Skin Spa Asheville's owner, Melissa Markis, is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist, having received her certification from the Aveda Institute in Charlotte, NC. She opened her boutique spa in 2013 in the Haywood Park Hotel in downtown Asheville. She started with just one treatment room in the Haywood Park Hotel complex in 2013 and has grown Skin Spa to five treatment room in the hotel, a spa lounge in the Atrium for offering foot soaks and hosting spa parties, a retail shop and finally a sauna room with cold plunge is coming soon. She is passionate about providing innovative skin care treatments that help the guest to the spa look and feel their best. Melissa specializes in results-oriented skincare treatments. In 2016 she created her signature line of skincare products to address some of the specific needs of her client's complexion. Her advanced training in skincare technology includes dermaplaning, microneedling, body & facial microcurrent, laser hair removal, IPL, HydraFacials, and chemical peels, affording her clients access to a unique experience. Melissa and her team take pride in offering skin care, massage therapy and body treatments that are both innovated and focused on customer service and quality.
Melissa Markis
Owner of Skin Spa Asheville
Melissa's earliest exposure to the beauty industry was at her first job at Frank's Pharmacy in Peekskill, NY. At 14 years old, she was first introduced to the “beauty aisle”, where she got to try out all the skincare and makeup she desired. Sea breeze, St. Ives Apricot Scrub, and Sun-In come to mind. The beauty industry has come so far since those days!
Fast forward to her early thirties, Melissa took a part-time job as a receptionist at one of NYC's premier skincare studios by celebrity skincare artist Tracie Martyn. This is where she was introduced to professional skin care products for the first time, and she fell in love with everything related to skincare. With a constant stream of A-list celebrities to see and their amazing skin, she became hooked on good skincare. Not yet knowing that the seeds planted at Frank’s and Tracie Martyn's would later bloom into a full-time career in the skincare industry.
Going into the tenth year of Skin Spa Asheville, Melissa and her talented team continue to strive to bring an elevated spa experience to Asheville.
We are proud to be a women owned business with our entire team made up of dedicated and professional women.
Product We Use
Local Products: Skin Spa Asheville (as seen in the July 2017 issue of The Laurel of Asheville)
By Emma Castleberry
Melissa Markis, owner of Skin Spa Asheville, discovered her passion for makeup and skin care by accident. While on a shoot as a professional photographer in New York City, the scheduled makeup artist had an emergency and couldn’t make it.
“I jumped in and went to the local beauty shop, purchased makeup and ended up doing all the models’ makeup that day,” she says. “To my surprise, I loved it. I found it to be creative and I had a natural eye for it. We never hired another makeup artist again.”
Markis spent many more years doing makeup for her photo shoots in New York before moving to Asheville in 2001. She continued her photography career until 2011, when she obtained her esthetician’s license at the Aveda Institute in Charlotte.
“I wished I had done it years earlier,” she says. “It is such a rewarding career, so dynamic and creative. The industry is always growing. I feel excited every day to be doing this work.”
In 2013, Markis opened Skin Spa Asheville in a suite of the Haywood Park Hotel. She has since expanded to an additional location in the Haywood Park Atrium.
“When I started out, it was just me, and my business focused on innovative skincare treatment using results driven technology and products,” she says. “That has never changed, but I now offer a more well-rounded spa experience.”
Services like a nail spa and eyelash enhancements are new to the Skin Spa Asheville menu.
Long-time customer Patsy Davis discovered Skin Spa Asheville through a Groupon. Davis once suffered from painful cysts beneath her skin, but hasn’t experienced one since she started seeing Markis.
“She is extremely knowledgeable about skin and often shares her knowledge, which helps me understand and trust her,” Davis says of Markis. “It’s clear her focus is for her customers to look their best. Thanks to her affordable prices, I can see her on a regular basis.”
Markis focuses on using healthier alternative products, like toxin-free Zoya nail polish and Zuii makeup, which is made from crushed organic flower petals. Recently, she launched her own product line, Melissa Markis Skincare. “I found so many of my clients had dehydrated skin, which lacks moisture, whereas dry skin lacks oil,” she says.
Markis’ new line adds moisture to the skin with hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in the body. “Adding hyaluronic acid to your skin care routine can help with sun damage, acne, plump up fine lines and wrinkles, and give the skin a moist glow.”
Skin Spa Asheville is located at 1 Battery Park Avenue, Suite M1. For more information about products and services or to book an appointment, visit skinspaasheville.com.
About Skin Spa
Skin Spa Asheville is an esthetician owned, Boutique Spa Studio established in 2013. Conveniently located in the Historic Haywood Park Hotel in the heart of downtown Asheville. Solo esthetician, Melissa Markis, has a passion for providing innovative skincare treatments that help quest of the spa look and feel their best. Utilizing results driven ingredients and technology-based tools that get the best results when addressing skin issues like acne, aging, and hyperpigmentation. Treatments include a full slate of facials, from deep pore cleansing, to chemical peels, microdermabrasion and help for sensitive skin type like Rosacea. A variety of spa treatments are available, including massage and body treatments. You will also find a full retail selection of products that deliver results.
If you're looking to improve your complexion or simply to relax, you're in the right place. If you have any questions, we can be reached at 828-398-9713 or at hello@skinspaasheville.com. Although walk-ins are welcome, we typically need 24 hours or more in advance to schedule appointments.