EP# 279: The Skin Bar Story: Personalized Care and Natural Beauty

What makes Jerri Sue Peaks with The Skin Bar and Body Boutique a good neighbor?

Your skin deserves personalized attention—not a one-size-fits-all approach. That's the philosophy Jerri Sue Peaks brings to her boutique day spa, The Skin Bar and Body Boutique in Johnson City, Tennessee.

In this revealing conversation, Jerri Sue shares how her business focuses on skin health and enhancing natural beauty through intentional self-care. With over twenty years in the aesthetics industry, she's witnessed remarkable advances in techniques and technologies that now allow for transformative results with minimal downtime. Her passion shines through as she explains that beauty and wellness are intrinsically connected, requiring personalized approaches tailored to each individual's unique skin journey.

The Skin Bar specializes in addressing skin imperfections often overlooked by medical professionals—skin tags, sebaceous hyperplasia, cherry angiomas, and dark spots that insurance typically won't cover but that affect confidence and comfort. Jerri Sue's expertise extends beyond cosmetic concerns; she emphasizes the crucial preventative role estheticians play in identifying suspicious skin lesions that could indicate serious conditions like melanoma.

What started as Jerri Sue's personal journey at age 36 when she noticed her first signs of aging has blossomed into a thriving practice with three estheticians who take pride in forging genuine relationships with clients. "It's not just a service," she explains, "it's a relationship and a commitment to each other." Her approach prioritizes making clients feel heard and cared for, without the pressure tactics sometimes found in other beauty establishments.

Want to experience the difference personalized skincare can make? Visit The Skin Bar and Body Boutique on West Oakland Avenue in Johnson City, or connect with them on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to learn more about their services and approach to beauty that goes more than skin deep.

To learn more about The Skin Bar and Body Boutique go to:

https://www.theskinbarjohnsoncity.com/

The Skin Bar and Body Boutique

[phone]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monning.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
So I'm very excited today tohave a very special guest in our
studio for the first time, andI'm sure you'll be just as
excited as I am to learn allabout her and her business,
because today I have thepleasure of introducing your
good neighbor, ms Jerry SuePeaks, who is the owner operator
of the Skin Bar and BodyBoutique.

(00:32):
Jerry Sue, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Thank you, skip, I'm glad to be here.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Now do you go by Jerry or Jerry Sue?

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Jerry Sue.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Jerry, sue, we'll go with that.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, I'm definitely from the South, I've got to have
that two name.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Absolutely, absolutely Well, like I said,
we're super excited to learn allabout you and the Skin Bar and
Body Boutique.
So, if you don't mind, whydon't you kick us off by telling
us about your business?

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, I'd be glad to.
I'm excited to be here and tellyou about the business.
My spa is more like a boutiqueday spa and we focus on skin
health and enhancing naturalbeauty with personalized skin
health and intentional self-care.
It's not a one-size-fits-allspa.
Every individual is different.

(01:17):
Every individual is startingtheir skin care journey for
different reasons, so weunderstand this as estheticians
and are educated on many skinhealth issues so that we can
personalize each service to meeteach individual's needs.
Every service is going to beresult-driven, but still rooted

(01:39):
in that relaxation, because I dobelieve that beauty and
wellness go hand in hand.
We use up-to-date technologyand modalities, as well as
professional product lines.
This industry is constantlyevolving and we have to evolve
with it.
I had to step out of my comfortzone and travel.

(02:01):
I had to go up north, downsouth, out west to learn the
latest techniques and things.
That's in this industry.
But technology and science hastaught us that we can achieve
results with little to nodowntime.
Now, I mean, I can get resultsin treatments today that I

(02:25):
couldn't get 10 years ago anddefinitely not 20 years ago when
I started in this industry.
Well, 20 plus years ago when Istarted in this industry.
I think the only thing that'sreally stayed the same for me is
the passion in this industry.
We do have a full menu ofservices, not just skincare, but

(02:46):
that is our main focus.
We do full body waxing,specializing in Brazilian waxing
.
We do natural lash tanning,lifting brow tanning,
laminations.
My specialty has become totreat skin imperfections such as
skin tags, sebaceoushyperplasia, cherry angiomas,

(03:10):
dark spots, a lot of skinimperfections that that
physicians usually don't treatbecause they're considered well,
insurance won't pay for them.
They just they're considered.
What's the word?

Speaker 2 (03:26):
I'm trying to say I can't even think.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
They're not necessary .
I mean, you know, Right right.
Yeah.
Wow so we can take care of thatfor you.
You don't have to carry thoseskin tags.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's good to know.
Well, it sounds like you do alittle bit of everything.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
We do, we do, but we really focus on skin care and
being a clinic.
We are not a medical spa, sowe're different that way.
I have worked in medical spasbefore, but I've decided to do
what I've done.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Very good.
Well, speaking of that, how didyou get into this business?

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Oh gosh, that could be a long story, but it's
actually my second career.
I guess you could say that whenI started showing signs of
aging myself in my 30s, I didn'tlike it, so I guess you know.
Long story short, it was forselfish reasons.
At 36, I moved to Knoxville andattended aesthetic school, came

(04:29):
back and started working forothers, and I did that for a few
years and then realized that Ihad more to offer and I wanted
to create a differentenvironment.
I wanted an environment thatwas more personalized and not so
much pressure approached.
So I figured out pretty quicklythat I wanted to make people

(04:51):
confident in their skin, notjust on the surface of their
skin.
So I took that leap and wentout on my own as a solo
entrepreneur.
And now fast forward to now Ihave three, including myself.
We have three estheticians.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Nice, very nice, congratulations.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
What are some myths or misconceptions in the
bodywork field?

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Beauty industry.
I guess you could say that Forme, that facials and spas are
just pampering and notbeneficial.
That is such a hugemisconception because skin care
is self-care, I mean, it's not aluxury.

(05:42):
Your skin is your largest organand you have it from the top of
your head to the tips of yourtoes, so it's not just a luxury
thing anymore.
As estheticians, we're educatedto understand all the various
skin conditions and how to usethe modalities and the

(06:05):
techniques to correct those skinconditions.
And we want to help peoplesupport.
We want to support people andhelp them to age gracefully and
truly transform their skinhealth over time.
And it can be done.
I'm living proof of it.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
There you go, there you go.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
This is kind of like.
Just this morning I was readingan article from the Skin Cancer
Foundation and I even shared iton my Facebook for my followers
.
But it said that only 20 to 30percent of melanoma arise from
existing molds and then the restis just things that pop up on
your skin.
So as estheticians we'retrained to recognize suspicious

(06:45):
lesions.
I guess you could say andrealize that's not in our scope
and we don't diagnose by anymeans.
But we do refer them on to aphysician or to a dermatologist
to have that looked at, becausenobody wants to hear that worst
six letter word.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
Oh, no, well, I go to a dermatologist TriCities skin
cancer, I guess.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
And he again, you know, having the knowledge to
recognize what's not, and youknow, to take care of that

(07:34):
client and to to get them towhere someone can actually make
a diagnosis and treat that.
I've, I've, I've done itseveral times Very good, Very
good.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Well, outside of that , you're very passionate about
what you do.
But outside of work, what doyou like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (07:50):
Outside of work.
When I'm not working, I'musually enjoying being with my
friends and my family.
I grew up the youngest of fourgirls, so being with people is a
must.
I also love playing golf and Ilike to travel.
Now.

(08:10):
Usually, if I'm going tocompletely unplug, it'll be
cuddled up with my cat or a goodbook or even a Hallmark movie.
But I guess, honestly, for meto get relaxed, I do it in the
treatment room.
There's nothing better thanknowing that I can personally,
physically and emotionally, makesomeone feel good and look good

(08:34):
, and that's the best reward.
I mean, that's so gratifying.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
I'm sure so.
In other words, and I've alwaysheard, if you love what you do,
it sounds like you do.
Absolutely you don't work a dayin your life, so awesome.
I don't Awesome.
Well, Jerry Sue, now are youfrom Johnson City originally.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
No, I'm originally from Elizabethton and I moved to
the Johnson City area when Iwas in my early twenties and
just recently well within thelast 10 years that I've actually
moved back into Elizabethton.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
Love it, elizabethton , I'm in the house that my daddy
built.
Oh wow Nice.
It's like a country song.
Nice.
Yeah Well, I'm a fly fishermanso I love going to Elizabethton
and trout fishing.
It's in the Doe River.
Is it there in Watauga?

Speaker 3 (09:24):
Watauga you got Doe you got Watauga.
Yeah, Awesome fishing.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Awesome fishing.
I doe.
You got my taga, yeah, yeah,awesome fish, awesome fish, and
I've done a lot of interviewstoo, with uh folks in
elizabethan on main street too.

Speaker 3 (09:35):
Oh yeah, I love downtown elizabethan, I love my
hometown I love it too.
It's not my mind, I love toopen um a second location over
there eventually there you go?
Yeah, I'd love to do that.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
Hopefully we'll get you so much business from this
podcast that you can.
You can do that.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
That would be awesome , it would be awesome.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Well, if, Jerry.
So if you could think of onething that you'd like our
listeners to remember about you.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
I think I would.
I would want them to know thatit is a personal experience.
We're going to take our timewith every client.
We're going to customize everytreatment and we truly care
about the results.
And it's it's not just aservice, it's a relationship and
a commitment, um to each otherand um I.

(10:27):
You know you'll never feelrushed or feel like you're being
sold to.
Um.
We want our clients to knowthat they're heard, um, they're
going to be taken care of and ifit's something that's out of
our scope, we'll send yousomewhere where you can get the
results you need.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
There we go, there we go.
Well, if for those of us whoare intrigued and interested and
would like to learn more aboutwhat, what you guys do and how
they could participate, how, howcan we learn more?

Speaker 3 (11:02):
Well, skip, you can bring your barnacle and you can
come let's see we're onInstagram and we're on.
Let's see, we're on Instagram atthe Skin Bar Johnson City.
Facebook it's the Skin Bar andBody Boutique, and I actually
have a TikTok page now that'scalled the skin bar guru.
We like to share skincare tips,like I shared this morning from

(11:27):
the skin cancer foundation.
We do videos.
I'm not a professionalphotographer by any means, so I
don't know how to edit much andI don't know how to change
things, so what you see is whatyou get in our pictures.
But we do try to show reallygood before and afters without

(11:49):
editing them.
And let's see, we're in JohnsonCity.
We're located right in theheart of Johnson City on West
Oakland Avenue, and we'd like towelcome all of our listeners to
come check us out, comeinterview us.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
There we go.
Yeah, well, you, you heard ithere guys.
Um, it sounds like a wonderfulexperience actually.
I'm, I'm, uh, you sold me.
So, yeah, yeah, absolutely, Um,okay, well, jerry, sue, I can't
tell you how much I appreciateyou taking time out of your busy
schedule to hang with us andtell us all about the Skin Bar

(12:27):
and Body Boutique, and we wishyou and your family and the
boutique all the best movingforward.

Speaker 3 (12:34):
Oh, thank you so much .
Same to you.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
Thank you, and maybe we can have you back sometime.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
I'd love to do that.

Speaker 1 (12:44):
All right, thanks so much.
Thank you for listening to thegood neighbor podcast.
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