When Anne-Marie de Spa embarked on her journey to train as a professional aesthetician 54 years ago, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her professional life and it’s this unwavering commitment and passion for the Industry that defines the legacy she has crafted for herself and for those around her.
The year was 1964, Anne-Marie had just completed two years of rigorous training to graduate from the Lise Loriot School for Aesthetics in Brussels and upon returning to her family’s adopted home of Christchurch, she eagerly set about to establish herself in her newly qualified trade.
Keep in mind that New Zealand was a very different place in the 1960’s. Establishing a new business was fraught with challenges, let alone in an industry that simply
did not exist in New Zealand at
that time.
Anne-Marie talks of the two biggest hurdles that she would have to overcome, ‘where to practise’ and more significantly, ‘sourcing product’.
Initially Anne-Marie began practising under the name of Venus Beauty Institute, out of her parents’ home, which although was convenient, was hampered by the fact she could not advertise due to the residential zoning restrictions. So, in 1966 she took a leap of faith and moved to the recently built Recreation Centre at the Christchurch Airport, renaming the business to what it still carries today, Jouvence Beauty Institute.
The toughest barrier however, was in fact sourcing professional products in order to perform her treatments for her growing and devoted clientele.
Highly prohibitive import restrictions were extremely limiting and frustrating. She recalls being capped at just 200 pounds per year, which required some lateral thinking, something Anne-Marie became very good at in those early years.
To make the most of her limited licence, she would import Lydia Dianow products out of Switzerland in two phases; a water and oil state.
From here Anne-Marie would complete the formulation phase by mixing the ingredients from her home and packaging them herself which, although labour intensive, provided her with enough product to sell to her adoring clients.
While Anne-Marie was the only one practising at the time in the South Island, a handful of Trained Therapists were establishing their own clienteles in the North Island.
Common cause would bring these five pioneer women together, and on the 4th of November 1970, Anne-Marie was part of the founding Members of the New Zealand Association for Professional Aestheticians, what we know as the NZ Beauty Therapy Association.
Their aim was simple, to become affiliated with CIDESCO and to establish a CIDESCO accredited Training school and create a network where members could collaborate to foster growth and support for one another.
Anne-Marie recounts, Joyce Blok as being instrumental and ultimately paving the way for the first School in NZ, she would also go on to create the successful Joyce Blok professional range of products.
In 1988, New Zealand underwent a raft of major changes to the importation licences, opening the way for Anne-Marie and others to finally source established professional ranges from abroad.
Wasting no time, she departed on an exhaustive tour of Europe to find a professional range she could begin working with, not just in Jouvence, but for the proliferating number of therapists eager for quality products.
On that trip, she met with Mr Bernard Mas, the owner of the Sothys Group (a product Anne-Marie had worked with in Brussels and admired greatly). She was in awe of what Mr Mas had created and what the product offered.
She knew instantly this was the perfect match for her and was granted the exclusive country agency to represent Sothys in late 1988, which would begin a 30-year (and counting) partnership with Sothys and the Mas family, a relationship she treasures as one of the most rewarding highlights of her career.
By 1973, Jouvence had outgrown its home at the Recreation Centre and the search was on for a larger and longer-term location. After a frustrating search of the city, Anne-Marie and husband Colin found a quaint little period villa in the leafy streets of Merivale.
51 Holmwood Road would be home to Jouvence for the next 45 years and to this day still stands proud even after all the devastation from the 2011 earthquakes that brought the city to its knees.
In that time ‘she’ has seen many ‘facelifts’ (albeit gentle and considerate ones) as the business has evolved and grown into a business that is not only well known in the local Christchurch area, but in fact throughout the country. This reputation was officially recognised in consecutive years; 07/08 and 09/10 when it was awarded the honour of The Top Spa in New Zealand.
Anne-Marie reflects on what has brought her the most satisfaction in running Jouvence over the last five decades and she says it’s the people, specifically the hundreds of clients she has come to know and the many therapists that have learnt first-hand from Anne-Marie.
Testament to the customer loyalty for Anne-Marie and Jouvence are the long-standing clients, with one in particular who was the very first customer to walk through the doors, and 54 years later is still doing so, which she openly attributes to not just the quality of the treatments but the commitment to customer care and discretion.
It was a thrill for Anne-Marie to see so many of her ‘girls’ both current and from years gone by attend the dinner. This is probably the single greatest reward she takes from Jouvence. “I have had the privilege of working with many therapists at Jouvence over the last 54 years, young women who were beginning out just like me. I see it as a real responsibility to give them an opportunity and to nurture them as they are the future of our industry.”
Further to this, Anne-Marie took great pleasure in announcing that one of her trusted and dedicated former therapists and current Sothys Clinic Owner, Veronica Hardanava, has taken ownership of Jouvence and will proudly carry on the Jouvence name at its gracious location for the years to come.
Although a bitter sweet occasion, one full of nostalgia, this could not be a better outcome as
Anne-Marie signs off on a truly remarkable tenure at Jouvence and in the knowledge that like her all those years ago, Jouvence and her clients are being cared for with the same commitment and dedication.
