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Face to Face with Sondra Scott

by lois hince

Sondra Scott Aesthetics by Sondra

Be careful what you wish for ... it might come true. We've heard this warning before and in most cases, probably never pay attention to it. Sondra Scott didn't either, but because of her life experiences, she knows it can happen.

Scott has worked in the industry for more than 30 years, both in sales and management. As a child, however, she vividly remembers experimenting with the cosmetics that her mom sold. "I guess it was in my background," says Scott, owner of Aesthetics by Sondra in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

She worked with retail lines for several years but in 1981 enrolled in the Career Academy of Beauty in Seal Beach, California. After receiving her esthetic license in 1982, her career in skin care began. For five years she worked with a woman who had just opened a salon and wanted an associate to help her manage it, as well as work as an esthetician. Scott had the management background, and she was good at what she did, but she desired to work more with clients doing skin care and do less of the managerial work.

In 1987 she opened her own business. "Actually it was more like a corner of a closet in an existing salon," Scott admits. "In six months, though, I had expanded to two rooms in that salon and was working with an associate.

"In 1992 I opened a larger, stand-alone spa and hired two estheticians. I always was busy and business was very good ... for seven years. I had gotten to the point where I wanted to slow down a bit, and I missed my family in Arizona. It was then that I made the decision to make the move."

She wanted to slow down and experienced this in her business career once she made the move. It had happened ... her wish to slow down became a reality, but Scott wasn't sure she really was ready for it to such a degree.

"I own a small spa with a treatment room and reception area. It's been very slow building up a clientele," she says. For her professional treat­ments and retail sales, she uses products from YG Laboratories and offers MicroDermabrasion treatments using Aesthetic Lasers Inc.'s Power Peel equipment. Her treatment menu includes various facials, specialty masks, rejuvenating treatments, glycolic peels, power peels, waxing, paraffin hand treatments, and stress reduction therapy including reflexology and Reiki. Scott is open for business by appointment only.

She invites entire families to visit her spa, though her clients mostly are women, some teens for acne treatments and a few men, usually sent by their wives. "I have clients from every age group and I get a lot of snowbirds-people who come to Arizona from Utah, Wyoming and even from the East Coast in the winter ... to thaw out and enjoy the warmer weather," she explains one of the reasons for the slower start ... Scott did not study the demographics when she made the move-something she knows she should have done. She assumed since she was moving to Arizona, people would be interested in taking care of their skin because of the hot, dry air and sun. What she found is that, though many people have skin damaged by the sun and hot weather, most were not as educated in proper skin care as her former California clients. She's set out to educate them, however, and her clientele has been building. She advertises in local newspapers and also has done some direct mail advertising.

Another vehicle she's used to promote her business and keep active in the industry is the Internet. A self-taught Web page designer, she also offers her services to others who want to have a Web presence. "I can take much of the format from my site and customize it for interested spa owners and estheticians who want to have a Web presence," Scott says.

A Reiki master and teacher, Scott began training in this discipline in 1995. She feels it is a natural extension of her esthetic services and that the therapeutic touch of hands-on healing is very important.

Her advice to skin care professionals is to first of all, "Center yourself, then concentrate on what I call the three C's-Connect, Communicate and show Compassion toward your clients. You need to be aware of what they need-though I know that some days, that can be difficult," she says. "You'll know when you've done something good for them ... you'll be able to tell by the smile on their faces."

The events of 9/11 have affected her business, "People just stopped coming in," she says. "My business almost came to a complete halt. Many people feared the unknown ... they didn't know what was going to happen. Business started pick­ing up at the end of February and it gets better every week."

Part of what's kept Scott in this business so long is the professional friendships she's devel­oped. "Estheticians are a very supportive group of professionals naturally, and through ups and downs I could always see something positive about staying in the business," she says. She hopes her business grows well in her Arizona location and each day feels more and more es­tablished there. With her experience and dedication, it won't be long before she once again gets her wish!

Page 132  of the  May 2002  Skin Inc Magazine    www.Skininc.com