Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara Nieto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sara , thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Long story short my mission with Tierra Face and Body is to make luxury services accessible. I one thousand percent believe that everyone deserves to be pampered. I know that especially for people that grew up like me with immigrant parents or low income, self-care is often placed on the back burner because you’re working on surviving. Growing up, and even as a young adult now there’s so many things I’d love to do and try to heal or enjoy but often times they’re just too expensive. When thinking about my services and prices, I struggled a lot between “knowing my worth” and also being accesible to my clients who need it most. For that reason, I set prices that are reasonable, compared to what potential clients will see on the market.
There is a problem of inaccessibility to self-care, specifically in esthetics. Acne is a huge part of being an esthetician and educating the client on how the skin works is a big part of it, as well as recommending skincare and treatments to clear the skin. Many times while working for large-scale spas, I have seen clients walk away, or not attempt a treatment plan, because of how expensive it is, however, they genuinely need or want the care. I remember feeling helpless because I wanted to help them, but my then employers didn’t even offer information or free tips and tricks before they got them in for a consultation. Now working for myself, if someone cannot afford coming to see me, I still offer my help by looking at products they’re currently using or suggesting lifestyle changes they can try. I am also not afraid to suggest over the counter skincare which a lot of estheticians usually frown upon because it’s “cheap and not good quality”. If something is genuinely not beneficial for their skin of course I’ll tell them, but if they don’t want to buy from me I have other options for them. It’s one reason I do my part as an esthetician by continuing my own education in cosmetic ingredients and methods. The whole point is to be able to help within the limits that the client has. I always tell people that inquire on social media or phone that I will be here for them when they’re ready. Because I know that finances are sensitive and different for everyone.
I also recognize that I am a business and being profitable is something to think about so I have a lot to learn. But even as my business grows and evolves accessibility is something that will always be important to my mission.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I did not know I wanted to be an Esthetician right away. After High School I went to community college a year or two, but quickly learned it was not for me. After that I fell into the restaurant industry where I worked every position you can think of, following in my fathers footsteps. After about 5 years in the restaurant industry I knew that I didn’t want to spend another 30 years there so I decided to explore my interest in cosmetology. I booked a tour of the school closest to me and I was so excited to learn about the program, however my tour guide quickly shut down my excitement by telling me that I did not seem to have the passion for Cosmetology and she didn’t want me wasting my time. I was disappointed I didn’t even get an actual tour that day. While I was there I saw a pamphlet for Esthiology and I asked her about it. I got a short answer that Esthiology was a similar program but focused on skin. I walked out of there and continued how I was for a few months however I couldn’t shake the curiosity about the esthetics program and decided to tour Aveda. At Aveda the atmosphere was completely different and I fell in love with their holistic methods. Around this time is also when I started to experience major health changes and part of that was me dealing with acne. Like many I tried everything under the sun to get rid of it I and I was excited to learn all about the skin. This curiosity of learning how to heal my skin bled into healing my other health problems. I quickly became interested in herbalism, food and lifestyle changes and so much more all of it was connected to healing the body. Once I started practicing facials on my friends and family I got a lot of compliments on my touch and I started seeing good changes in peoples skin/mood. Being someone that loves to learn and expand my knowledge I became curious about massage therapy so I went to school and became liscenced! Massage therapy further launched me into my holistic career. Between all the therapies that I have learned and read about like, therapeutic massage, deep massage, manual lymphatic drainage, stretching, hot/cold therapy, cupping, herbalism, I can guide someone in the right direction to healing themselves. Including massage therapy in my training has validated what I have always felt. I am a healer and guide. I believe I have found my purpose and it feels great to serve.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I’ve had a lot of fun building my social media. I’ve learned I prefer making videos and talking about subjects in depth (even if I only have 90 seconds on Instagram!). I started off shy, but I realized that if I talk to the camera like I’m FaceTiming my friends it’s a lot easier. I found doing this made my personality shine through, and that’s one thing I look for when looking for an influencer or business to follow. One thing I have learned and am still implementing is to talk about it more than once. Now I repost my reels, or infographics to my story more often. I also talk in my stories a lot more now because it’s more organic and it increases engagement from followers. I encourage anyone who is trying to build a social media presence to follow back your clients and other potential clients and connect with them through comments on their posts, liking their stories and even recalling memories from their socials when they come in to see you. My clients love that I can remember small things about their lives because it reminds them that I care. After all, social media began with the intention to connect us!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
One of my favorite books that I’ve read for self-help is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. It taught me that success starts small and in order to really change you need to implement easy tasks in your day-to-day to support that goal. For example, I arrive to my first appointment 30 minutes to an hour early no matter what because this gives me enough time to set myself up for success, and make sure I properly take care of that client. When it comes to bodywork, I really liked the books “Healing Back Pain” by John E Sarno, MD, “The Body Keeps The Score” by Bessel van Der Kolk, MD and “Acne Rx” by James E. Fulton MD. All three of these books taught me things presented in our physical body whether it’s pain, or acne, the explanation can sometimes be much deeper. The first two deal with pain and how emotions or trauma can cause it and how working through some things physiologically can significantly improve our physical pain. Acne RX was the first time I learned acne is so much more than bacteria on the skin! They’ve made me the well-rounded practitioner that I am now!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tierrafaceandbody.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: @TierraFaceandBody
- Other: TikTok: @TierraFaceandBody