Spa Owner Deisy Suarez-Giles Shares Her Journey From Dream To Destiny

Inspired by her neighbor in the Dominican Republic at a young age, Deisy Suarez-Giles learned beauty rituals and later used them to take care of her skin during the roughest New York City winters. She often dreamed of owning her own spa while window shopping in the city and envisioned herself as the next Elizabeth Arden, with a chain of spas similar to the Red Door. Deisy’s goal was not only to do what she loved but to make a difference in people's lives, create jobs, and help single moms who struggled to make ends meet in the beauty industry.

Eventually, she found her way to downtown Los Angeles and established DESUAR Hollywood Spa, offering treatments that focus on nurturing, coaching, and teaching self-love, self-acceptance, and self-care. Her approach is different from the beauty industry's focus on women's insecurities, as she believes beauty and wellness are more than just skin deep.

Deisy recounts her inspiring journey as an entrepreneur, where she turned her dreams into a reality through hard work and perseverance. She also shares how she successfully pivoted her business during a critical moment and continued to achieve success.

DESUAR Spa Owner Deisy Suarez-Giles. Photo courtesy of Deisy Suarez-Giles.

What sets your spa apart from others in the industry, and how do you maintain a competitive edge?

Our treatments set us apart from most of our competitors. We offer a personalized experience with a large menu to ensure there is something for everyone. Unlike many spas that have a single niche concept or single operators working from small spaces, at DESUAR, we prioritize our customers' experiences and take pride in our unique spaces.

DESUAR is a private day spa that incorporates a philosophy fundamental to the human experience - the quest for a balanced lifestyle. We believe that balancing the mind and body creates a new state of mental and physical health, beauty, and self-esteem. DESUAR offers healing as well as relaxing high-end treatments with our slogan "Where communicating with your body means listening with our hands."

Our clients can experience an amazing high-end therapeutic massage, facial, or skin and body treatment without the guilt of breaking the bank. We specialize in many personalized treatments at affordable prices. To maintain our competitive edge, we are often the first on the market with unique products or services. DESUAR is a gender-free safe space that listens to clients' feedback and concerns, making the necessary adjustments to ensure our clients are happy.

How do you approach marketing and advertising your spa, and what tactics have been most successful for you?

Marketing has been a very experimental experience. After the social media explosion, it has become more expensive to market products and services. In the past, traditional marketing was sufficient, but now it is not as simple. I have taken on the role of an influencer by creating content that targets consumers interested in wellness and beauty. We have engaged in influencer marketing by offering services in exchange for good content. However, our best and most successful marketing and advertising tactic is dominating Google. By encouraging our clients to leave Google reviews, we have seen an increase in client traffic. Paying for Google Ads is also a good way to attract clients. Massages and facials can be mood-based, and clients often search for a spa near them on Google.

Can you describe a time when you implemented a successful business strategy, and what was the outcome?

Going all the way back to the beginning of my solo career, it was my business strategy to work from home initially. I focused on providing the absolute best treatments possible without the added expense of renting a space to practice. I used that time to build my client list, both from word of mouth referrals and from a limited amount of advertising.

Social media has been a vital tool in my strategy. From then to now, it’s helped me get my brand out into the world at large and build my reputation. This strategy enabled me to save money as I grew my business until I was able to afford opening DESUAR Spa as a brick and mortar business. The actual building where my spa is located took longer than expected to come together and cost considerably more than expected. But thanks to some innovative thinking and an understanding landlord with an empty storage room, we were able to keep operating and building the business while construction was being completed. Today, we have 3 locations in California and still looking to expand.

How do you balance the business side of your spa with your passion for skincare and aesthetics?

Splitting my time between the demands of keeping three locations operating and performing the skincare treatments that I love has been one of my biggest challenges, particularly as the business has grown. In the beginning, I spent the majority of my time performing skincare treatments, building my clientele, and honing my skills. At the moment, I am no longer able to spend much time in the treatment room. I have to limit my treatments to loyal clients who have been with me for a long time and a few high-profile celebrities. My husband handles much of the financial and technical aspects of the business. I have also been lucky enough to find some excellent staff, including my stepson. Additionally, I have hired a team of marketing and PR specialists who have taken the major burden off my shoulders, allowing me to concentrate on building the business.

How do you stay on top of industry trends and advancements, and what steps do you take to incorporate them into your business?

The best way to stay on top of trends is by attending beauty shows and signing up for beauty companies' newsletters to be the first one to know. I also like to follow Korean bloggers since they tend to be ahead of the game with skincare technologies. Incorporating new services will be based on demand and how much social media traction they are getting. In addition, I only like to partner with companies that will support my business and have a strong support system to ensure that my team and I have all the necessary tools to succeed when adding these new services to our menu.

How do you prioritize continuing education and training for yourself and your team, and why is it important?

It is a high priority to ensure that my staff and I maintain our skills and continue to grow them. Clients are becoming more aware of the various skincare technologies and body treatment modalities than they ever were. I have made it a point to partner with some great skincare lines that offer frequent on-site training sessions. I also have purchased a number of the latest skincare technology devices such as Hydrafacial™, Endospheres™, and PlaSon™. Our massage therapists spend a significant amount of time at the spa receiving ongoing training in various massage and body treatment techniques.

Photo courtesy of Deisy Suarez-Giles.

Can you speak to any upcoming projects or initiatives for your spa, and what excites you about them?

To move to the next level, I would need to have my own skincare line and beauty devices. I have already launched a unique “Dual-Action Enzyme Papaya Cleanser” under the DESUAR brand and am currently working on a few more items that will be launching soon. I'm really excited to be creating products that will help my clients’ skin in a gentle and ethical way.

What advice do you have for aspiring spa owners and aestheticians looking to break into the industry?

The best advice I can give is to get a mentor. Start working under the leadership of someone who is already successful in that field. Starting any new business requires a lot of hours and will cost you a lot of sleep. I had to give up my social life and travel life to focus on building a business. Everything I did centered on my business. Nothing else mattered. It was not as easy as people tell you. You can’t have days off. It took me five years to have a day off and take a vacation. It was not easy, but it’s worth it.

Join local organizations, attend conferences, and network a lot. Stay active on social media and secure your name on all social media channels. Lastly, keep taking continuing education classes to stay up to speed on new trends.

Looking back on your career thus far, what is the biggest lesson you've learned as a spa owner and aesthetician?

My biggest lesson is you can’t take anything for granted, even the fact that your business will be there tomorrow. And that to be successful you need to be able to pivot your business rapidly to meet whatever challenges you might face. For instance, Coronavirus wreaked havoc on the wellness industry. It was a very challenging moment for many business owners.

I had to quickly pivot and adapt to new mandates. As a result, I was lucky to find a roof-top building with amazing city views and opened an outdoor spa. This allowed me to save my business from becoming a total loss. It was beautiful to see. My entire staff was happy to be able to work again and to do so in a safe al-fresco environment. Customers were so appreciative of the effort it took to set up an outdoor spa. I feel like this was a test for many businesses. Coronavirus changed how we do business and the wellness industry grew from it. During quarantine, I believe many people reflected on their lives and realized they had taken many things for granted, including self-care. During the pandemic, many people living alone and away from everyone, realized how important it is to nurture self-love and came to understand that caring for ourselves is not selfish. I have personally noticed an increase in demand for wellness centers. More people are prioritizing self-care and self-love, realizing that life is not guaranteed. For this reason, I feel that 10 years from now the industry will grow and the demand for spa wellness centers will be higher. 

To date, what do you consider to be your biggest achievements?

I have to refer back to the pandemic again. I truly feel that my biggest achievement, so far, was to have the ability to pivot my business from being a luxury day spa to being a basic outdoor spa, where we were able to provide the relaxation and skincare services people were desperately craving in as safe a way as possible under the pandemic restrictions. Initially working with my hugely supportive landlord to use his rooftop space, which led to a call from a landlord with a small house in Los Feliz, that had 3 terraced deck areas, that enabled us to expand that initial small rooftop spa into a beautiful outdoor retreat space for relaxation and healing. Without that space I don’t think there would be a DESUAR Spa now, and certainly not 3 of them!

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 Yvon Lux is the editor of her Apple News channel. Her “blogazine” celebrates sisterhood and empowers women by focusing on women’s health, travel, lifestyle, and entrepreneurial news while also sharing the most coveted beauty news and style stories.

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