We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelsea McBee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelsea below.

Chelsea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

When I started my little boutique skin spa, Wholelistic Esthetics, in 2018 I knew I wanted to avoid conventional/mainstream ideology and products. I approach the skin from a holistic standpoint, helping clients feel beautiful and confident in their skin by addressing underlying issues that increase the signs of aging.

When I started hiring estheticians into my practice I was amazed at how unprepared they were and it was all because of the industry standard in beauty school education of “teaching to the test”. My business partner and myself realized we had to change the standards for esthetics education. So in 2023 Elite Esthetics Institute was born.

We approach education from a holistic perspective as well. We have expanded upon the required curriculum in order to make sure that our graduates are completely confident and competent when they step into the workforce. Whether that means they are opening their own businesses or going to work for someone else, we want them to be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills in every area within the Esthetics scope of practice. We also prepare them for all of the other aspects of being a professional, including tax preparation, saving for retirement and seeking out continuing education.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a licensed esthetician that focuses on Wholelistic skin treatments and Ayurvedic body therapies. My approach to skin care is based in the holistic concept that everything is connected. We can’t begin to fully understand the things that ail us without engaging in the whole being. With each appointment we will dig a little deeper to discuss your desired results as well as how diet, stress and how you care for your skin can all effect those results!
You won’t find any fillers or botox here. Just an educated, licensed esthetician with “magic hands” and high performance botanical and science backed skin care.

I love to incorporate high-vibe products, supplements and selfcare so together, we can build a unique skin care plan and home care routine to engage your WHOLE person to achieve your desired results!

It’s important to me to create a spa experience for our clients that is different than anything else they’ve experienced. A personalized therapeutic treatment that not only leaves their skin glowing, but also leaves their soul feeling lighter.
I wanted to make sure that I am also creating a very positive work environment for my estheticians and staff! Facilitating a positive company culture that allows employees to live full lives and pursue their dreams is what brings me joy.

At Elite Esthetics Institute we believe that it is very important to have a well-rounded education that includes lots of hands on supervised practice for every service and modality that is allowed within our scope of practice.
Of course, we teach the required curriculum that prepares the students for their state board, licensing exams. But we also focus on topics outside of that curriculum to fully prepare each student for the real world. Our students have the opportunity to graduate with additional certifications as well, including basic lash extension, and dermaplane. We have a 100% graduation rate and are proud to say that we have a 100% employment rate as well.

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

I met Cecilia Perkins in 2016 when we both enrolled in Esthetics school. After we graduated, we kept in touch by booking services with each other and eventually Cecilia was able to rent a room from me in my spa for her lash extensions business, Artisan Fringe.

Over the years, we would spend time discussing all of the things that we had to figure out on our own after we graduated and thankfully we both have been able to enjoy successful businesses thanks to our hard work and dedication.

Eventually, we were hearing about and observing so many instances of students graduating with an Esthetics certificate, but severely lacking basic skill, concepts and understanding of the industry in general.

The industry standard for beauty school education provides minimal education and support with a goal of creating as many graduates as possible. Conventional education does not focus on the whole person or pay any attention to what it is like in real life working in the beauty industry. This is a multi billion dollar industry and it brings us such joy and excitement, knowing that we are helping young women create vibrant, viable futures for themselves .

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Honestly, I think the fact that both of us have our own successful businesses within the industry, gives us the street cred that helps people believe in us as educators. There are not many educational opportunities for Esthetics in our area so news of a new school providing elite education has gotten around quickly.

We maintain a presence on social media and encourage our students to participate in that as well so they can learn an essential marketing skill.

Both Cecilia and myself started our businesses with very little. And we’ve been able to grow clientele by providing elite service and connecting with our clients. We teach these same concepts to our students, and bring that same level of care to education.
When we decided to open a school, we both put our savings into it and crossed our fingers. Even when we were down to our last five dollars we knew that this was an important service to be able to provide to future Estheticians in our area.
We have been profoundly fortunate to love what we do and experience the joy of supporting other women. To get to see our clients gain confidence and our students step into fulfilling careers is a gift. We are passionate, dedicated and willing to do the hard work. That’s what builds your reputation. Showing up everyday and giving it your all, knowing it’s for the greater good!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.wholelisticesthetics.com, www.artisanfringe.com, www.eliteestheticsinstitute.com
• Instagram: @wholelisticesthetics, @artisanfringe, @eliteestheticsinstitute