Hidden Gems: Meet Nefertiti Schell of Relaxing Palms Massage and Beauty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nefertiti Schell.

Hi Nefertiti, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Nefertiti Schell, Queen as in the Queen turned Pharaoh Nefertiti. Although I have strong African roots, I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA with my immigrant West African mother and my two sisters. My mother did not have family in the States coming from Africa. Raising three daughters on her own, we all had to do our part to make her life a little easier. My mother’s drive to get up every day, without shedding a tear, to make something out of her faith inspired me to work hard for her. Her only ask she had for her kids were to get good grades and work hard for what we wanted.

At the age of 20, I was working 2-3 jobs and a full-time University student trying to obtain her Bachelors. The next few years would change my perspective on what success and a career looks like for me. I ended up getting kicked out of the University due to Academic probation and missing class as I was working a lot. Devastated and disappointed in myself as to how did I got here. Why was I not succeeding like I should be?

This same year, I joined a non-profit organization Black Womxn United that responded to the Trump Administration with a Black Women’s March and Rally in Sacramento, CA. This organization gave me a new sense of Black Womxnhood and advocacy. This acclaimed energy as I worked with this non-profit gave me a sense of new goals. Shortly soon, I started my training to become a Doula. One of my biggest inspiration to embark on this journey were my sisters. My twin sister was suffering from fibroids at a young age with doctors telling her she would never have kids and she was too young to have surgery. My older sister suffering in silence after birthing four children. I wanted to give strength to my sisters that they can have a relationship with themselves and their bodies.

My Doula training took place in Oakland, CA under the teachings of Jazz-Ylaine Baptiste. I was a recipient of a partial scholarship ride to the program. During my training, I discovered a bit of my ancestors, more so my grandmother on my mom’s side was a midwife. I had no idea before I started my Doula training. This was the success and calling I needed. For the first time, I was doing something I had so much passion and love for. As young as nine years old, I was passionate about watching birth stories on TLC and helping my older sister welcome her 2nd child, my nephew. After completing my Birth and Postpartum training, I assisted three births in my first year. Thereafter, I became an on-call Doula volunteer at Mercy Hospital in Folsom to assist more birthing families in their journey. While still maintaining a full-time job and a non-profit board member, my schedule became slim for me to continue assisting any births in between.

Fast forward to 2020, the world was in the most questioning time in my life. COVID taking away loved ones and quarantining for safety. Some of us pivot our lives to new journeys and conquering challenges to a higher self. I found myself working remotely for this insurance company who still wanted me to go into the office and wanted to turn me into the Black spokesperson on Black Issues at the company. Meanwhile, I’m dealing with personal life problems and trying to survive each and every day of this lockdown. This pressure led to taking a leave of absence that changed my life away from mundane corporate work life. I was tired of working long hours behind a screen, and although young for my age, colleagues were rooting for my downfall. During my leave of absence, I started my Reiki training journey to start healing my inner wounds. In the midst of all of this, I decided to buy a condo in Nevada and start a new chapter in my life: the healing journey. A journey I had to travel alone and away from family to level up my spirituality. This was the most enlightening moment in my life. Coming from the Doula training to Reiki healing it helped me reflect on what I needed for my inner child self: someone advocating for my well-being, advocating for mothers and children, and the trauma I experienced that triggered my skin conditions.

I was continuing my self-development journey. I quit my job and enrolled into Esthetics school to specialize in skin treatment and care. More importantly, spreading skin health education to those in my community that lack the resources to care for their skin. Graduate of Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts & Sciences in Las Vegas, class of Sept 2021. Opened a beauty spa private studio in California and later in Nevada. I empower other beauty professionals in the community with resources to be entrepreneurs.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My upbringing was not easy as I grew up in a household with an abusive father who was in and out of jail for domestic violence and DUI/DWI, consistently experiencing poverty and housing issues. As my mother, who was an immigrant from Monrovia, Liberia, would have to take under-the-table jobs and non-sustainable housing to take care of my sisters and I. She would go to community college to get certificates in technical careers such as Certified Nursing Assistant or Dental Assistant. Care for others is something my mother prides herself on. Even when she had barely to give, she would help those that came along because that’s what her mothers and grandmothers did. She was surrounded by women in her life that displayed love for their village. When you heal those around you, you are blessed.

I had issues with learning English and reading as my mother’s first language is not English. She was fluent in French and tribal languages. However, discouraged in how my older sister’s American upbringing, she did not want us to struggle in the school system. This encouraged me to work hard in school as I could not fail my mother’s dreams nor did I have help at home to navigate homework. At times, my sisters and I had to take care of ourselves as our mother would take on live-in jobs, which meant she had to miss big holidays and celebrations to ensure we still had a roof over our heads.

Being on survival mode since a child, it was hard to enjoy moments of luxury without feeling like my siblings and family back home in Liberia could benefit of such things. Feeling guilty for my American life as I wished they would make it to America to grow their family and success. My older brother is expected to finally make it to the States sometime soon in the next year. My mother has not seen her 2 kids since they were 3 or 4, and it’s been roughly 40 years since. My family is who I do this work for.

As you know, we’re big fans of Relaxing Palms Massage and Beauty. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Relaxing Palms Massage and Beauty is located in California and Nevada. BIPOC/LGBTQIA+/Women Owned business. Founded in 2019 and established in 2021. Our business has grown into more than Massage services. Owned by same-sex couple Alexus Adams and Nefertiti Schell.

It is more than just feeling good; it is about healing. Our core values are providing a safe and clean environment for our clients where they can relax, cleanse, release, and relieve. This holistic health team takes the care of others seriously, from physical, emotional and spiritual beings. We serve a safe space for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and low-income/underserved communities.

Some of the services we provide are:
Facial Services such as Acne Treatments, Microdermabrasion, Microneedling, Chemical Peels and other corrective treatments/skin care. Full Body Waxing and Treatments, Massage Therapy, Herbal Medicine and Care, Astrology Readings, Reiki Healing, Birth/Labor and Postpartum Doula Support and Grief Support.

The inspiration behind our business is family. We are family-oriented and take care of our loved ones. As Black and Brown people, we are often misdiagnosed, neglected, and mistreated within this world. We found that there was a lack of care and attention when it came to our stories. Our Mothers and their Mother inspired us to do something about the injustice we were experiencing. Co-Owner Nefertiti Schell is Liberian-American, 1st generation. Her family ancestry is composed of Midwives, Village Doctors, Nurses, and Healers who carried great pride in serving others and appreciated by their community. Her mother is the drive for her motivation. Schell’s mother escaped Liberia in hopes of a better life, experiencing such tragedy and loss and being forced to leave her children behind. Schell dove into Doula and Birthwork after hearing the rate of fibroids/fertility issues in Black Women. The shock of this inspired her to find answers and test the envelope. Next, Co-Owner Alexus Adams is Afro-Latina whose family values Herbal Medicine and Religion in their work. From the South to California, Adams’ family roots left a legacy of multifaceted people who value the transformation of self for the greater good and leading by example. While Adams was in Massage Therapy school, she received the news of her cousin passing during labor. The lack of care and grief motivated her to get into Alternative Medicine and Care. She aims to educate and empower those who may be lost or have loss.

We are known for our custom 90-minute facials paired with a Massage service as most of our clients fall asleep due to how relaxing their service is. We pride ourselves on providing the best self-care experience.

Our business helps people improve their overall health and morale. When our clients see the improvement of their body posture or their skin becoming healthier, it creates a boost in confidence that not only makes the clients feel good. They improve their performance in their environments due to their confidence. When you feel good about yourself. You tend to want to make the people who surround you feel the same! Community is about togetherness. When we help improve each other, it becomes infectious. We provide services and partnerships to non-profits/corporate businesses, host spa parties, and other package deals for new parents or soon-to-be wedding parties.

Some accomplishments our business has accomplished in the last four years were: partnered with Black Womxn in the community with spa services, Gifting 50 spa vouchers to the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, hosted mini Spa parties, re-opened our Spa studio in Las Vegas, invited and attended BeyGOOD Black Parade Small Business Luncheon, and recent new partnership with Black Community Health Wellness Association. We look forward to continue our partnerships with organizations that love giving back like we do and pouring our efforts back into the community.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
My journey is not the common pathway taken. This journey started before I was thought about.

My mother dreamed of coming to America to live her own freedom. Not being a timid woman, her family roots were full of independent women that were matriarch figures in their villages. These women give me the power I have today to go forth with what I have accomplished in life. My roots are spread across East and West Africa. My mother is from Monrovia, Liberia where its history of former enslaved African-Americans made their roots to embark on their own freedom. A country she called home was tarnished in Civil War and violence. Due to this violence, she had to leave her children and family behind in the hopes that one day she would bring them to America.

I didn’t think I would excel in school until I started making the honor roll and getting As and Bs in all my classes, my favorite subjects were Math and Science. Something about numbers and hidden equations intrigued my mind. Whereas English, I couldn’t grasp having to write long essays about subjects that bore me. Going to high school changed my perspective on how I was one of many. I attended a school for my first week of Freshman year where my twin and I were 3 of 22 students in Geometry that did not look like them. I also attended a school where Black/African American students made up 8% of the population in a white-dominant neighborhood. Aiming to get the best education to get into a good college, I was challenged in my senior year, where the community college was overpopulated to accept incoming high school graduates.

My drive was starting to diminish as I couldn’t even get into traditional college to obtain a better life for my family. I gave up on the thought of going to college until my older sister inspired me with her life journey. I couldn’t give up because the path I wanted did not work out. I enrolled into a vocational school majoring in Business Administration in Accounting as my long-term career. My family lacked financial literacy, and I feared living in poverty again. I’m not going to lie. During my first Accounting class, I was ready to quit over debits and credits. I showed up to class, rain or shine, bus or walking. Some days, my mother was walking with me in the rain to the bus stop. Her commitment gave me the drive not to quit, and I was determined to make it to graduation. If it wasn’t for my amazing teachers and support system, I would not have graduated top of my class with a 4.0 GPA and perfect attendance. This has helped me start and maintain my businesses.

Pricing:

• 60 mins Reiki Facial – $88
• 90 mins Custom Facial – $125
• Microneedling Treatment – $190
• Brazilian and Vajacial/Intimate Facial – $99
• 90 mins Swedish Massage – $95

Contact Info:

• Website: www.relaxingpalmsmnb.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/relaxingpalmsmnb
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/rpmnb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/relaxingpalmsmnb/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@relaxingpalmsmnb