Hidden Gems: Meet Ben Vass of Ben’s Beauty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Vass

Hi Ben, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My name is Ben Vass, and I own Ben’s Beauty. I started as a salesperson in a small cosmetics company, but I was actually a Network security engineer prior to that. The pay as a network security engineer was quite satisfying but the stress and overtime just didn’t make sense to me anymore. I did four intensive years in the IDF prior to that. I have a beautiful four-legged daughter named Daisy and she is my PTSD service dog that I take everywhere. She comes to the spa as well and greets the clients (if she senses they want her to). She’s an intelligent Pomeranian/Husky mix and is incredibly special to all our team, so not all bad came out of being in the military.
While I was working in the cosmetics store, I always wondered why we couldn’t provide a treatment for clients that work without risks. I spent some time researching and had my first thoughts of combining innovation and beauty.
The first 2 Spas I opened with a business partner were located in Carmel and in Balboa Island Newport Beach. COVID hit us hard, but it made me realize that I can go on my own. Between 2020-2022 I worked different jobs since I had to shut down the Spa for COVID. Even after that, people were still afraid to come in and get treatments, so I worked as a locksmith, tried to do construction, and even sold windows. It was a rough period of my life, but I finally saved up a bit to open a kiosk in Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia.
Upon moving from Irvine to Monrovia, I opened the kiosk around October 2022 and was incredibly happy. For the first time in my life, I was working for myself without having to deal with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I met the local clientele and they embraced me like I was one of their own. It wasn’t an easy time as it was difficult to offer samples to clients during COVID. People were afraid of being touched during my demonstrations and even more afraid to be approached due to the bad reputation of people offering samples in malls. So, it was tough, but once they realized I was offering something they had never seen before, they became interested, and the number of clients I had grew substantially.
To keep my clientele happy, I offered them a free complimentary treatment once my spa was ready. I was manifesting opening a spa. In April 2023, I met an amazing, energetic lady who was interested in my products. I shared with her my idea of opening a spa in the area and she bought a small package from me and told me that we should keep in touch.
Two months later, she contacted me again and told me that she had an amazing location for me in Pasadena. During that time, the kiosk was a remarkable success, so I saved over $70k and took the Spa. Most of the people who work in the Spa currently are people I had the pleasure of meeting while at the kiosk and later training.
One of them is my amazing manager, Christina, who was working at a store next to me. She babysat my dog Daisy during my vacation to Israel in March when I had no one else to watch her. I was incredibly grateful for her help and still am to this day. When I invited Christina to come work with me, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing, even though I was serious. I told her to come and get a feel for the environment once a week at first, and after some convincing, she decided to join the team. I honestly couldn’t believe it since she had 25 years of experience working for a corporate job. Most of us know how frustrating it is to work for a big corporation since they have a reputation for treating their employees badly.
We had a grand opening in August 2023, and we were ready to expand 4 months later. After waiting for the right time and for more rooms to be available on my floor, we finally got the opportunity on June 1st to take six more rooms, for a total of eight rooms ready to service beautiful clients. We offer non-surgical treatments, including LED Radio Frequency, EMS, Hydra glow facials, microdermabrasion, face treatments, and body treatments. I am more than excited.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I first started the kiosk, the biggest hurdle was honestly finding employees who were as passionate about skincare as I am. There was a revolving door of employees, no matter how much I paid. For a lot of them, my kiosk was simply a stepping stone toward a job they wanted more. I spent much of that time doing it by myself, with a two-hour commute back and forth from Irvine to Arcadia. Getting the word out to everyone has also been a challenge, although it’s one that I will always find joy in. Now with inflation and prices getting higher, it’s been more difficult to convince people that self-care is worth it and why they should continue to invest in their health and wellbeing. The greatest challenge, however, is just living in a post-pandemic world and earning the trust of clients during a time where COVID exists and still causes harm. COVID has slowed down but it’s not gone, and people need to know that we are putting their health and safety first no matter what.

As you know, we’re big fans of Ben’s Beauty . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We offer an experience that no other company is offering. Our non-surgical treatments have no side effects and no downtime and combine beauty with innovative machines and home devices that save the clients plenty of money instead of bonding them into monthly contracts of repeating treatments such as Botox, dermal fillers, etc. My proudest brand is Ben’s Beauty’s “My Face” handheld device. It combines red light, LED Radio Frequency, and EMS all in one. Customers get to take this to their home and use it on their time during their day-to-day skincare routine.
Since we are still growing and manifesting, opening more branches all over the states (non-franchise), all owned by me since I really love what I do, and I believe customers should be treated with absolute care. The meaning of franchise is lower costs, less personal experience, and higher costs, which is a concept I’m not a fan of. We are competing with plastic surgeons, invasive treatments, and injections such as Botox and dermal fillers. We offer discounted prices on packages where we can treat and support the customer even if they have a busy schedule.
We first analyze the customer’s face with a special AI Face Analyzer device so that we can customize a treatment package that is unique to our client’s face. We offer a variety of packages that include free consultations, free facials, free follow-ups, and free skincare while investing in one of our devices to use at home. They are the same devices that we use at the spa since they’re so effective at providing results in real-time.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love about Old Town Pasadena could fill a book. It is full of historic charm, has an amazing community feel, and it is easy to walk anywhere you want to go. There are many events and activities in the area, so you can always find something that matches your interests. With our spa being located in the heart of it all, it has been great to try new dining and shopping areas so that we know the best spots to recommend to our customers. The one downside is that the town’s popularity can make it challenging to find parking. For that reason, if anyone ever struggles to pay for parking, we offer to cover it so a customer never has to give up the experience over the $10 parking fee!

Pricing:

• $79.95 collagen enhancement treatment
• Non surgical Face treatment subscriptions starting from $199 per month no contracts
• Non surgical Body treatments subscriptions starting from $399 per month no contracts

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bens-beauty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bensbeautyspa?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
• Other: @bensbeautyspa

Image Credits
Ben’s Beauty