Step inside The Well Lounge, the new beautifully designed med spa located next to the Newtown Athletic Center, and you immediately enter a realm that is both serene and welcoming, with its soaring windows and tasteful décor. The immaculate new facility, which launched last March under the ownership Dr. Seth Althoff, offers the latest wellness, health and beauty technologies following a philosophy that is centered on a holistic approach to well-being, unifying inner health with outer beauty. In addition to providing Concierge Medicine services that support overall health and illness prevention, The Well Lounge also offers a full line of aesthetic skin treatments, including wrinkle relaxers, laser treatments, filler injections, and facial treatments, such as thread lifts, micro-needling, dermaplaning, and medical grade facials.
Tracy Nucera, the spa’s Director of Aesthetics, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the practice. A former ICU nurse at the University of Pennsylvania, Tracy has been working in the field of medical aesthetics for over 17 years. Her background and expertise are evident in both the level of talent and compassion she brings to her leadership at the spa. Tracy fully believes that a client’s journey to looking and feeling their best begins with a complete evaluation of their health and beauty routine. “Our goal at The Well Lounge is to develop a personalized treatment plan that will address a client’s concerns for the long term. We believe in the importance of taking care of your overall health in order to reach your goals. We want people to noticeably feel better and look better. With that in mind, we are not trying to sell people individual “band-aid” treatments. Instead, we are selling lifestyle treatments that will allow people to have long lasting results well into the future”. Tracy said that while some clients come to her looking for “sprinkle” treatments – a little Botox here and there, or perhaps a quick-fix filler, she believes that addressing the overall health of one’s skin should first be the first priority. Reducing skin damage and signs of aging and improving the quality of one’s skin as a foundation allows for maximum results from additional treatments such as wrinkle relaxers and fillers.
The first step in the process is a consultation with Tracy or a member of her team. “We initially sit down with our clients to discuss their concerns, goals and current lifestyle patterns. We have some people who want to completely change the way they look; they want dramatic, “wow” changes that people really notice. Others want very subtle changes – they just want to erase a few years and look refreshed and rejuvenated. I listen to what their overall goals are and take them very seriously.”
Many clients begin their evaluation with a VISIA skin analysis. This allows aestheticians to take clinical photos showing the underlying condition of the skin, including wrinkles, pore size, sun damage, and skin texture. VISIA also provides a comparison of a client’s complexion to that of other men/women of the same age and ethnicity (yes, we must “face” the hard truth about the damage caused by those carefree years of our youth spent basking in the sun and visiting tanning beds!). This comprehensive evaluation is often essential in developing an individualized skin care regimen that matches a client’s complexion profile, and enables them to track their progress over time.
After reviewing the result of the scan, a full personalized treatment plan is developed that may include a combination of skin rejuvenation procedures as well as medical grade products for daily use. Tracy and her team always work within the expectations of their clients, however. “I come up with a treatment plan that they are comfortable with and that works within their timeframe and budget. We never push people in a direction that makes them uncomfortable or extends beyond their reach”.
Tracy’s years of experience and training allow her to see beyond trends and fads, and to focus on treatments that are truly effective. “Over the years I’ve seen fads come and go, so I can easily sift through what works and what doesn’t work and establish the most effective treatments as the true bread and butter of our practice. My focus is coming up with plans that help clients successfully reach their goals as efficiently as possible. It’s not about trends, it’s about results”. One of the most popular treatments at the moment is the Halo Hybrid Fractional Laser treatment which delivers noticeable improvement in skin texture, fine lines, pore size, and uneven skin tone after one treatment, with minimal downtime.
Kate Golden, The Well Lounge Executive Director, sings the praises of Tracy’s ability to not only design successful treatment plans, but also execute them with remarkable outcomes. “Tracy is a true artist. Not only have I seen her erase years off of people’s appearance, I’ve seen her enhance clients’ features by giving them a more sculpted jawline, or rejuvenating their neck area”. Tracy is excited to be bringing the next level of skin treatment to the community. “It’s incredibly rewarding to help clients feel amazing about their appearance and confident in their own skin. I look forward to working with our clients to create a plan to help them look and feel their best.”
The Well Lounge is open 5 days a week and by appointment on weekends. They cater to both men and women of all ages. The staff knows that hectic schedules and busy lifestyles often makes it difficult to plan visits, so they offer flexible and extended hours, with access to nurses and aestheticians who are available to answer questions when needed. For more information or to book a consultation or VIP party, please visit their website at https://thewellnewtown.com or call: 215-360-3940.
Skincare is for men too! Meet Charlie. Charlie came in to check out his skin age with our VISIA skin analysis technology. Once we were able to review his results, we created a long-term plan to improve his skin age and health.
Foundation: Medical Grade Skincare Products
We started Charlie on the Z.O. Get Skin Ready Kit, which includes a gentle cleaner, complexion renewal pads, and an exfoliating polish to add in weekly. Charlie has dry and sensitive skin, so we also added in Daily Power Defense to protect his skin from outside environmental damage and a Vitamin C.
Treatment Plan : HALO Laser
The HALO laser is a complete skin rejuvenation treatment. It improves your overall tone and texture in addition to significant removal of discoloration and scars, reduction in fine lines, reduced pore size, skin reflectivity and glow. Whether you have aging skin, spent too many days in the sun, or just want to get a brighter complexion, Halo can improve your skin and boost your confidence.
Maintenance Plan: BBL Laser and Neurotoxins
After you reach your desired results, Broad Band Light (BBL) HERO is a quick and efficient way to keep your skin looking its best for years to come. The BBL is recommended every 3-4 months along with neurotoxins (Botox, Dysport,etc.) to keep you looking and feeling your best. Each visit we will evaluate your results and adjust your daily skincare routine as we go.
Q&A: Getting to know Tracy Nucera, Director of Aesthetics
Tell us about your background and training
After starting my nursing career over 20 years ago at the University of Pennsylvania in the surgical trauma ICU, I moved to San Diego and began working with a plastic surgeon starting my career in aesthetics. Before the “med spa” industry took off, I helped open one of San Diego’s premier med spas. I eventually moved back to the East Coast and began practicing again at a Dermatologist office. As my career progressed, I saw the industry - with the help of celebrities - focusing on changing the look of people and I knew I wanted to show my daughter that it wasn’t about changing the person, it was about making them be the best version of themself. I knew I wanted to open a practice where everyone felt welcome because we all deserve to feel beautiful.
What is your treatment philosophy?
We all deserve to feel beautiful, every day. And one single treatment does not accomplish this. My philosophy is to teach my patients how to bake a cake- I help them find the perfect ingredients for them - from the perfect home skincare routine to medical grade facials and peels and lasers- and then I ice the cake with the good stuff- threads, botox and fillers. The goal is to make you feel your most confident self and then maintain it.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working with clients?
When a client says they feel beautiful or they didn’t know they “could feel like this AGAIN” - those are always my favorite. Helping women and men have confidence to face the world is so rewarding.