Nectar, Winthrop’s new skin care business, intends to take the mystique out of skin care and add a bit of fun. Its menu of services lists a variety of treatments – from facials to peels to waxing – as well as products for purchase.
Owner and licensed esthetician Leslie Lanthorn says in the last 20 years, “skin care has changed a lot. Nectar offers a holistic approach combined with the latest technology.”
Each client receives individualized care, beginning with a consultation about skin issues and history. With successive treatments, Lanthorn continues to confer with the client about how products and treatments are working. She introduces new products by sending a sample home. “It’s good to love a product before you buy it,” she said.
During the 75-minute “Signature Facial,” the client begins by relaxing with an herbal footbath followed by facial cleansing, steaming, and exfoliating mask. Massage completes the treatment. A modified 45-minute “Express Facial” is also offered. After receiving a facial treatment, client Tiffany Langdalen reported, “I loved it. I walked out and my skin felt and looked significantly better for days.”
Also listed on Nectar’s menu of services are two different resurfacing peels; one, the “Glycolic Peel,” uses a moderately strong 40 percent fruit acid; the other, the “Yogurt Power Peel,” uses a more gentle 20 percent lactic acid. The peel treatments take about 45 minutes and are followed by a cream mask and cold stone massage. Lanthorn recommends a series of peels and follow-up home care for best results in treating sun damage, acne scars, lines and wrinkles.
Client Alison Philbin received a 10-minute facial steam followed by a yogurt power peel and then a pumpkin/peach mask while a reporter was present. Philbin described the mild peel as “tingly,” and said the chunky bright orange mask smelled “delicious.”
“Delicious” is not a word one would normally use to describe skin products, but in fact the products used at Nectar are edible and organic. Based on her clients’ needs, Lanthorn mixes and matches the all-natural products of Ilike and Vera Botanica.
Lanthorn says that she is constantly researching products and is looking into developing an all-natural sunscreen. As a licensed esthetician, Lanthorn also understands the need for continuing education. She held licenses in hair and skin care in the 1990s in Seattle, but when she wanted to start a new business in the Methow she knew she “couldn’t do it without going back to school.”
She trained full-time for seven months last year at the Euro Institute of Skin Care in Renton. She will return to the institute for a class on aging skin and plans to return periodically for advanced skills refreshers.
Looking to expand her services in the future, Lanthorn plans to add micro current technology, which uses electrical currents to “tighten and re-educate facial muscles,” and is “super popular in Seattle.”
On the risks of starting her own business, Lanthorn says, “I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. It scares me a lot more to be dependent on somebody else.”