Bringing Beauty to Local Communities

For more than five years, Amanda Thurbin – owner of Laser Clinics Toowoomba – has been determined to run a successful skin treatment business for her local community. But her success was not without its hurdles. Faced with misconceptions about skin treatments, six months of COVID-19 lockdowns and workforce shortages, Amanda has remained motivated to provide a high-quality experience and break down the stigmas of beauty treatments.

Amanda was born and raised in Toowoomba, a two-hour drive inland from Brisbane. She left the town for several years to work in some of Australia’s major cities – as well as overseas –before returning to her hometown to start her own business. Her passion for ‘no-judgement self-care’ was founded on her experience with hormonal vulnerabilities which helped shape her beauty philosophy.

When Amanda returned home, she saw a gap for a convenient, local and professional service to improve the lives of her local community. “Five years ago, people were having to travel two hours and pay a lot of money for treatment…but it was difficult to get people to even talk about it,” Amanda said.

“I grew up in a small town where beauty treatment was often a taboo topic, so it gives me both personal and professional pride to bring Laser Clinics Australia to Toowoomba. It’s not about the size of the community – our clients are discerning and want what is best for themselves and their well-being, with top-class treatments and facilities. It also means we can offer employment opportunities for local beauty therapists that would often have to move to one of the big cities like I did. I wish I had those opportunities when I was younger, but it is very exciting for me to offer these opportunities to my

“There is so much societal pressure to look good, and even more pressure to spend an unnecessary amount to achieve these goals. I believe in demystifying skin and laser treatments and educating our clients about their options. I feel it’s not so much about normalising skin and laser treatments, but rather giving people affordable options to allow them to make informed decisions about treatments for their face and body.”

Despite being part of a broader national network of 136 clinics, Amanda’s business is rooted in and draws its success from her community. Over the years, she has positively impacted her clients and employees by focusing on people management, customer service and giving back to locals.

“My clinic looks after a wide range of people of varying ages, demographics and gender preferences and we are proud to take care of everyone. Our average client would be between the ages of 20 to 50, who values looking after themselves and wants treatment in a local community that is easy and affordable,” Amanda said.

“One life lesson that I remind myself of every day is to ‘not sell people someone something they don’t need, or something they can’t afford’. There is so much pressure and information out there that encourages people to complete unnecessary treatments, often at a significant cost. Profiting off someone’s vulnerability is something I fundamentally disagree with. It is imperative to provide clients with all the information and communicate their options with them. By working with them and not telling them what to do, they can make an informed decision that they are comfortable with.”

Recently, Amanda outperformed her colleagues and was awarded the Laser Clinics Australia (LCA) Franchisee of the Year. She was also recognised for two state-based achievements across Queensland and Northern Territory and received a national award from LCA Group.

“Truthfully, winning the Queensland and Northern Territory award was thrilling enough and I was so proud of that. But to then receive the National Award was incredible. There are countless wonderful owners in our network, many of whom I know personally and respect enormously, so to be singled out like this was a real honour,” Amanda said.

“There is such a hunger for new modalities, with excellent research currently being completed on treatments, ingredients, and the efficacy of how they operate. People are also much more aware of the benefits of using effective skincare supported by in-clinic treatments. It is incredible to see how our industry has evolved over the past decade – I can’t wait to see where the next 10 years will take us!”