Stepping inside “Veristic Aesthetics,” you immediately feel a sense of calm and Zen. This boutique med spa in Henderson feels a million miles away from a frantic and chaotic hospital’s emergency room. The kind of working environment that’s very familiar for Veristic Aesthetics’ co-owners, Dr. Jessica Leduc and Mandy Griffin.
“We both work in emergency medicine. That’s how we met working together in the same team,” said Griffin, who works as a physician assistant with the Valley Health System. “With what we do (Dr. Leduc is a full-time physician), things became even more stressful during the pandemic. So, we thought why not try to do something relaxing and rejuvenating for people.
Something totally opposite from what we do in emergency medicine.”
Dr. Leduc, who began her career as a Navy physician, said starting a business is something she never imagined doing.
“I never ever thought of myself as a businessperson,” said Leduc. “But Mandy and I both know medicine, and this is medicine. This is how we think of this business, and we treat it like a medical practice. We are going to do everything as if it were a primary care practice.”
But unlike a typical doctor’s office, Veristic Aesthetics, located at 180 South Stephanie Street, Suite 140 Room 1, doesn’t focus on saving lives or treating illnesses. Leduc and Griffin’s mission is about turning back the clock and creating beauty in a way that reflects the roots of the name of which Leduc and Griffin gave their business: “Veritas.”
“It means ‘truth,’ and we want to create a business that’s about bringing out the ‘true’ beauty. We may use Botox and fillers, but the goal is to bring our clients back to how they really look, to begin with,” said Griffin. “Neither of us are very high maintenance, nor are we interested in the frozen, huge lips, overdone kind of look. I don’t think that represents most women of the women here in this area.”
Leduc and Griffin, both moms of two children, said their business is not unique to Southern Nevada. The med spa business has been growing here in the last decade. But as healthcare professionals, the two women said they give their clients something many of them haven’t been able to find: a sense of trust.
“There are definitely options out there for people to get this kind of work done. But we had people tell us they were scared to do anything with their face, but they would do it if we were doing it,” said Griffin. “Jessica and I thought it’s not enough that we offer aesthetic medicine. We want it to be a combination of safety and natural results.”
Leduc said that sense of trust also extends to what she and Griffin has for each other— as friends, business partners, and medical professionals.
“When it comes to Botox and fillers, we also inject each other. It’s a trust thing, and doing this, we know what to expect from a sensory standpoint, and then we can share that with our clients,” said Leduc. “What we do here at Veristic Aesthetics is helping people take care of themselves from an aging and aesthetic standpoint. We can rebuild what people once look like very subtlety. It’s a way to be happy with what you see in the mirror, no matter your age.”
Both Leduc and Griffin said their goal is to eventually run this med spa business full time and hopefully expand into a bigger space to include additional skincare-related services. Their advice to others who may be looking to start their own business: take that leap of faith.
“I think a lot of people during this pandemic had been rethinking what they are doing with their lives and what they want to do in the future,” said Griffin. “For us, these past couple of years gave us the courage and push to try. That’s what you have to do sometimes— get started on something even when you are not certain of the outcome and be confident in your skills and know how you can stand out.”
