Skin Studio celebrates eight years in Baldwin Park

A Baldwin Park business wants you to know that taking care of yourself and relaxing isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity.

Skin Studio celebrated eight years in Baldwin Park last month. The studio, which gives clients a place to relax, rejuvenate and take care of their skin, offers a wide range of services, including a variety of facials, chemical peels and waxing. It’s about giving clients a one-stop shop for all things skin, Skin Studio owner and aesthetician Amy Runyan says.

“There was a need I felt in Orlando for actual customer service for facials, so that’s why I originally started Skin Studio,” she says. “A lot of these cookie-cutter places and spa-type experiences weren’t really doing what I wanted as far as corrective skin care.

“Skin Studio has really found a home in those people who want a facial every month, keeping up with keeping their pores clean and diving into that corrective skin care part,” she says.

The business also offers professional massages from therapist Brenden Kuhn, who designs custom massages catered to a client’s needs.

Whether it’s an inescapable feeling of stress, a nagging pain or both, Skin Studio has just the right massage for you, Runyan says.

“Self-care is such a hot topic,” she says. “We have such busy lives. People are constantly on the go, and families are on the go. To come in to a room and shut off from the world — to be allowed to shut off from the world for an hour or an hour and a half — that’s pretty blissful.”

The benefits of massages are numerous, Runyan says. Relieving tension and stress can lead to better sleep and decreased anxiety. Massages also encourage blood flow, which can decrease inflammation and naturally heal the body while increasing serotonin and dopamine levels.

“It’s that natural happy pill, if you will, all wrapped up into a massage,” Runyan says.

For Runyan, the Skin Studio was a culmination of all her personal talents and passions. She’s always had a focus on skin care and competed in numerous pageants. She was crowned Miss Ohio and Miss Teen Ohio. She also has been an accomplished Screen Actors Guild actress for the last 16 years and appeared in commercials for GEICO, Klondike, Werther’s and A&W.

The topic of skin care also strikes a personal chord for Runyan. Her mother has been battling skin cancer for the past 12 years and has undergone multiple surgeries to remove melanoma from her body. Runyan’s father had a minor form of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma — removed from the top of his head this summer.

The beauty industry and the general topic of skin is Runyan’s life, and she wants to share that knowledge with others.

One tip Runyan shared for taking care of your skin is one of the simplest: wear sunscreen.

“Skin cancer, most people don’t realize, is one of the top cancers that catches people,” Runyan says. “Especially living in Florida, it’s dumbfounding to me how many people don’t wear sunscreen. Head-to-toe. Every day. Sunscreen. It’s the No. 1 anti-aging ingredient. Ninety percent of aging comes from the sun.”

Runyan says she hopes her expertise can help her clients feel more confident going about their day — allowing them to step out feeling like the best version of themselves.

“Some of my teen clients call me the professional pimple popper, because I take great joy from actually cleaning somebody’s face up,” Runyan says. “The improvement in their confidence and just the way they can go about their day not having to cover up so much, that to me is brilliant. I really enjoy lifting other people up.”

Whether it’s a facial or a massage, Skin Studio’s mission is all about taking time for yourself, Runyan says. The goal is to remove self-care from the luxury realm, she says, helping clients realize that it’s something they deserve — to be the best they can be.

“You’re doing the best you can, because you’re starting with a good canvas — both mind and body,” Runyan says.

Skin Studio is looking to expand its services even further, searching for more massage therapists so it can schedule couples massages for Valentine’s Day, dates and anniversaries.