We recently connected with Vanessa Sansivirini and have shared our conversation below.
Vanessa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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.
Medical spa’s are known for being clinical but I love holistic wellness and VSB has 4 core pillars of wellness that encompass a well rounded way to treat all my clients. The four pillars include mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellness. These are all natural parts of a human that need “TLC” because life can be difficult and sometimes life happens, The main focus of a med spa is physical beauty but at VSB we don’t neglect the other sides of the self that equally enhance over all well being. With beauty treatments, I help people build a greater sense of self esteem and confidence. The Reiki healing treatments are one of the ways that I take care of clients to improve their mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This energy form of healing aims to promote a balance and harmony within the body, mind, and spirit. I enhance the fourth pillar of wellness of spirituality through my podcast Coffee With Vanessa, It allows me to go into depth on many of the spiritual lessons and teachings that help people overcome life obstacles by talking about mindfulness and awareness, among many other topics. By combining beauty treatments with Reiki, I help people not only achieve their skin dreams, but also empower them through wellness to discover their inner beauty.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My job at Ulta opened the door for me to enter the beauty industry. I had been working as a medical assistant but it was not my passion and I decided to apply to a temporary seasonal job at Ulta for fun and the discount. The manager decided to keep my position permanently and I decided to stay since it was more fun than my current job. The longer I stayed the more I realized I could work a little harder to move up positions that would allow me to work full time in a job that I enjoyed for the first time in my life. Within a year I was promoted to the full time position as the Lancome Beauty Adviser and was responsible for the entire brand at that store. I started branching out and doing freelance makeup for weddings, music videos and fashion shows. In working the ‘prestige’ section of Ulta, I got a chance to be around estheticians and I got to see the kind of work they do and became very interested in what I needed to do to apply for those jobs. I started asking questions and one day I booked a tour at the Avenue Five beauty school. I fell in love with the school, had an amazing time learning there, fell in love with skincare, got my license and the rest is history. I never knew what an esthetician even was or that it was a possible career. I’m glad that it found me because I love what I do and it never feels like work.
On of my favorite treatments is the DMK Enzyme Treatment. It is the only treatment in the world that works on building the natural health of the skin at a cellular level. Healing and building the skin at a cellular level means that I can work on multiple skin concerns such as age management, acne, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, wrinkles and sun damage. With age, stress, medication and lifestyle the skins ability to repair and collagen production begins to slow down and damage starts to accumulate. Enzyme treatments help to increase the energy of the cell and activate the healing response and collagen and elastin production. It works on the factory of the skin to increase the quality of the product which is the skin you see in the mirror. The higher quality the production, the more youthful, plump, supple, hydrated, and glowing the skin is. The star of the show is the masque that stays on for 45 minutes and while it’s on, it’s draining lymphatic fluid, increasing oxygen with fresh blood to the vessels, increasing energy in the cells, and creating reverse osmosis in the cells to get a clean cell matrix. Once the masque is removed, many of the vessels will be visible for about 30 minutes and it looks intense but is completely painless and has no downtime. VSB is one of few MD paramedical clinic that offers advanced DMK treatments such as alkaline and Stemzyme. Alkaline increases the ph of your skin temporarily for three minutes to revise difficult skin concerns such as pigmentation, cystic acne and rosacea. Stemzyme is the only treatment in the world that helps your skin produce its own stem cells. The skin starts to correct the accumulated damage and we see revised skin that is glowing, healthy and radiant. Instead of spending money on a facelift, clients enjoy the most advanced treatments in the world that naturally rebuilds the skin and maintains a youthful and healthy glow.
I especially love working on corrective skin care because often times people will want to resort to medications, lasers or extremely harsh treatments such as accutane. I believe the skin can be corrected with genuine care and the right approach. Most people don’t know how to care for their skin and what products will be best for them. People rely on influencers or recommendations from friends but each persons skin is different and lifestyle, genetics and diet play a part. What works well for one person will not always work well for another. People waste time and money trying to find what works well for them. I help to take out the guess work with my in depth consultations. I make sure to analyze their skin and recommend the right products for them based on their skin concerns and desired outcome. I like to educate my clients on best practices while they are getting professional treatments so they get the best results.
What I’m most proud of is my constant desire to increase my education. I believe that constantly learning will only benefit my clients so they can benefit from the best treatments to get the best results. I had an experience with a dermatologist once that was very cold with me and only wanted “yes” or “no” answers. I had real concerns but was not treated with care and respect. Not only do I want to make sure I have the best education but also the best client care. Each consultation and appointment is given enough time to ask questions, get updates and talk about any concerns they have. This makes their skincare journey smooth, successful and more enjoyable.
The main thing I want potential clients to know is that while I love instant beauty, I also love high quality, long term results. It’s great to get a hydrating facial that sucks out the gunk from the pores but the greatest satisfaction comes from knowing a treatment is rebuilding the skin from the inside out. Not only do I treat people skin deep but also soul deep because each person deserves good quality ethical treatments but also to be treated with care and respect. I like to say the spa is a judgment free zone where you can be rest assured you will get the best care and the best results without feeling shame or exclusion. Sometimes people with serious skin issues such as acne can feel intimidated to go and see a skincare professional but I like to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible no matter where they are at in their skincare journey.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
There are many situations you face as a business owner but the hardest one of all is the burnout stage. As a solo business owner, you are responsible for everything, whether you delegate tasks or not. It can be inevitable due to the constant decision making and stress. Most people will think, they just need to work harder and have more structure but the opposite is true. There are times when you need to take a step back to stop and smell the roses and live life. Some events such as covid are completely out of your control and the added stress of uncertainty can wreak havoc on the mind and body. Not taking care of the body to have proper rest, a lunch break or a vacation can also cause cumulative damage and you won’t notice until you hit burnout. Part of my journey has been to properly balance hard work and having fun but also being productive and resting. I don’t believe that it’s something anyone can be perfect at but it’s something you have to constantly and diligently balance throughout your journey. When I hit burnout, I decided to rest more and nourish myself by taking care of myself mentally, emotionally and physically. I made sure to not add stress to my plate and I quickly removed anything extra that was stressful or toxic. I gave myself plenty of time to enjoy life again and I not sticking to a rigid routine helped me tremendously. By being patient with myself I was able to feel better and excited again. That was how I was able to rest and recover and come back to work feeling motivated.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
My story with funding is wild because I started with zero dollars and zero clientele. I did however have a little experience with funding an online jewelry business. It was actually my very first business that I was not mentally prepared for but I did get enough of a taste of entrepreneurship to know how to get started and scale. It helps to have friends and family that are willing to be your first clients or customers and grow from there. You have to be willing to not have all the expensive things and some people will try and make you feel bad for it but I found that it takes talent and passion to make the best out of anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: link.me/vsbspa
- Instagram: instagram.com/vanessa_sansivirinibeauty
Image Credits
Valeria Ortega. Spark of Wander Photography