TAMPA, Fla. — Working moms, nurse practitioners and best friends Katrina Riley and Lindsey Cronk launched Elan Aesthetics, A boutique med spa at the beginning of the year. Meeting in nursing school, they remained close and each came to a point where they wanted something more in their careers.
“I was working in primary care at the time. I was the sole practitioner,” Cronk said, “It just got to be too much, and I felt emotionally drained.”
“Working for a different company at the time, I came to a turning point in my career where I just felt like I needed a change. Here and there Lindsey and I would joke about it, and say one day we’re going to work together,” Riley said.
Turning a dream into reality, they focused on the art and science of beauty and business was booming, Just a month and a half later, they were forced to shut their doors with coronavirus taking over the globe.
”It all kind of seemed surreal. We thought, is this happening,” Riley said.
Quickly forced to adapt, they hosted workshops online. They also offered deals to clients and educated them on everything from skincare to ways to look your best during quarantine. The time came with a lot of self-learning as well.
“We took a ton of training classes. We were on Skype and Zoom meetings trying to learn from other practitioners in the field,” Cronk said.
It also became a time of growth, with construction considered essential, Katrina and Lindsey were able to continue plans to move their med spa to Tampa’s Hyde Park.
Now that they’re allowed to open, business is picking up and safety is top priority. It included parking lot waiting rooms and cleaning between each client.
“We have our front desk coordinator run out and hand our clients their paperwork, numbing cream, give them the hand sanitizer, their mask and we bring clients in one at a time,” Riley said.
With a launch date set for June, these female entrepreneurs are not losing sight of their goal. They are making the most of every opportunity to keep their business thriving and clients happy across Tampa Bay.
“A lot of our clients really feel like a sisterhood when they come here. We treat them just like family. They have our cell phone numbers; they can contact us at any time,” Cronk said. “We know a lot about their families, who they are as people. When they come here, they feel at ease, like this is their home.”
For now, a date hasn’t been set for the launch of their grand opening in Hyde park. You can follow them on social media here.
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