We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Mitchell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alexis, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Lumi is definitely a unique concept in that it is not your traditional day spa or med spa- it’s something in between. Lumi Skin Bar is an open concept facial bar & aesthetic boutique. We offer top of the line skin and beauty treatments provided by extensively trained experts, inclusive pricing and service timing with the goal to create confidence in our clients. Our most unique feature is our open concept facial bar. Most of our facials are 30 minutes, focused in on targeting skin concerns, while considering timing and price inclusivity. The idea of our “not medical spa medical spa” came from wanting effective beauty treatments in an inclusive, comfortable environment.

Working in the beauty industry and being a patron of many spas, I felt a gap between effective treatments and an inviting space. I found that there was either high price, intimidating med spas that delivered effective, invasive treatments or traditional spas that focused on relaxation and not treatment goals. Lumi’s goal is to bridge that gap and be both a welcoming environment that delivers effective treatments at the best price point available. As a patron myself, I wanted somewhere I could go on my lunch break and leave knowing I got a great service that I didn’t break the bank on.

I will be honest- I don’t know if I thought about if it would be a worth while venture. I’m a pretty empathic person and I think when launching Lumi, I was really focused on taking something that is traditionally seen as exclusive and non-essential and turning it into something that anyone can enjoy- everyone has skin, so everyone deserves skincare. Skin is a huge reflection of self confidence. To me, I was so excited to launch something that I hope would give customers that confidence.

I believe we were solving a problem that no one else was solving. While facial bars and aesthetic boutiques have become more popular, we currently are still the only one in Louisville. I hope it paves a path for a new innovation in the beauty industry that is focused on quality and accessibility. I believe it is scary to be different and most people are used to following the norm- but I hope that our innovation inspires others so we can create a better community that helps so many people feel good about themselves.

Alexis, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Alexis, Licensed Esthetician and Co-Owner of Lumi Skin Bar + Aesthetics. My main passion is delivering accessible, inclusive, and result driven skin treatments to the community. While I take my work seriously, I consider myself to be less serious and extroverted in my personal life. I love connecting with people and thrive off of positive energy and joy of others, which is a huge part of my personal and professional life. I always knew I wanted to be a part of the beauty industry and really found my passion for skincare through apprenticeships and receptionist jobs within the field.

After completing my undergrad, I went straight into Esthetics school and landing in the Esthetics industry at 23. I persistently bothered a local spa owner that I idolized until she offered me my first job as a licensed Esthetician. From there, I really set out on my business’ venture- I can’t thank Kate Pridham at Body & Brow enough for giving me the support to start my own business and also to set the standard of supporting communities for everyone’s success.

Creating a spa, alongside my business partner, Morgan Schmidt, with a very specific mission was important to us. We set out to create a space that offered top of the line skincare treatments in an accessible, inclusive environment- bridging the gap between fluffy, relaxing spas and intimidating invasive medical spas. We offer facials, chemical peels, collagen induction treatments, injectables, photofacials, threading and waxing, and more. We have essentially taken medical spa services out of the medspa and into a more comfortable boutique environment that prioritizes accessibility.

I am most proud of the environment that my spa has created. I can truly say that my team of providers are not only exceptional professionals in their field, but they have cultivated the inclusive space that Lumi is. Lumi’s mission is supported by their genuine passion for Esthetics and belief of inclusivity. I am proud to create a positive community for not only our patrons and providers, but other beauty industry and small businesses to connect with. I love connecting with others in beauty and small business with the hope that we can help each other be better providers and educators for the benefit of our community.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Anytime the origin story of how my business partner and I got started comes up, I always have to start with “I swear this wasn’t planned!” My first memory of meeting Morgan was when I was about 10 years old. I tried to play with her and her friends at a gathering and her and her friends, who were 2 years older than me, decided they were too big and cool for 10 year old me. We grew up in the same small town where our families are probably related one way or another, so while we weren’t friends, we pretty much followed each others’ footsteps in life- going to the same schools, bumping into each other at local events, etc. Morgan and I both decided to go to college before circling back to our unknown shared passion in Esthetics. I saw her in the classroom at our small town Esthetic school when I went in to tour the school before officially applying. After I saw her, I had to play cool and find someone with her phone number, pretend I had it all along, and casually text her asking her about how she liked the school (when really, I was clinging to her feedback as my answer to if I would make this important career path decision or not, because she is the bigger, cooler kid and I was in the middle of a crisis life decision). But in all seriousness, we found ourselves working in the same spa in our local town. From there, we created a closer relationship that led us into wanting to go into business together. The most important advice I have ever been given when going into business with another person is to pick someone you’d practically marry. Not only do we share a similar vision of our business and support each other and collaborate so well together, I know I can trust her because I’ve practically witnessed every embarrassing and low moment for myself growing up alongside her!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

From our start, we prioritized social media heavily because it is such a huge factor in marketing. Almost immediately, we were getting feedback from almost 90% of our client base that they found us on Instagram or Facebook and it interested them enough to check us out in person. That was a really clear message to us that social media was a priority tool for us to utilize to create a clientele. I personally run Lumi’s social media and I find that creating personable content around our services gets great feedback. It interests our audience the most to see real people either receiving services or talking about what we offer because it is relatable informs them on how their specific needs can be met. We get great feedback especially when our professionals educate and talk about different services and products we offer without being scripted or overly professional. Relatability is key! My biggest advice to those building their social media presence is to prioritize finding your business’ mission, what message you want to get across to the viewer, create consistent branding and themes so your business page keeps a professional tone, and be yourself because that will attract people interested in you and your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: Lumiskinbar.com
• Instagram: @lumi_skinbar
• Facebook: @LumiSkinBar

Image Credits
Photography by Anna Ahern