April 10, 2017

Meet Nericia Picado of Synergy Med Spa in Montebello

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nericia Picado.

Nericia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in central LA. Raised by a single (immigrant) mom along with 2 sisters and 4 brothers. She refused to collect welfare and always had at least 1 job. When I has 12 I got a job permit and starting working for the parks and rec summer program. Emma Ruiz was in charge. She was amazing. I believe she saved the community with all the programs, events and improvements she made there. I regret now not having asked her to be my mentor, although, I didn’t know what that was (back then). I actually was very lucky to have several very caring, patient and interesting teachers. I couldn’t afford college, so I joined the Army. It would have been great if Desert Storm then Desert Shield (etc.) hadn’t begun. My dream of traveling the world and having extra cash for school ended with constant lockdowns and extremely irregular “work” hours. I spent 6 1/2 years’ active military and 6 1/2 years National Guard. I met my soul mate George toward the end of my time in the Guard. We now have two fantastic kids (ages 13 & 21). After my son was born I took time off for the first time since being 12. I loved it, but the bills starting adding up and all the penny-pinching George and I were doing, just wasn’t enough. I got a job working with tutoring kids, again great, but barely enough to cover the bills. It was really tough getting a job. I only took a couple of courses in between having the kids. I had no degree and the varying customer service jobs were being set aside for people getting off welfare, ex-prisoners needing a 2nd chance and wounded soldiers (which came with tax breaks). I finally got a break with Miyachi Unitek (now named Amada) in the stockroom minimum wage. It was an educational experience for me. The way the company treated their employees and took time to educate us, in all the many jobs I’ve never experience that sense of being part of this prosperous international company. I decided I wanted to stay forever and grow and invest and I did. I moved up to production planner and was set to move up again. Until, my best friend Jennifer mentioned she was selling her business (the commute was too much). It was a major risk, but after a little research and with Georges’ full support, I went for it, mainly because I knew the staff. Candice (Manager, Receptionist, Airbrush custom tan extraordinaire, multimedia guru) Feliz, Malina, and Sonia. Between them they are 3 Estheticians/1 massage Therapist, 1 Dermalogica Expert, 1 Lash and make-up artist. They are amazing and really design each treatment from (facials, lashes, massages, waxing, body wraps/scrubs) to be the best for each individual client. They are hard working women and will work wonders for you! I bought the business in November, In December I found a better location and started renovations, we moved in on January. New location, new management and the staff/family/clients have been beyond supportive. So far, I can best describe it as horribly fantastic. I’m still in the red, but all paychecks have been on time. I work almost every day and I haven’t really gotten a paycheck yet. I have soo much more to learn, but it is still the best job I’ve ever had.

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?
The road has definitely been a lot bumpier than I had expected. Not really knowing how to market myself. Having 2 leases simultaneously, renovations, and moving on Christmas, that was rough. The worst definitely has been the paperwork, licenses, permit fees. Thank goodness I had a great team supporting me the whole way.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company is Synergy Med Spa. We specialize in skincare and rejuvenation treatments using only top of the line products. Every treatment is designed especially for each individual’s need. Our specialties are facials, body relaxation therapies, Body wraps/scrubs, Eyelash extensions (lash to lash), and custom airbrush tanning (all natural/anti-oxidant). I am most proud of the staff. I believe they are great at what they do because they really enjoy and care about helping others feel better. They continue to take classes and seek education that will help them to improve their skills and pass on the knowledge to their clients. Our facility was not designed to “hold clients” it was designed to encourage relaxation to stay and have a cup of tea to sit quietly or chat. to teach, to learn.

What were you like growing up?
I don’t remember too much of my childhood. I remember I like to play outside tag and hide and seek. According to my mom (a conservative Mexican lady) I had weird ideas about things but I was good daughter I was neat and orderly. I was born and raised in LA but was very poor we couldn’t afford much at all. I was a bit of a dreamer and was always fascinated by anything new to me (not trendy). I liked to read and loved school, there was a lot of new things to learn there. My mom didn’t want us going to “ghetto schools” so she had us bused to the valley. I liked it but soon felt very restricted. We couldn’t participate in any after school activities because there were no “late” buses back then. I ended up feeling not good enough. I always had a very varied group of friends which I believe help me to see and learn about so many different point of views. I really appreciated that although I probably didn’t say it often enough.

Pricing: