Sometimes unexpected and unwelcome changes in life can lead to something positive, even great.
That’s how Tida Murdock looks back now on being laid off last year in the pandemic. If she hadn’t been, there would be no Asana Organic Skin Care & Beauty, her new business at 730 Hebron Ave.
“I just decided to go for it,” Tida says.
As a licensed esthetician, she realized she might need to take dramatic steps to remain committed to her profession.
“It really pushed me to pursue my own space."
After months of work renovating the space, Asana opened on Nov. 2.
The spa, which uses all organic materials and treatments, offers a comprehensive list of services, including facials, body treatments, makeup, waxing, brow shaping and henna tinting, lash lifts and tints, LED treatments and an infrared sauna.
“I also carry crystals and chocolate and a CBD line, all of them from small businesses and people I know, we all need each other's support more than ever!”
Born in Thailand but raised mostly in Connecticut, Tida brings her strong Eastern connections to her life and her business.
For instance, the name Asana is a term used to describe a yoga pose as well as a seated posture in meditation, which in turn is an ancient practice intended to bring tranquility and a sense of peace.
“It’s really meant to be a transformational pose and I want people to feel this is a transformational place.”
Owning her own spa, Tida says, also allowed her to focus her work exclusively on organic and holistic practices.
“This whole industry can be so convoluted and toxic. I wanted to give people an option for an entirely organic experience. I believe self-care is sacred and I want people to feel better on the inside and the outside.”
“Taking care of yourself is sacred, it’s something precious and worthy of protection. I believe that self-care is not just a luxury, but a vital fuel for your soul.”
She got the business off the ground with the help of her fiancé and business partner, Alex Bukowski. Other family members helped out as well. Alex’s father, Jeff Bukowski, helped to build out the interior of Asana. Her mother, Fon Camfield, assisted in designing the space.
“The entire place was a family affair, it was really built with love and we designed every inch of the space.”
Tida came to the U.S. when she was 4 with her mother and father, a Vietnam war veteran who settled in Thailand after the war and married Fon. When she came along, Tida says, her parents decided to settle back in America so that she could be educated here.
But she still has deep ties to her and her mother’s native Thailand. She has family there that she visits every year and she continues her education in Asian-influenced spa treatments.
“I incorporate my culture into the business and every time I go back to Thailand I bring back something special for the spa. It’s been going really well and people have been loving these different types of services.”
In fact, the spa was blessed by a Buddhist Thai monk prior to opening “so it has really great energy now.”
While it was a daunting task planning and opening a business during the pandemic, Tida says one of the upsides is the spa was built and arranged with pandemic safety precautions in mind, instead of having to retrofit them.
“It just feels like a safe space for sanitation and self-care. People have been really eager to treat themselves again because they haven’t been able to for so long.”
For more information: Asana Organic Skin & Beauty, 730 Hebron Ave., asanaorganicskin.com. 860-382-6625.