The Walking Billboard CLEMENT-DUARTE Tessa

Who is Tessa?

I’m a very dynamic, energetic, humble, very friendly, outgoing, party person… I love life and I respect all people and their lifestyle choices. I’m from Arundel Hill, Marchand. I attended Ave Maria Girls Primary and then Corinth Secondary. I did further schooling in aesthetics, massaging and facials in Barbados. I’ve also completed many courses in Europe and the US.

What is your field of expertise?

Massaging and aesthetics, and now body sculpting. I’ve been a massage therapist for over 20 years. I’ve owned several spas in St. Lucia. One of the most popular ones being Touch Therapy Day Spa, alongside the La Mer Spa at Bay Gardens Beach Resort. That experience has made me an expert at developing spas. I’m one of the first Saint Lucians to develop a high end spa in Saint Lucia, that’s made for locals. Meaning that it’s affordable, but the quality of service matches international standards.

When was your introduction to massage therapy?

My oldest sister Maureen Joseph. She was among the first set of people who learned massage therapy from Le Sport. My skill before leaving Saint Lucia to further my studies was in entertainment as I was a playmaker at Sandals. That’s not a skill I could really take overseas, which is why my sister recommended that I get into massage therapy which I later studied in Barbados. My first job when I returned home to Saint Lucia was in Soufriere at the spa at Hilton Resort.

Right now, when it comes to aesthetics, I am one of the best aestheticians. When it comes to thorough facials, I’m the best at that. I’m also the number one waxer on the island when it comes to brazilian, manzilian and any other kind of waxing you can think of. Being in the game for so long, I’m now looking to give back and educate others on my techniques, not just locally but also internationally. All of my services are my own design, not what I’ve learned at school. I have customers coming from all over the world who can say that my services are the best that they’ve ever gotten.

How did you move from massage therapy into body sculpting?

Essentially it’s a non-surgical fat removal procedure. I noticed lots of companies in Miami (via Instagram) moving into body sculpting and so I wanted to hop on that bandwagon and be the first to do it here in Saint Lucia. In 2019, I launched a business that did exactly that. Because of covid restrictions in 2021 it didn’t really take off the way I wanted it to at first but I was persistent and things picked up later that year.

Since I’m always trying to evolve, I’m now working towards a Med Spa business. I do teeth whitening, and hopefully in the near future I can do Vitamin B shots, cocktail boosters and so on. What we’re aiming for is to be the first full-on med spa on the island. In the process of doing that I’m also pursuing TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) certification which is the highest grade. I should have been there a long time ago because I was one of the first set of people on the body before it even officially started. There were 3 spas that met the Bureau of Standards mark for certification, 2 of them were mine. Touch Therapy and Spa De La Mer were the first to receive that certification.

What are your methods for being able to scale your business from where it started to where it is now?

I always focus on my aim and my vision, and I always have a plan. I’m looking at evolving all the time, taking it to the next level. It’s important for me to keep up to date with what’s going on around me as well, so that I maintain a competitive edge. One of the ways I’ve done this is by creating facial towels. They are for an aesthetician by an aesthetician. Windjammer, The Green Fig Resort and other hotels have bought into them. I want to eventually be more of a retailer than a service provider, and this is just a start.

What other ventures are you a part of?

Soon I’ll be doing schooling both here and hopefully in Grenada through various companies like NSDC locally. I’ll be sharing my knowledge with others, I even have my textbooks readily available. I will be an ambassador and a section leader for a company called Island Tribe. I’m looking into having a boat ride soon that corresponds with my business, where this event is all about ‘the looks and the shape’S. I’m also interested in doing a “Win a new body” lotto. Where the winner gets prize money to use in whatever way they want to create their dream body either through surgery or body sculpting… and the plan is to have it be a reality TV show as well so that we can follow the progress.

If you were to do your business any differently what would you have done? I wouldn’t have sold the name Touch Therapy, because