From time-tested Eastern modalities to the cutting edge of Western medicine, self care services are in the spotlight.
Amy Shecter, chief executive officer of medical spa Ever/Body, joined Michelle Larivee, founder and CEO of acupuncture studio Wthn with Kathryn Hopkins, WWD’s senior beauty editor, to discuss the boom in services. According to Larivee, the drivers are shifting consumer mindsets on health, in addition to the rise of illness.
“Starting with the pandemic, there’s a great study that shows that over the past three years, 70 percent of people have started to reprioritize their health differently than they did before. That’s a huge contributing factor,” Larivee said. “We’re also seeing the rise of chronic conditions or exacerbations of conditions, such as increased stress or anxiety. Chronic pain is up 30 percent since the pandemic.”
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Shecter said that it’s part of having an aging population. “There has been consumer demand for more personalized services: people looking for specific medical responses to conditions that are out there, such as fertility, menopause, IV drips, et cetera,” she said. “For cosmetic dermatology, data shows that when you look good, you feel good, and there’s a focus on health and well-being.”
Ever/Body’s services range from “head to toe,” Shecter said, and include everything from body services with Emsculpt Neo to microneedling from Morpheus 8. “Body is supposed to be increasing tremendously over the next 10 years… of course, Botox, neuromodulators and filler are definitely increasing in popularity as people get over the stigma.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Wthn’s value proposition rests on time-tested Eastern modalities. “These are all time-tested, highly powerful modalities that have now become mainstream,” she said, comparing acupuncture, ear seeding and cupping to yoga or meditation. “The way that happened was scientific research came out, and then there was cultural awareness with celebrities and athletes. Then, brands provided an access point.”
There’s a focus on education from the brand, Larivee said, including the width of the needle sizes, and that acupuncture works best as a preventive system of care as opposed to a corrective one.
At scale, Ever/Body also focuses on education, starting with its staff. The company has a proprietary employee training program to equalize the quality of care across Ever/Body locations. “One thing we focus on is our experience, and that is provided by every consumer touchpoint,” Shecter said. “We have created a training module within our program that focuses on how to speak to people in a way that is empathetic, that leads with kindness and how to make someone feel good.”
Similarly, Larivee relies on aromatherapy, heat therapy and therapeutic teas to relax consumers upon entering. “People are coming to us at their most vulnerable, and it’s super important that they can trust us to create an amazing experience,” Larivee said.