories and offers
MicroDermabrasion treatments using Aesthetic Lasers Inc.'s Power
Peel equipment. Her treatment menu includes various facials,
specialty masks, rejuvenating treatments, glycolic peels, power
peels, waxing, paraffin hand treatments, and stress reduction
therapy including reflexology and Reiki. Scott is open for business
by appointment only.
She invites entire families to visit her spa, though her clients
mostly are women, some teens for acne treatments and a few men,
usually sent by their wives. "I have clients from every age group
and I get a lot of snowbirds-people who come to Arizona from Utah,
Wyoming and even from the East Coast in the winter ... to thaw out
and enjoy the warmer weather," she explains one of the reasons for
the slower start ... Scott did not study the demographics when she
made the move-something she knows she should have done. She assumed
since she was moving to Arizona, people would be interested in
taking care of their skin because of the hot, dry air and sun. What
she found is that, though many people have skin damaged by the sun
and hot weather, most were not as educated in proper skin care as
her former California clients. She's set out to educate them,
however, and her clientele has been building. She advertises in
local newspapers and also has done some direct mail advertising.
Another vehicle she's used to promote her business and keep active
in the industry is the Internet. A self-taught Web page designer,
she also offers her services to others who want to have a Web
presence. "I can take much of the format from my site and customize
it for interested spa owners and estheticians who want to have a Web
presence," Scott says.
A Reiki master and teacher, Scott began training in this discipline in 1995. She feels it is a natural extension of her esthetic
services and that the therapeutic touch of hands-on healing is very
important.
Her advice to skin care professionals is to first of all, "Center yourself, then concentrate on what I call the three C's-Connect, Communicate and show Compassion toward your clients.
You need to be aware of what they need-though I know that some days,
that can be difficult," she says. "You'll know when you've done something good for them ... you'll be able to tell by the smile on
their faces."
The events of 9/11 have affected her business, "People just stopped coming in," she says. "My business almost came to a complete halt.
Many people feared the unknown ... they didn't know what was going
to happen. Business started picking up at the end of February and
it gets better every week."
Part of what's kept Scott in this business so long is the
professional friendships she's developed. "Estheticians are a very supportive group of professionals naturally, and through ups and
downs I could always see something positive about staying in the
business," she says. She hopes her business grows well in her
Arizona location and each day feels more and more established
there. With her experience and
dedication, it won't be long before she once again gets her wish!
Are
you a skin care professional with a story? If you'd like
to be featured in Face to Face, contact Lois Hince, managing
editor, at 630-653-2155, ext. 541; send a fax to 630-6532192,
or e-mail
Ihince@tiallured.com. Page 132 of the May 2002
Skin Inc Magazine
www.Skininc.com
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