Check Out Audrey Gonzalez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Gonzalez.

Hi Audrey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started the Beauty Garden after working at several natural spas in the Santa Barbara and Ojai areas. I was a young mom with a toddler and I wanted to still fulfill my career and ambitions yet also be available for my son. I had no clients of my own and truly started from nothing but a dream. To this day I still have many of the original loyal clients since The Beauty Garden was founded 10 1/2 years ago. I love working with women, being in a holistic healing arts field and creating beauty in everything I do! From the beginning of my esthetician career, I’ve always had a passion for knowledge with ingredients. I would always tell my clients to educate themselves too on what ingredients are in their self care products. My own skincare line, Beauty Garden Apothecary all started with one product, “Soothe” a hydrating and gentle facial serum. I call it a “watery-oil”, because its not your traditional serum. It’s amazing for sensitive or reactive skin! I also saw a big need in the market for quality skincare that doesn’t break the bank. I was finding that high end, clean skincare was either too expensive or on the opposite end cheaply made, mass produced products found at health food stores, marketed as “affordable” and “natural”. In reality they are just filled with a bunch of “fluff” as I call it and didn’t do much for anyones skin goals. So over time I slowly created new products to suit my clients needs. I’m an esthetician with over 15 years experience. I know what people need and want. They need effective results, not harmful to their heath and they don’t need a complicated 10 step regimen. Less is more!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Well I started my business like I said with no clients of my own. At the time, I didn’t know enough people in my area to help spread the word about me and my business. That was a challenge but over time very quickly I might add by word of mouth I gained very loyal clients. One of the hardest struggles to navigate was the closure of my business during 2020. This was extremely difficult. I had just given birth to my second baby in February of 2020 and thought I’d be back to work after a few months. That’s obviously not what happened. Mere weeks after he was born the whole world shut down. The skincare industry was hit the hardest. Besides us and massage were the last ones to be legally allowed to reopen. Even after we were allowed to reopen it was still very shaky. Clients weren’t flocking back just yet. There were a lot of restrictions and extra measures to be taken. I couldn’t do facials as that required masks by state mandates. I had to limit my services. I thought many times that I should just fold and close. During the covid crisis I was also thrown into homeschooling my oldest son due to all the covid issues. Yet despite everything I was juggling, a new baby and homeschooling, I kept my business afloat and persevered. I am so thankful I didn’t close!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am not your average esthetician! I consider myself a holistic intuitive facial therapist… the work that I do is not only for beauty but for overall health. It is an experience that is truly encompassing body, mind and soul. Caring for and truly understanding my clients skin comes naturally for me, and I combine beautiful botanicals, herbs and modalities to assist. I really believe in the philosophy that less is more. Clients don’t need a complex skincare regimen. As an esthetician my philosophy is to build their skin up with nutrient rich treatments and products and not strip it down. I believe the latter ages the skin faster and creates other unwanted problems.

My approach to caring for the skin comes from an individualized and custom skincare experience. No two people are the same and each person has their own unique bio-chemistry. My goal is to stimulate the bodies own innate ability to heal itself from the inside out. Some of these modalities include the ancient art of Gua Sha, lots of manual massage and lymphatic drainage. I also love to combine modern technology with the healing Celluma LED light therapy, diamond microdermabrasion and ultrasonic devices. I am also going to be incorporating Microchanneling to my list of services very soon! This service will be quite literally rebuilding beautiful skin again!

Aside from my facial services I have a small but growing skincare line called Beauty Garden Apothecary. These products are formulated and handcrafted by me! Anyone that knows me, knows I am an ingredient enthusiast! I call my products high vibrational due to the natural ingredients that I lovingly use and utilizing the energy of the sun and sometimes even the moon to infuse the botanicals or resins into the oils that I craft with. It’s such a passion of mine as I get to combine my love for skincare, beauty, creativity and my knowledge of herbs and plants.

Aside from my facials and handcrafted high vibe skincare products I also provide a limited list of waxing services and lash lifting! These services are always personable and fun!

My goal is for every person to leave The Beauty Garden feeling better than when they walked in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautygardenskincare.com
• Instagram: @beautygardenmaven

Image Credits
Michael Kupferstein – Significant Images