Freshly minted

(First published in the April 26, 2018 issue of City Pages)

Jenny Thomas’ new Skin Mint Aesthetics and Spa was inspired by her late mother’s work as an herbalist

Jenny Thomas opened Skin Mint Aesthetics and Spa earlier this month

Skin Mint is more than just a catchy name. The signature facial of this new spa in Weston is a clay mask infused with freshly crushed mint leaves. You can almost smell it as owner Jenny Thomas describes the process.

For the past five years Thomas worked for a local legal firm. Previous to that job, she had been licensed as an aesthetician and had learned a lot about herbal and natural remedies from her mother. But her mother’s death two years ago rekindled a desire to get back into the skin care profession and start her own business.

Today, her Skin Mint Aesthetics and Spa stands as a testament to her mother and what she taught Thomas about healing with natural compounds. Thomas opened Skin Mint on April 2 at 6202 Mesker St. in Weston, and it appears that part of town was hungry for a spa. The month of April booked up quickly.

Skin Mint provides all the services one might expect of such a place: facials, lip treatments, hair treatments and body waxing, for example. All of the products used in Skin Mint’s treatments are made with natural, plant-based remedies and no synthetic fragrances or petroleum products. “I’m not an anti-pharmaceutical company but I firmly believe there is always a better, alternative way,” Thomas says.

Skin Mint’s signature facial, for example, employs a mask made of clay and volcanic ash sent from Wyoming. After evaluating the customer’s skin, Thomas applies the mask, which also includes crushed mint, that Thomas mixes herself in a medicine bowl. The mint helps remove the dead and dull skin and leaves the skin supple and soft, as her website describes. “Mint is a great natural skin brightener,” Thomas says.

One of her specialties is micro-blading, a form of semi-permanent makeup to rebuild eyebrows that have been thinned by plucking or natural causes. Micro-blading reshapes, and gives the appearance of, a fuller set of eyebrows. It’s also helpful for those with a disorder that causes facial hair loss, Thomas says.

Thomas became certified in aesthetics in 2007 and worked freelance in the industry for several years before taking the job of assisting attorneys at Mallery & Zimmerman, S.C. When her mother died in a car accident, she decided it was time to pursue aesthetics full time. Opening the spa was an emotional experience, Thomas says. Building the business felt like reconnecting with her mother. “[My mom] was an herbalist, and she would take me walking in the woods, and she knew how to use the ancient ways,” Thomas says. “Skin care, recipes, anything.”

Find more at SkinMintSpa.com, and on its Facebook page.