Meet MaKenna Bernardino of MÆVAN Beauty and Wellness in West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to MaKenna Bernardino.

Thanks for sharing your story with us MaKenna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a beautiful small town called Redding, California—which is about four hours north of the Bay Area. After completing a few years of college in Sacramento, I moved to Los Angeles in 2017. Originally, I moved here to finish my Bachelor’s degree, and I had little to no idea of where my life would take me once it was complete. All I knew was that I wanted to help others. At the same time, I had also always been drawn to the beauty and wellness industry, as I grew up idolizing my older sister, Elleri. Elleri moved to Los Angeles around ten years ago when she was 19, and I have watched as she built her business as a hairstylist from the ground up. Traveling to Los Angeles as a young girl and watching my sister as she began to thrive in the beauty sphere still stands out as one of my favorite memories to this day. She’s opened so many doors for me in Los Angeles, and I never would have embarked on a journey like this without her help and example.

While I was still finishing my undergraduate degree in 2018, I was given an opportunity to apprentice in LPG lymphatic drainage. By this point, I knew I was ready for a career in the beauty and wellness industry, so I leapt at the opportunity to learn this exciting new trade. I learned a lot during my time apprenticing in LPG, and I was glad to be practicing a new healthcare and beauty alternative that was experiencing such significant growth. But after a year and a half, I realized that my daily work had become more about business administration than providing services, so I decided to move on and to begin pondering other ways I could contribute to the beauty industry. My degree is in marketing, so I searched for marketing jobs in the health and wellness industry. However, none of these opportunities satisfied my hunger for helping others on their wellness and beauty journeys. Simply put, no job felt as fulfilling as working in the lymphatic trade.

I think what ultimately draws me to lymphatic drainage is the idea of offering a service to my community that provides both health and beauty benefits. Lymphatic drainage does more than just support your immune system—it’s also a preventative, non-invasive treatment that attacks stubborn dense deposits, fine lines, and wrinkles. In Los Angeles, we face a lot of pressure to inject or fill our faces and bodies to look a certain way—but I wanted my contribution to this industry to be less surgical and more health-oriented. I have no qualms with more invasive surgical alternatives, but my aim is to offer a service that naturally stimulates tired regions of the body for people who are looking for a more holistic remedy.

With these dreams in mind and with the help and support of my mentors, friends, fiancé, and family, I gained the courage to open my own lymphatic-based business in West Hollywood called MÆVAN Beauty and Wellness. My goal was to provide the West Hollywood community—a community that has become dear to my heart—with safe ways in which they can detox their bodies, work on problem areas, and revitalize their immune systems.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have always been someone who believes that when embarking on any journey, if the road is smooth and easily traveled, it is a spiritual sign that you have chosen the right path. And for the most part, that has been the truth for opening MÆVAN. Initially, the hardest obstacle I had to conquer was the overwhelming feeling of being a 23-year-old female business owner in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, and anxiously awaiting how the community would receive me. But overcoming this fear has helped me to come into my own and to gain confidence in myself and in my vision. At the end of the day, I have seen how my commitment to helping others and my passion for knowledge within my trade shines through in my interactions with my clients, and I have learned to be proud of who I am regardless of what anyone else thinks.

I have also chosen to take the time that I have spent in coronavirus lockdown as a chance to reset. My focus has been on resting my tired body, strengthening my mind and spirit, educating myself on current events, and researching new practices and developments within my trade. Instead of seeing this time as a bump in the road, I have decided to see it as a chance to broaden my client base and expand my outreach. As I return to my clients, I look forward to spreading what I have learned in my time off, because I know that helping others boost their immune systems and detoxify their bodies has become more important than ever during this uncertain health crisis.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Here at MÆVAN, I specialize in lymphatic drainage and skin stimulation. Most people are not familiar with my trade, as it is fairly new to the beauty and wellness industry here in the United States. I utilize a machine infused with cutting-edge Italian stimulation technology to help tone, tighten, lift, and smooth the surface layer of the skin while simultaneously penetrating any dense or stagnate deposits of cellulite below the surface layer.

The ultimate goals of this treatment are to help the body recover through blood flow, to improve lymphatic circulation, and to restore cells to give the skin a more youthful appearance. The initial part of each treatment is focused on lymphatic drainage. I do a light pass with my machine heads through the entire body, giving the lymphatic system exactly what it needs to begin its natural detoxification process. I then talk to my clients to find a few regions where they would like me to focus—such as the tummy for bloating, the legs for cellulite, the chest for fine lines and wrinkles, or an area of pain or soreness. Then, I round out the treatment in the specified focus areas by applying a treatment head equipped with LED technology and a cold laser, which initiates the cell rejuvenation process. The light from both the LED and the laser fixture supplies the body with energy that helps it create new cells and rejuvenate old ones. This natural process also increases blood and lymphatic circulation, which gives the body a more toned and vibrant appearance.

My incorporation of the Icoone Laser into my work definitely sets MÆVAN apart from the rest, as it is the only machine of its kind in the West Hollywood area. This particular laser is unique because it safely employs micro-stimulating actions while simultaneously providing cold laser protocols that are capable of reaching the deepest layers of tissue. With the assistance of this laser, my clients see optimal changes in the visible appearance of their skin, texture of the focused areas, and the overall size of these regions due to inflammation or fluid retention. This cold laser is truly one of a kind and has completely progressed the capabilities of lymphatic drainage technology as a whole.

I believe being an owner/operator and having the opportunity to connect one-on-one with each client has made a huge difference for my business, as it has helped me find new ways to cater to the specific needs of each client, while also building a relationship with them in which they feel taken care of and safe. But, what definitely sets MÆVAN apart is my commitment to inclusivity and acceptance. While most anti-aging beauty brands feel overly sophisticated and are designed to work for a particular audience, my goal with MÆVAN Beauty and Wellness is to be open and welcome to anyone and everyone who feels they can benefit from this amazing technology.

What were you like growing up?
I was a fairly outgoing girl growing up. Most people who know me would say that I was very social because I loved meeting new people and networking with others. I have always been a connector. I love talking with others, and I have always felt like I could have meaningful conversations with anyone because I instinctually know how to engage with others in a way that makes them feel comfortable and safe.

Although I received good grades, school was never really my thing growing up. I grew to enjoy education much more in my collegiate years when the content better aligned with my passions. As for my interests back then, most are still largely a part of my lifestyle today. I loved outdoor activities, and I spent most of my summers at the lake with friends swimming and participating in water sports. In the winter, I would head to the mountain every chance I got, and I would sometimes end up snowboarding or skiing almost every weekend. My family is also a major reason why I love the outdoors so much, as our family trips were mostly centered around camping, fishing, and hiking. Looking back, I am deeply thankful for the ways my parents leaned heavily into my interests throughout my childhood. They were always very supportive of me branching out and trying new things—even when I insisted on shaving my head during my “artsy” phase. They have always trusted me when I needed to spread my wings, and they supported me every step of the way. At the end of the day, the reason why I have been able to embark on such an amazing and rewarding journey is the strong everlasting foundation that is my family. I will be forever grateful for their love, guidance and support.

Pricing:

• Solo Face (30 min. $105)
• Solo Body (30 min. $125)
• Solo Body (45 min. $175)
• Solo Body (65 min. $205)
• Basic (65 min. Body and Face $235)
• Platinum (95 min. Body and Face $305)

Contact Info:

• Address: 725 N Fairfax Ave
  Los Angeles, CA 90046
• Website: wehomaevan.com
• Phone: 323-591-2365
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @wehomaevan

Image Credit:
Kay Dargen (first image) and Jennifer Daigle (room images)

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