Carmelia Rameau
If you’ve noticed medical spas popping up in the Harrisburg area at a faster rate than before, it’s not a figment of your imagination.
The med spa industry has grown by 20% year over year, excluding during the first year of the pandemic, according to the American Med Spa Association’s latest state of the industry report.
“It’s becoming more looked at like it’s self care,” says Alicia Stidfole, founder and CEO of Youveau Aesthetics Medspa & Wellness and certified registered nurse anesthetist who still works long hours in that profession. “It’s almost like going to the dentist now.”
Youveau, overlooking the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg’s Front Street, opened in February 2023 offering a range of injections, fillers, non-invasive facial services and other wellness offerings, with more options added on a regular basis.
Alicia Stidfole
“I love to educate, and I think that’s something that makes us stand out,” Stidfole said.
For instance, when asked about a popular procedure—Botox injections in masseter muscles for relief of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder—she quickly rolled off the benefits and risks. Those are nuances that social media resources may not provide.
Across the river in Camp Hill, Revived Medical Aesthetics on Hartzdale Drive offers its own suite of aesthetic and wellness services, ranging from injectables to microblading to vitamin injections.
Holly Drawbaugh, a registered nurse, launched the business as a single mom, still working full-time at a hospital. To add to the whirlwind, she went through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for breast cancer—all while growing Revived.
Drawbaugh said that there are plenty of nurses looking to get out of the hospital setting and into the medical aesthetics field, but it’s not just playing med spa all day. It’s no small task to educate yourself for your clients’ sake in a field that’s, in many ways, unregulated.
“This business has kind of become my life, and I don’t stop at night,” Drawbaugh said. “Whenever I’m at home after the kids are in bed, I’m still learning.”
According to Stidfole, that gusto is consistent with other med spa owners.
“In injectables, you are as educated as you make yourself because no one’s holding you to a standard,” she said.
santāl skin team. Photo by Kinna Shaffer.
Another owner, Natalie Feaster of santāl skin on Gettysburg Road in Camp Hill, knows firsthand how the industry is constantly evolving, much like any medical environment.
Feaster takes the approach of treating the skin as a whole, whatever modality that may mean.
“It starts with skincare,” she said. “Putting them on a regimen so that their skin is the most healthy and balanced just enhances everything else that we can do in office.”
For people interested in these services, entering a med spa for the first time can feel intimidating. Feaster said that she prioritizes a collaborative approach, “figuring out what your skincare goals are and then how we can go about reaching them together.”
In downtown Harrisburg, C.R. Blooms Wellness Boutique by Carmelia Rameau takes a particularly holistic approach. The boutique combines custom facials and microneedling with pelvic yoga and meditation, among other services. With a Haitian background, Rameau feels her interest in apothecary and herbalism is culturally innate.
“I incorporated my holistic apothecary background with my esthetician title,” Rameau said. “I consider myself a student to the whole industry, and, while I learn, I’m offering the same education and lifestyle tips to my clients.”
Healers & Facilitators
In July 2023, the Harrisburg Regional Chamber announced Youveau received a loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA), which Stidfole says helped furnish the space.
For the coming year, Stidfole is considering adding services to Youveau like PDO threads—a non-invasive alternative to a face lift—as well as ketamine therapy, which is shown to treat mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, according to a publication from the National Institutes of Health.
Holly Drawbaugh
Over at Revived, Drawbaugh plans to diversify offerings, including hormone and hormone replacement treatments in early 2024.
Rameau of C.R. Blooms recently opened a CBD shop directly next door, called Nesta Hemp Shop, to enhance her holistic approach to wellness. She already used CBD spectrum ingredients on clients in some of her skin care products, and the hemp shop has skin and body products as part of its repertoire as well.
With medical wellness on the rise in and around Harrisburg, professionals want to ensure clients are asking the right questions of their potential practitioners to ensure they get the service they deserve.
When it comes to injections, Drawbaugh said, “If they’re the right injector for you, they’re not going to have any problem answering any questions about their training.”
Rameau said that it’s important to find someone who you feel listens to you and really gets to know you.
“I don’t want to be the only esthetician in the Harrisburg area,” she said. “I want it to be a community filled with healers and facilitators. If you don’t feel like this person is going to know you by your name and really get to know your skin, that should be a red flag.”
Like many professionals in the field, Stidfole believes that all of her clients are already beautiful. In fact, she challenges everyone to tell her something they love about themselves in each consultation. At the end of the day, she views medical aesthetics and other aesthetic wellness services as a way to enhance how you look and feel, as the two are often inextricably linked.
“It’s just on an individual basis what makes you feel good,” Stidfole said. “If it’s going for a walk in the woods, go for a walk in the woods. If it’s getting your nails done, get your nails done. If it’s getting ‘tox on your forehead, get ‘tox in your forehead. Is it self care?”
Face Time
Recently, several med spas have opened around the Harrisburg area. These include the businesses mentioned in this story:
C.R. Blooms Wellness Boutique, 7 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg, www.crblooms.love
Revived Medical Aesthetics, 3300 Hartzdale Dr., Camp Hill, www.revivedmedicalaesthetics.com
santāl skin, 3540 Gettysburg Rd., Camp Hill, www.santalskin.com
Youveau Aesthetics Medspa & Wellness, 2417 N. Front St., Harrisburg, www.youveau.org
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