Feeling Better in Your Own Skin
Blue Halo Med Spa Pampers and Transforms
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing
Photography Provided
Rhonda Hatfield originally dreamed of becoming a nurse. Her squeamish nature around blood and needles, however, derailed that plan.
They kept picking me up off the floor and suggested that maybe I go into daycare instead, Hatfield says with a chuckle.
Initially she worked in the corporate world, before taking others advice and opening a daycare. Though she enjoyed the industry, in 2015 she decided to once again switch gears by opening Blue Halo Med Spa.
It was a big leap from day care to this, but Ive always loved taking care of people, and this industry is about caring for oneself, says Hatfield, who got her aestheticians license and hired her instructor to help her run the spa.
Through the years, the spas services have become increasingly medical-based. For instance, they offer injectable artistry, microneedling, skin tightening, and PDO thread lifts – a procedure that instantly lifts up loose skin on the face, neck and body.
You can use it to create a lift anywhere in the body, Hatfield says. You can lift the neck if youve got jowls or turkey neck. You can also lift your knees and buttocks.
Blue Halo is the only spa in Louisville to offer the Halo Plasma Lift, which uses plasma to treat the whole architecture of the skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and improve elasticity and scarring. The procedure can be one-and-done, or spread out across several sessions.
We have a new device that uses plasma energy with radiofrequency, says Hatfield, noting that it can even be put over the eyelids so if you have droopy eyelids, it can be used without having to resort to surgery. Its not invasive and creates tightening, lifting and resurfacing on the skin to help people with sun damage, wrinkles and complexion. We use different forms of energy to create a tightening effect.
Blue Halo Med Spa recently opened a training division, and will soon launch a training academy that will offer both online and in-person training.
The spa menu includes facials, HydraFacials, dermaplaning and more. Plus, they offer chemical peels, CoolSculpting, liposuction, laser hair removal, and other laser treatments.
We use Exilis to tighten the skin using radio frequencies, which is great for love handles, Hatfield says. We also do a lot of injectables. People love to get rid of crows feet.
One thing that sets Blue Halo Med Spa apart is that the medical director is present most days, as opposed to med spas where a doctor is only present periodically.
Our doctor puts in a good 20 to 25 hours a week and does a lot of our services, Hatfield says. He also trains many of our nurses.
Lately Hatfield has noticed that people are focusing more on their skin health as well as their overall health. She suspects COVID-19 has played a part in this shift, as folks have been spending more time staring at their faces on screens and perhaps gaining some quarantine weight.
People are bothered by that wrinkle or have become committed to losing those 10 pounds they put on, Hatfield says. Plus, people are now going out and socializing more, maybe starting to date again, and they want to look their best.
Clients often gravitate to different services depending on the time of year. For instance, some of the laser therapies increase the skins sensitivity to the sun, so in the summer clients might opt for injectables or body contouring – especially when theyre in the heart of swimsuit and wedding season. Hatfield has also found that clients seek certain services during transitional stages of life – for example, when they become empty nesters or retirees.
I love what Im doing, and its not work to me, says Hatfield, who relishes the fact that shes giving people confidence. People look at this as vanity sometimes, but our society places so much value on aesthetics, whether youre in sales or out there dating for the first time in a while, and you want to feel like youre your best version of you. When you invest in your health you feel good, and that confidence changes life for the better.
She shares the time when a customer came in during an open house and disclosed that three years earlier, shed had a brain tumor. Because a nerve was impaired, part of her face was sunken in, which made her self-conscious. She didnt have the money to do as many fillers as she needed to fix the problem, so for three solid years, she wore her hair over part of her face to try and hide it. The doctor provided procedures that proved to be truly transformative for this woman.
What we do provides confidence that for some people may be minor, but for others is life-changing, Hatfield says. Thats what I love about this business, that it can make people feel better in their own skin.
In August, Hatfield opened another location. Though she had considered opening an office in Lexington, only about 10% of her customer base was coming from that area. Ultimately, Middletown seemed like the ideal spot.
We felt that would be a nice area that wasnt completely over-served and a nice distance between the two locations, enabling us to serve a greater part of Louisville, Hatfield says. Plus, we love Middletown.
Thankfully, her husband Tim recently retired, which meant he had the time to help in the endeavor.
He basically set up the Middletown location by himself, decorating and all, Hatfield says. Im more the numbers girl.
The pair, who have been together since Hatfield was 16, have two grown children, Savanna, 24, and Dawson, 20, as well as two dogs and two cats.
Our family has had almost every kind of animal you can imagine, from horses to chickens and even a chameleon, says Hatfield, who is a bit of a chameleon herself, as she dabbles in pottery and is currently learning to play the saxophone.
When they are not busy growing businesses, the Hatfields love to travel to their favorite vacation spot, Sanibel Island. They also enjoy Europe and Mexico, and are heading to Nantucket soon.
Hatfield is grateful to the Small Business Administration for their 7(a) loan program, which provides financial assistance to small businesses. Since 1999, she has gotten seven loans and has paid them all off.
With the 7(a) loans, 50% of your loan is backed by the bank., Hatfield says. Its almost like getting a guaranteed student loan. Without their support, I wouldnt have been able to keep my head above water, and would never have been able to grow any of my businesses and make them thrive.
For more information about Blue Halo Med Spa locations, call 502-690-6029, email rhonda@bluehalomedspa.com, or visit bluehalomedspa.com.
