We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Mandallaz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had always wanted to open my own business as long as I’ve been an esthetician (14 yrs).  I opened my first business in Los Angeles in 2011, but closed just a year later to relocate To Palm Springs.   In Palm Springs I worked as the lead esthetician at Ace Hotel’s  Feel Good Spa, while I developed my private clientele, and eventually built up enough to open Meta Skin Studio.

My parents and family came to the USA as refugees from the former Soviet Union, and I grew up watching my parents develop  small businesses out of nothing, while learning English and supporting the family, so it felt very natural for me to follow in their footsteps.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

There were several points that I wanted to address when creating Meta Skin Studio. I opened it in Palm Springs in 2017, and at that time there weren’t any other acne specialists there. I had also developed my own unique approach to treating skin I now call Functional Skin Therapy. Similar to the concepts of functional movement and functional nutrition, Functional Skin Therapy treats the skin holistically by understanding how ingredients and the skin’s functions work together with the rest of the body to produce effective and visible results. It is an inside-out, head-to-toe approach that not only improves appearance, but also promotes true skin health. I wanted to have a place where clients could experience the benefits of my Functional Skin Therapies  in a bright and modern atmosphere, and that was the heart of our first location for Meta Skin Studio. Prior to opening, I was also using between 5-6 different professional skincare brands to be able to effectively manage all the various skin conditions I worked with, so I quickly realized I would also need to develop my own home care to better target my clients’ unique skin needs such as adult acne and aging skin at the same time, so that was the start of our product line Meta Skincare.

After being shut down due to the quarantines of 2020, my husband and I relocated about 90 minutes away to a beautiful, tiny desert town in the middle of Anza Borrego State Park, and I reopened in the Spring of 2021 where I was able to re-open as a retail boutique: Meta Skin Studio The Store, along with our skin studio and workshop across the courtyard.

The boutique now carries our skincare products along with many of our favorite desert loving body care, perfumes, hats and linen clothes from France.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Visiting Borrego Springs according to Meta Skin Studio: STAY: We recommend staying either at La Hacienda Del Sol just across the street from Meta Skin Studio,
La Hacienda Del Sol is an adorable 1950s motel recently purchased by a young couple from Long Beach who’ve lovingly restored it with modern sensibilities and casual desert vibes while maintaining it’s original vintage charm and beautiful pool. You can stumble back to your room there across the street to nap after you’re all blissed out post Meta Skin Studio treatment.

 

 

PLAY: So we may be a tiny town but there is a whole lot to do for outdoors and nature lovers.
If you want guided activities, The state park offers many like group hikes, hands on lessons about plants, animals and kid friendly explorations. There are also several jeep expedition companies that will take you out on more intimate discovery tours of the State Park.
If you like to explore on your own, you can also access maps to tooooons of incredible desert hikes, trails and camping. Font’s Point is one of the more well known breathtaking spots here, among many others like the slot canyons, desert palm oasis, and indigenous Kumeyaay and Cahuilla former villages and petroglyph sites.
Borrego Springs is also famous for it’s giant metal animal, dinosaur and historical sculptures sprinkled through out the desert around the town made by local artist Ricardo Breceda. I recommend to at least see the giant dragon one which is incredible against the backdrop of the desert and mountains.
If you like tennis, we’ll head back in town to The Courts. A hip young designer couple bought and restored the old Tennis Club and have turned it into a design, art and tennis destination. They have rad merchandise, good coffee and throw a lot of events like their popular annual Low Desert Open which we’re sponsoring this year March 3-5th.

On Fridays I love to bring people to the town circle for our farmers market and on Saturdays to the Art in the Park for local artist goods and wares.

EAT: Again for a tiny town like ours we have a lot of options! I typically take my guests and clients to the following:
For breakfast I recommend Kendalls Cafe, which has been here since the 60s I believe and has. not. changed. They offer classic American and Mexican breakfast/lunch dishes. My dad says the blueberry pancakes are the best he’s ever had, and the staff are sooooo sweet. They’re just near our store in The Mall.

For lunch or dinner I love Keslings Kitchen which is located at the Borrego Art Institute at the town circle. Again, it’s super casual and comfy but is also sleek designed and all the food is made from scratch using local suppliers. They have a lot of lighter fare options depending on what’s growing in the season, but also make from scratch wood oven pizza which is some of the best I’ve had in the US. They also carry my favorite selection of wine, kombucha and cider in town.
I always like to show my guests the Art Park gardens which are just behind the restaurant, where they also have the community garden and beehives from which you can buy their honey!

On a heartier night, we like to go to the Carlees which is  just at the town circle. It’s got an old school saloon, town watering hole vibe, and they have pool tables, stadium seating and a kick ass juke box. They have a huge menu, but I highly recommend their house smoked bbq ribs and Mud Pie for dessert. It’s also the only place in town you can get local Julian Cider.
Other days for lunch or dinner i often bring clients to Carmelitas Mexican Restaurant which is also near us in the Mall. It’s been family owned and operated since it’s inception, and it tastes like it too. Their margaritas are perfection, and literally the best guacamole of your life.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d really like to thank my long time friend Emily Endo for recommending me for the shout out. I’d really like to dedicate this to all my dedicated clients whom have supported us since first opening Meta Skin Studio, and the community of our current location in Borrego Springs, Ca (situated like a bullseye in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park). With out my client’s and community’s support I would not have been able to open and thrive the way we did.   We only exist because of the trust and support my clients have in me with their skin.

Website: www.metaskinstudio.com

Instagram: instagram.com/metaskinstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-mandallaz-1612261a6/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/metaskinstudio

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/meta-skin-studio-borrego-springs

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@metaskinstudio

Image Credits
Cristina Sorrentino, Ashley Werbel

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.