FEATURE
Pampering with a Purpose Beautiful You Medispa Helps People Feel Good While Doing Good BY DIANE SEARS
Photography by Julie Fletcher
A
s a laser tech and medical electrologist, Brandi Concolino was handling hair removal for clients — a job she says breeds the same type of confidante relationships that people form with their hairstylists. One of her clients confided she was going through a gender transition with the emotional support of her psychologist at 26Health, a nonprofit that helps LGBTQ+ patients and their allies with wellness of the mind, body and spirit.
The client said Concolino would be a good fit at 26Health and recommended her, knowing the company was planning to expand from mental health to medical services and would soon be hiring a manager for its new Beautiful You Medispa. That was nearly seven years ago. “They brought me in for an interview, and I was hired on the spot,” Concolino says. “I was so impressed with their vision, passion and cause that I thought, ‘This is it.’ I didn't have to think twice about taking the job.” Concolino started setting up the spa at 26Health’s headquarters, a four-story office building on Magnolia Street in downtown Orlando. In the evenings, she went to school to become a licensed aesthetician. Under her
Aesthetician Brandi Concolino
18 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | i4Biz.com
direction, the spa has expanded its services to offer cosmetic procedures that make skin look healthier and more youthful. These include: • Facials, a set of treatments that exfoliate the skin, removing impurities, acne breakouts and dead cells. • Chemical peels, which apply a solution that helps remove the top layer of skin to get to the layer under it, which is smoother and less wrinkled. • Microneedling, which involves pricking the skin with tiny sterilized needles, creating wounds that force the body to make more collagen and elastin that heal skin cells. • Dermaplaning, which uses a scalpel to exfoliate skin and remove dirt and “peach fuzz” or light hair. The spa plans to add microblading, which uses a needle to insert pigment under the skin to create semi-permanent natural-looking eyebrows. The spa is also bringing in a nurse practitioner to handle injectables and fillers, which involve elements like Botox to eliminate wrinkles brought on by aging and sun exposure. A massage therapist and a dietitian will round out the team, Concolino says. Today, the spa is an important part of
Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself, that's my motto. — Brandi Concolino
