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

Hi Tyrla, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business began at the first day spa I worked at after getting my esthetics license. I went into it all dough eyed and innocent with this idea of catering to my clients and really servicing their needs. Boy was I wrong!! This place was set up to turn clients over fast and make money. There was simply no heart. After talking with other “esthies” I soon learned that this was the norm in the industry. I knew there had to be a better way and soon came to the realization that I couldn’t do that working for someone else. I am my clients biggest advocate to help them achieve beautiful, healthy skin and I knew I couldn’t give them the service they deserved and desired by herding them through like cattle. So it was with this mind set that I opened T L Spa & Wellness. On that first day and everyday for the last 14 years I have tried to maintain that mantra of putting our customers first, the classic quality over quantity.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We have been in business for 14 years and the industry has changed several times throughout those many years. We have to constantly stay on top of it to keep up with what the customers are looking for and still try to provide the best services. When I first started it was probably the peak of the industry and within a couple of years the market was flooded and it became all about the lowest price. A lot of this was brought on by deal website where the focus was on lowest price and a lot of people were jumping from place to place based on getting a 50% off for their waxing or facials. This became a real issue in our industry as it drove spas and estheticians to focus so much on price rather than service and getting away from that was the whole reason I started my own business in the first place. We have stayed true to our original intent of customer first and luckily the industry is continuing to evolve and clients are looking more to the experience and true results. My drive is to give that truly customized experience. We are always working towards a goal and work with each customer individually to figure out what that goal is and what the journey will be to get them there. There is no cookie cutter, one size fits all approach to skincare. We have moved past the traditional Day Spa list of standard facials or treatments and we have added so many newer techniques and technologies to give us a wide range of options to use based on the clients needs and desires. Therapies such as Gua Sha, Microcurrent, LED Therapy, nano technology, facial contouring massage, and Hydrating Skin Refiner. We are so proud to be able to offer so many of the latest yet holistic options for skincare and pride ourselves on creating real change in our clients skin.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a native San Diegan myself, I have to start by saying that we are so lucky to live in such a beautiful city with so much to offer. The first place I would have to take someone would be the San Diego Zoo. No trip would be complete without a visit to either the Zoo , the Safari Park or both. The view of San Diego from the Skyfari at the zoo is not to be missed. I consider myself a little bit of a San Diego foodie and so a lot of the trip would consist of good food. I feel like San Diego is really coming into its own as a culinary scene. We like both some of the high end places and some of the more small scale or dive restaurants. My personal list would start with brunch at Dunedin in North Park, a New Zealand eatery. My next stop would be Crack Shack in Little Italy, a quick serve style open air restaurant with a great chicken concept by Top Chef Richard Blais. Next stop, Gaslamp District. Our favorite downtown restaurant is a place called Rustic Root, great food, great drinks, and a great rooftop bar. The final stop would be the wonderful Balboa Park. The large open park spaces and all the museums offer a lot to do and after all that walking and working up an appetite, the Prado restaurant which offers inspired California fare in a historic setting is a great place to end the day. If you go, I recommend sitting on the patio and enjoying the wonderful San Diego weather and make sure to toss a coin in the wishing well before you leave.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
About three years ago I joined The Beauty Biz Club which is founded by industry legend Lori Crete. Within this group I have found a profound sense of community. Myself along with hundreds of the top estheticians across the country share their passion and knowledge. Within this group I have learned so many new concepts, techniques, and technologies that I otherwise would not have been exposed to. I have been able to translate what I have learned to offer a better overall experience for both myself and my clients.

Website: https://www.tlspa.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tlspaandwellness/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TLSpaWellness/?ref=bookmarks
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/t-l-spa-and-wellness-san-diego-2

Image Credits
Kate Mills at Chasing Daylight Photography