Growing up in Downey, California, Jenapher Moguel admits to being far more influenced by the punk rock scene during her formative years, her once shaved head seemingly at odds with her now polished beauty and long tresses. Despite being just south of the beauty-consumed entertainment industry in Los Angeles, she never imagined she would one day be involved in the very business of aesthetics. Jenapher recalls her mother’s strong work ethic and the impact it had on her.
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Growing up in Downey, California, Jenapher Moguel admits to being far more influenced by the punk rock scene during her formative years, her once shaved head seemingly at odds with her now polished beauty and long tresses. Despite being just south of the beauty-consumed entertainment industry in Los Angeles, she never imagined she would one day be involved in the very business of aesthetics. Jenapher recalls her mother’s strong work ethic and the impact it had on her.
“Growing up my mom always told me to be smart and focus on school, so I was pretty scholarly. I was always constantly moving, going, ‘What else can I do?’ My mom always told me to be successful but she never told me to apply sunscreen, so I would say that I kind of grew up completely oblivious to any of that. I was merely focused on working hard. I had zero to no interest in anything that was beauty related. It wasn’t until I turned almost 30 and personally started seeing signs of aging that I began thinking I should probably start paying attention to how people are taking care of their skin.”
Her first job as a receptionist at a medical billing firm would end up launching her on a path to becoming the medspa success she is today. What started with her branching off to establish her own medical billing business, expanded into contracting, credentialing and finally, every aspect of business management for medical professionals. Moguel states, “Most of my career was in the business side of medicine and practice management. So, I have a lot of experience in the medical business and management field, which ended up perfectly complementing my eventual foray into the medical spa industry.”
At the same time, Moguel also fell into entertainment production when her husband decided to pursue his desire to be a blacksmith in one of the few industries where it's still in demand for individuals with this specialized skillset, the world of prop making. Consequently, while he fashioned swords and weapons for movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Last Samurai", Moguel utilized her business management skills for medical practices and translated them into managing the budget and other business aspects of film production.
She would find these same finely honed business management skills taking her career in the medical world to new levels once again. However, this time she would be the driving force behind designing a medical spa business from the ground up, thanks to the unwavering faith and support of one of her regular medical business management clients, Andre Yousefia, M.D.
A New Venture: Building a Medspa
After studying cellular and molecular biology during his undergraduate years, Dr. Yousefia graduated from Sackler School of Medicine in 1996. After residency, he went on to build a thriving medical practice specializing in internal medicine in Thousand Oaks. Dr. Yousefia's extensive research on PRP, immuno-reactivity and muscle infarction, in addition to his interest in these overlapping areas of traditional medicine, wellness aesthetics and medical aesthetics would prove serendipitous for his next undertaking.
After overcoming a stroke, Dr. Yousefia wished to start a new venture, one that would combine his years of medical experience with wellness aesthetics technology and modalities. His first step was to turn to his trusted long-time business/practice management advisor, Jenapher Moguel.
“Dr. Yousefia, our medical director and one of my clients in my practice management business, came to me and said he wanted to start something else, asking, 'What business ideas do you have in mind that you want to do?’ We went through a couple possibilities. I have my real estate license, so I suggested we could do a multi-home project, duplexes, etc. Then I mentioned my interest in getting into medical aesthetics. It’s popular, is always going to be a service people are interested in and the demand only seems to be increasing with time. So I said, ‘I would want to open a medspa, but I can’t. You can, though.’”
Dr. Yousefia was equally enthusiastic about the idea, so Moguel put together the business plan and presented it to him. After the details were approved, they found a suitable location and began construction.
Balancing Business & Aesthetics Expertise
Moguel and Dr. Yousefia combined their skillsets to form a perfectly balanced team, taking advantage of their individual strengths to form an ideal synergistic partnership. This is what has truly allowed their medspa to find such overwhelming and rapid success. Knowing Moguel was the business and practice management guru of the pair, Dr. Yousefia trusted her completely with all but the squarely medical aspects of their business venture.
“I have to thank him for his trust in me. He’s been my longtime client, so he and I have worked together for many years. While he's taking care of the standardized protocols and medical protocols that need to be implemented, he's really entrusted everything else outside of the medical details to me. Dr. Yousefia takes care of the medical aspect and I handle everything else. He was like, ‘This is your little baby project, you do with it what you like,’” recalls Moguel.
It was a smart move on Dr. Yousefia’s part to entrust the creation of this new medspa to Moguel, as in addition to her general business and medical practice management expertise, she also happened to fit their primary target demographic. Moguel admits, “I’m 45, and when you talk about the ideal demographics or who you’re marketing to, I’m somehow relatable to most people that are seeking medspa services. So I have so much exposure in terms of who I talked to, who I interact with, what is in demand and what treatments people would want.”
Creating a Hidden Haven From the World
Moguel drew inspiration from her own life experience in a high stress career, imagining what she would look for in a medspa designed to help clients escape the stressful world outside. She states, “Handling the finances of doctors for so many years is extremely stressful. You’re in charge of every single penny that comes in the door. Even when you go on vacation, no matter what you do, you’re always on. What I really wanted to create is something completely opposite of that in that world.”
Having worked with physicians for a long time, Moguel knew she wanted to steer clear of the frequently sterile atmosphere of a doctor’s office, dominated by light, neutral colors. She knew that to create the true escape from the bustling world outside she envisioned, the space couldn’t feel like a doctor’s office. It needed to be a relaxing haven that didn’t come with the automatic tension that sets in for many people when they're all too aware they are in a doctor’s office. Moguel knew that the right tone had to be set even before the patient entered the building, meticulously crafting every element to ease patients into a relaxed state of mind, starting with the location. Her first decision was to pass up the opportunity to be located on Ventura Boulevard, a move that might have been helpful for their visibility, but wouldn’t have provided the private haven she was seeking. Instead, Moguel found the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle in the serene French Quarter in Woodland Hills.
“The French Quarter, with its brick walls covered in dangling vines is really beautiful. Instead of being on the main street, I thought, ‘Let’s be hidden in the courtyard garden. Let’s be tucked away. Let’s be this hot hidden gem, this private retreat that you’re not going to know about unless you know about us.’ The location is very quiet. If you go outside, you can hear birds chirping. You can see the vines dangling outside the windows,” she explains.
Upon entering the doors of La Belle Vie Medspa patients are welcomed by the soft sounds of tinkling water coming from the waterfall-shaped fountains in each room, soothing smells and lightly dimmed lights creating a warm glow.
”It sets the tone for the experience the patient is going to have. Let’s face it. They're a lot of choices of where people can go, but why are they going to come to you? These are all optional services that patients are electing to get, so you have to figure out what sets you apart.” Moguel continues, “To me, that means everything, because being in a really high stressful environment, I know exactly what I don’t want. Having two young children, I know how busy life is, so I wanted to create something that stops time and gives people, even if it’s on their lunch break, the refreshed and revitalized feeling you get when you’re doing something for yourself, which not everyone understands.”
The Perfect Patient Experience
Moguel’s attention to detail doesn’t stop with the design and atmosphere, though. She has taken into account every minute of their clients’ experiences, constantly looking for ways to improve that experience, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Moguel knows well the impact those small details can have, and how even the tiniest detail can make a lasting impression, whether good or bad.
She explains, “There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. We take our time with the patient. If you’re doing a minimally invasive treatment and go to an immense spa with a high turnover, you may have only five minutes to perform this service. You’re more inclined to minimize how much time you’re going to allow somebody to numb. All these details matter. Here, we ensure we have ample space and time to allow for the numbing to take full effect. Even though I think we have the best compounded numbing cream on the market, I’m always looking and keeping a feel for what else is out there. If you watch any of my behind-the-scenes videos, you’ll see me constantly testing out different numbing creams to make sure that we’re partnering with the best.”
Moguel and Dr. Yousefia go above and beyond for their patients. The team focus their energy on always being patient driven, continuously considering whether there is something new they could implement to make the patient's experience more comfortable. This means keeping a constant eye on industry innovations in treatments, techniques, devices, new product launches and more to ensure they are providing the best patient experience possible.
“If there’s something that’s going provide patient with a more comfortable experience, then we need to make sure we implement that. I think being patient driven and result driven also affords us the greater opportunity. If the patient’s not comfortable, how are they going to refer somebody and how are they going to come back for their second treatment? Ultimately everything that happens at a medspa is non-surgical, so it’s never a one and done; it’s more of a series. It’s really about ensuring that positive patient experience from before they even enter the door, through every step of their appointment and after they leave,” Moguel says.
Resilience In the Face of Adversity: Icon ‘23
After perfecting every last detail involved in creating an ideal patient experience and true escape from the world at La Belle Vie Medspa & Wellness Center, Moguel and Dr. Yousefia experienced the ultimate disappointment when it was time to move in. Moguel relates, “The day that we got the keys to this location was March of 2020. The day they announced the stay-at-home orders was the day that I had a uHaul move into our newly constructed business. That was really disheartening, but despite all of these opposing forces, everything kept falling into place. It just feels like the stars aligned and I am where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m meant to be doing.”
She admits that the pandemic and the business decisions they made despite this set back ended up helping them flourish once the quarantine was over. “It probably afforded us opportunities to set ourselves apart from other medspas. When the world was quiet, we were pushing hard. I was like, ‘Maybe we’re closed and we can’t do business, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do content and marketing,’” explains Moguel.
Moguel was shocked when La Belle Vie Medspa was recently awarded the title of ‘Best Medspa’ at the prestigious Iconic ‘23 awards, which recognizes excellence in aesthetic and wellness services across the US, Canada and the UK. “It’s one of those things that you never believe is possible until you keep pushing and pushing, and then, all of a sudden, it’s happening and you’re like, ‘Wow, it is possible. It’s actually happening.’ I’m so floored.” Moguel continues, “It’s a testament to our team’s unwavering dedication and hard work during what was an incredibly challenging time. To transition from that period of uncertainty when we opened to receiving this prestigious recognition is truly monumental.”
Moguel recalls her surprise when patients started recognizing her from her videos on social media, saying, “You just don’t realize the impact of that. People watch and feel like they can relate to you. It’s almost like having a network of friends that come here, and you get updates on there on their lives as they check in and out of their appointments.”
Female Empowerment & Friendship
Moguel has found the relationships that form through her work and the community of friends that end up forming are the most rewarding aspects of her career. The ability to help patients, who end up becoming friends, feel refreshed amidst stressful careers and the ups and downs of life is what inspired Moguel to approach this venture in the first place. “We really build a relationship with the patients that come in, and get to know them on a personal level. You honestly become friends with everybody, get to hear what they’re going through in their lives and know that the work you’re doing is making a difference. It’s really become a kind of network of women who help each other, a women’s social support group. Sometimes I’ll see somebody walk in the door, and I can just tell that they’re stuck in their own head and bustling thoughts. Then I have the ability to pull them out of that, help them be present, ask them, ‘Hey, are you having a beautiful day? Are you feeling fabulous today?’ and make people smile,” Moguel says.
She understands all too well the need to find a haven to escape from the rest of the world. Moguel states, “You can’t pour from an empty cup; you have to be fulfilled. You have to do something for yourself that gives you that breath of fresh air, something that makes you think, ‘I feel good. I can go out and do good, help people. We’re helping create that, and in creating that, it makes me feel good and gives me fulfillment.” She adds, “We get some patients that really need this. They look forward to coming here, no matter their individual circumstances. Knowing that we’re helping somebody get through the week and that we’re providing a moment of peace and escape from the daily chaos is an amazing feeling. Even when my employees come in the door, I’m always like, ‘You guys, today’s going to be a beautiful day.’ I just constantly try to set the tone and make sure that everybody is in the right frame of mind. We have to feel good in order for our patients to feel good because it really does go full circle. Ultimately, all of that leads back to the patient being happy and the fulfillment you get knowing that you’re helping somebody.”
Things to Come
With their impressive list of celebrity clientele, Moguel sees them eventually opening another location in New York but is in no rush to grow too fast too soon. “You have to remember to be humble and to have gratitude. It’s when you lead with greed that everything falls apart. I don’t want to expand too quickly and lose our spark here. We want every patient to feel that little spark of happiness they feel when they come to us,” she explains.
Moguel leaves other medical aesthetics and medspa professionals, whether already owners or aspiring medspa or aesthetic practice owners, this advice, “Ultimately, I think it’s important that we remember to support each other, and that nobody’s in competition with one another. You don’t want to compare yourself to others because it’s not the same experience, the same tools, the same clinicians and it’s not the same service. Don’t pay heed to the outside noise. Just stay focused, do good work and have good intentions and that’s what’s going to build your business.” 
