Shop Talk is a weekly column featuring locally owned and operated businesses. This week, we talk to Dawn Briggs of Skin Wellness and Pampering Center, a day spa in Oneonta.
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How long have you lived in the area?
I was born and raised in Stamford, and then I lived all over the place before my husband and I came back to the area.
Tell me about your business:
We specialize in relaxation and alternative health. Most of what we do is push people to relax _ both men and women.
Our licensed massage therapist is Pat Wilson; she does steam massage and all other types of massage. I do all the body work _ waxing, facials and things like that. Cindy Staffin does energy healing, Reiki and reconnective and crystal healing. Diana Friedell teaches private meditation, and she's also a psychic healer. We have one empty room right now that I'm hoping will go to a medical esthetician.
We offer yoga and meditation classes as well as Reiki classes; coming up on Feb. 22, we're going to have a message circle with Cindy and Diana, who will be giving mini-readings in a group setting. We also do a Wellness Wednesdays meditation group every second and fourth Wednesday, where Diana does guided meditations in a group.
We've just added the Alphamassage 33 capsule. It's a sauna, it's a massage bed, it has ultraviolet light for Vitamin D deficiency or seasonal affective disorder, and it also does aromatherapy. We just put it in, and we're running a special during February where it's $1 per minute.
We're focused on natural healing and wellness, so we always serve tea, and we have Borba skin balance water as well as kefir, which is a natural yogurt drink that has probiotics. We carry a 100 percent organic free-trade line from Africa, and I make my own detoxification wrap using herbs and oils.
Describe a typical day in your business:
I do just about everything. I'm the secretary and the receptionist, so I'm doing most of the appointments, answering e-mails and setting things up for our guests.
As an esthetician, I do a lot of foot care and a lot of body waxing. If you come in here to have your brows waxed, it's not just "wax on, wax off." Your eyebrows are plucked, they're groomed, they're brushed, and I always finish with a sunscreen. We try to take special care with everything we do.
How did you get started in this line of work?
I got started back when I was in school _ I took the BOCES cosmetology course and got my license, but I didn't like doing hair, so I wasn't doing much with it. In the 1980s, when esthetics really came about, New York state allowed you to change over your license, so I did. A woman in Windham was looking for an esthetician, so I started out working with her.
In 2005, the spa in Windham was flooded, and we lost everything. I shredded my license, because I thought I didn't ever want to do this again, and drove truck cross-country for a few years. Well, I realized I didn't want to keep doing that either, so I went back through school for esthetics. I had had my license since the 1970s, and when I went back to school, I found that a lot of things had changed. When I got done, I realized I didn't want to work for anyone else, so I decided to go out on my own. I took my husband's retirement and savings, and put it into this place.
Where do you see this business in five years?
I'd like to see a lot more people taking advantage of natural healing, and I would love to see this evolve into a destination spa. I'd like to help Oneonta bloom into more of a destination for travelers or people visiting the area, because there's so much more going on here than just the colleges. We have apartments in this building, and I'd love to be able to fill those apartments with people who have traveled here to stay at the spa.
This summer, we'll be doing an alternative health happening. We have a pond out back, so we'll be doing yoga by the pond, and we'll have a drum circle and some other events. Oneonta has a lot of alternative healing practitioners, so I'm hoping we can help people become more aware of that and get away from just relying on prescription drugs and traditional medicine for everything.
We need doctors, don't get me wrong, but people can't always afford a $150 prescription. We just want people to know that, if you can't afford expensive medical care or if that's not working for you, there are alternatives.
What is the most challenging part of what you do?
The promotion. I have a lot of word-of-mouth, and I am just now starting to get a reputation built up, which is great. Being new in business, I got burned at the beginning, because I tried to take advantage of everyone who walked through the door and offered me an opportunity to advertise, and not all of them delivered what they promised.
The most enjoyable?
When I get up in the morning and I'm so happy to come in and work. I enjoy it so much that I really want to be here. I have fantastic guests who come to see us, and the atmosphere is so relaxing and enjoyable.
What are some advantages/drawbacks of doing business in this area?
One of the good points is that women in this area still want to take care of themselves, no matter what the economy.
Oneonta's not the wealthiest community, but we do a lot of bartering. I tell people that they don't necessarily need to walk in here with money; they can come in with an idea. We have a gentleman client who's doing paintings in lieu of payment. We're flexible, and that's one of the things that I think you can do in a smaller community like this. I'd love to see things go back to the days when you paid your doctor with a chicken.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
Since we specialize in relaxation and alternative health, we're not doing Botox or things like that. We really try to focus on natural healing.
What advice would you give to someone trying to enter your field of work?
Wish it, dream it, and do it _ that's the best advice I can give anyone. In New York state, this is a licensed business. You have to have a license to open up your door; you have to have a license before you can touch someone. It's a 1,000-hour course to become an esthetician, and the day you graduate, you get a certificate. You have to take that certificate to the state for a hands-on and written exam, which is how you get your license.
Once you get your license, you don't have to take any continuing education. I would love to see the state implement a continuing education requirement, because there are changes coming out all the time. If you're smart in this business, you'll do the continuing education anyway. There are online courses, and there are manufacturers' courses that are free, so it's out there, but I really think the state should require it. The chemistry changes all the time. We used to use parabens and mineral oil; now we know those things are no good. There's always new developments, new advances that you should be aware of.
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To suggest a business for Shop Talk, contact Emily F. Popek at 432-1000, ext. 255, or epopek@thedailystar.com.
