About five years ago I left a relationship and found myself, at 37, on my own for the first time ever in my life. I got married at 23 so I went straight from a college roommate to married with a baby. So at 37, with my daughter in 8th grade, I suddenly had a bit of an existential crisis and realized I would be childless (well she would be off to college) in five years. I had NO IDEA what I would do with myself and at the time, five years seemed liked about 4 months. So, I developed what I called my five-year plan. I had a beautiful apartment that was light and bright, filled with a new - and very favorite - white sectional from Four Hands Home, a big king bed with a ton of Shabby Chic white bedding, new furniture for my daughter, and my white fluffy Australian Shepherd, Lucy. I wasn’t kidding when I said light and bright! But here we are, four and a half years later, my daughter is a senior at Westlake, and there has been a severe deviation on the five-year plan.
The five-year plan included finding a job that was close by, was enjoyable and challenging, and would allow me to pay my bills. I was fortunate enough to find Body Tonic and knew it would be where I stayed…well at least until my daughter graduated high school. The other part of the five-year plan was that I would move when she graduated. For years I only read books about travelling, and islands, and how to live on very little money. Wellll…throw a great job and a boyfriend who has a growing private practice into the mix and suddenly the whole plan got turned upside down.
Dang Body Tonic! I can’t quit you! I think very often of how amazing it is to be part of this rapidly growing practice, and how fortunate it is that we all get along so well. I know that is few and far between in jobs. At the end of each year we all look back and we see how much this practice has grown, and feel the excitement and anticipation of what’s next, and what will it all look like next December!
This year we’ve added a new product line, Skin Better Science, two new fillers, Volbella and Bellafill, a massage therapist (Julie!), Leslie won Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin for Microblading, and we had our most successful Open House in Body Tonic history – thanks to all of you!!
Here are the details on our Top Five Latest and Greatest from 2016, and why you need them all!
Skin Better Science: This is a straightforward skin care line that produces visible results in four weeks, with all their products. And they have the before and afters to prove it! Their line is small but makes a lot of sense. They have: Eyes, Face, Lines, AlphaRet, AlphaRet Intensive, and the Invisilift Lifting Experience Mask. We absolutely cannot keep these products in stock. I am constantly re-ordering and trying to stay on top of it. The blue and bronze packaging is pretty too, and the products inside will make YOUR packaging beautiful too!
Volbella: The latest dermal filler from the makers of Botox, Volbella is a delicate filler great for the lines around the mouth and for subtle lip enhancement. The perfect candidate is someone with “smoker’s lines” and/or volume loss in the lips from aging. Volbella can replace this lost volume with natural looking results. If you are wanting a plump pout, turn to Juvederm or Restylane.
Bellafill: I recently did a blog on this filler. It stands out from the other fillers on the market because it is the only filler available that lasts at least five years. It is also the only filler with an FDA-approval for treatment of acne scars. It can be used cosmetically as well, in the nasolabial folds. If you’re tired of coming back each year for your filler treatments, ask about Bellafill as an alternative.
Massage: I wish I could be in that massage room every week! But I suppose it’s also hard to relax when you have to head right back to work. Each massage is customized to your needs and our massage therapist, Julie Castillo, LMT, is trained in many modalities: Trigger Release, Myofascial Meridian for Movement, Release and Realignment, Swedish, Sports, Orthopedic, Deep Tissue, and Pre-Natal Massage. We offer 60-, 90-, and 120-minute custom massages, which can be booked online as well. She truly is amazing!
Microblading: Perfect, full and defined brows are all the rage these days, and our Leslie is churning them out daily. She recently won Austin Chronicle’s Best of 2016 for Microblading! Permanent brows used to look thick and solid. Microblading is a technique that mimics individual hairs, so the result is incredibly natural. Many women (like me) have plucked their brows so thin and so often that the hair will not regrow. Some just want more defined brows, or a different shape than what they were born with. Whatever your goals are, you can discuss them with Leslie at your consultation, and make a plan for the brows you’ve always wanted.
To all of our clients who have helped us grow, and made this practice so successful, thank you! And a personal thank you for helping make Body Tonic a main reason for my deviation from my five-year plan. Cheers! And have a happy New Year! See you soon….