Medical spa nourishes mind, body, spirit

Troutdale doctor trades big city hospital for small town aesthetic medicine

By Kari Hastings

The Gresham Outlook, Jun 13, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Brenda Scott has lived in Troutdale for nine years and was pleasantly surprised to find a home for her medical day spa business right in her hometown. The mother of three was a family practitioner at a hospital before changing direction and opening Inspir Medispa.

Aubrie Aurand / The Outlook

TROUTDALE – Brenda Scott was working at a major Portland hospital as a family practitioner, shuttling patients in and out, often 25 a day, when she knew she had to make a change. Not only were her patients stressed out, so was she.

The Troutdale mother of three sometimes joked with her colleagues that if their patients were able to get a pedicure and sip a glass of wine while they waited for their appointment, they’d probably be less anxious and more open to receiving treatment.

Scott began to dream of a medical office that was less of a clinic and more of a day spa. A place where she could use her medical degree and her personal philosophies to treat the three components of well-being – body, mind and spirit.

She became certified in cosmetic procedures to treat everything from wrinkles and acne scars to sunspots and unwanted hair. After practicing in a tiny downtown Gresham office for three years, she felt confident in her client base and began searching for the ideal office.

She looked at Gresham Station and in Portland’s Pearl District. Rents were high and finding her way around the Pearl District, with its difficult parking, didn’t seem like a good fit. One day, she wandered into her own downtown area in Troutdale. She noticed the couple that owned Green Door Antiques was retiring and moving out.

The rest is history. Inspir Medispa’s soft opening six weeks ago proved successful, and Scott was pleasantly surprised that two to three customers a day were walk-ins.

“I did wonder if Troutdale could support this kind of a business,” she said. “But I already had a client base of 500, so I wasn’t too worried.”

That base is growing, including customers from Hood River, Olympia, Wash., and other surrounding small towns. Women who used to drive into downtown Portland can now come to the scenic Columbia Gorge for beauty treatments.

Scott and her staff of five offer traditional salon services, like massage, facials and pedicures. There is an in-house line of mineral cosmetics and skin care products. They also offer medically supervised weight loss, laser hair removal and injections of Botox, Restylane and Perlane, which can either relax or plump facial muscles.

Loosely called “Botox parties,” the medical day spa offers evening demonstrations for groups of friends who want to come see the results without the commitment. Many are skittish about such procedures, but Scott said once they see how easy they are and witness the almost immediate results, that nervousness disappears.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit