Vibrant pop music is drowned out by the sound of chatter and laughter at Five Points' newest skincare spa, The SKINHOUSE.
While customers may come in and see clients sipping on drinks at the bar or lying on chaises, the spa's real mission is teaching people how to feel comfortable in their own skin, according to esthetician Mady Dibias.
“I think it's so important to let people know that it's okay to have breakouts and it's okay to not feel beautiful in your skin, but that you are (beautiful)," Dibias said. "There are ways to (be beautiful) on the outside, but ultimately really helping people (be beautiful) on the inside as well.”
Beautique Skin Company, a medical spa off of Whaley Street, opened its sister spa, The SKINHOUSE, in August. According to Lauren Lane Simpson, the director of the SKINHOUSE spa services, the spa was designed to have an open-concept floor plan meant to encourage a social and educational environment.
Simpson said Brooke and Paul Gellici, the founders of Beautique Skin Company, were inspired to open The SKINHOUSE after visiting Paris for a buisness trip. The two then drew up the idea of making The SKINHOUSE into a social, open-concept skincare bar after learning more about French skincare products and experiencing a more free atmosphere in Paris.
Simpson said they encourage skincare education through express services that are still relevant to customers.
One of the spa's main features is its Dew It Yourself bar, which consists primarily of educational sessions with trained estheticians. During this time, an esthetician will analyze their client's skin, draft a 10 to 12 step skincare regiment and walk the client through skincare application. Finally, the esthetician will show the client the retail section of the spa for purchasing the items needed for their crafted skincare routine.
“You can come in with family or friends or a partner, whoever, all by yourself even, and come and sit at the bar. You'll have an esthetician — what we call ourselves is a Skintender," said Jess Gold, a Skintender and licensed esthetician. "Your Skintender is going to take care of you and walk you through a facial, and that is your time.”
The Skinhouse, a new facial spa company in Five Points, sits at 2000 Blossom St. in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sept. 19, 2023. HydraFacials and Skinhouse signature facials are provided in this room.
Gold said this time is best used to ask questions about skin types, skincare trends and skincare regiments while relaxing with a cocktail or mocktail. Skintenders will also help clients eliminate what is not working in their current routines, according to Gold.
“A lot of my clients have come in and say, 'Well, I tried this thing, but I hated it,'” Gold said. "'(It's) because that TikTok person didn't have the same skin you have.' So, it's kind of a way for them to come in here and try all those things out that they're seeing and ask us questions.”
Simpson said the staff is motivated to help their clients take care of their skin in the same way the staff takes care of their own skin.
“Most of the staff here — if not everyone — their desire to get into esthetics was based out of their own skin issues. So it's not like what you see on social media where everyone has this filter face on. That's not real life," Simpson said. "They have had their own struggles, and they've learned how to treat their own skin."
Taking care of your skin can be just as important as taking care of any other organ, Gold said. She said she has seen people suffer from poor skin health, and therefore understands its importance.
"(Skincare) is healthcare," Gold said. "I have family members who have gotten melanoma from — in the 80s and 90s — being out in the sun because they thought that's what was (healthy). And now they're hurting from it."
After a Dew It Yourself service, The SKINHOUSE will make available to customers the products they need to accomplish their skincare goals. The staff stays educated on the products it uses by attending conferences that touch on a variety of botanical products that can assist with various skincare issues, according to Megan Vannucci, a Skintender and liscensed esthetician.
Gold said one makeup line the spa carries, Color Science, is mineral based and meant to protect the client's skin by providing SPF coverage for them throughout the day. Fellow esthetician, Aslyn Bresinger, said another product, IS Clinical, is her favorite to use because of its natural plant base.
"It's good for almost anybody because it is botanicals, so you can use it while you're pregnant and breastfeeding," Brensinger said.
The provision of the product options are the final step in the SKINHOUSE's mission to help bring beauty and confidence to every one of their clients, according to Dibias.
"We love helping each other. We want everybody to feel beautiful in their own skin," Dibias said. "Educating them, giving them the products and the space — the beautiful space — to come and experience it and then to go home and to be happy with their skin and to be knowledgeable about what to use at home."
The SKINHOUSE is located at 2000 Blossom St. and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Those interested in learning more about treatments or how to book an appointment can visit its website.