DIVINE Magtoto used to be a restaurateur running Trellis and Vines Restaurant for 10 years. At its peak, it had four branches across the City, with Divine running the day-to-day operations.
"I wanted to have a break from the stresses of having a resto business," said Divine who was once trained to be a chef.
And since she was a registered nurse, Divine thought of venturing out into aesthetics (or esthetics).
"I have always loved to make people look and feel beautiful," she said of her dream to go into the business of aesthetics.
With it she put the Trellis on assume, fortunately a family friend bought the business and Divine took the step forward of pursuing her dream alongside her sister Mitzi.
"I studied esthetics and took a board exam in beauty and wellness.. i got my international license and decided to build my own spa. Together with my sister Mitz who is an interior designer and RN also. We conceptualized how it would look like over coffee or wine," Divine recalled the start of BodyTalk Medical Spa.
The 31-year old Divine had to leave Davao for a year and train as a aesthetician at the La Manille school of Esthetics and Wellness, she reviewed and took the examinations for ITEC or the International Therapy Examination Council.
ITEC is an international quality certification board for different specializations such as beauty and art therapy.
Divine and Mitz conceptualized Body Talk as an oasis in the bustling city where clients get to be pampered and relax in its environs. Divine prides that her staff are all Registered Nurses plus they have a dermatologist (Dr. Laiza Chu) who holds a clinic schedule in the spa.
The spa offers various beauty and aesthetic services such as facials and peels, weight management, IPL Hair Removal, non-surgical contouring treatments, non-surgical facelifts, photodynamic therapy and non-ablative fractional laser.
The site of Body Talk Medical Spa is the former Casa Maria Inn at Ecowest Drive (just beside SM Ecoland). The rooms of the Inn were converted into different sections of the spa; massage rooms, facial room and a treatment room.
Divine says that there is a growing market for aesthetics here in Davao. "People are getting conscious with their health and physical appearance."
The two sisters with their entrepreneurial streak will soon be opening Axxess School of Aesthetics and Wellness. Divine said the school will partner up with Body Talk as facialists will soon need to have licenses.
Divine is hopeful that people will discover Body Talk, a few weeks after it opened, the spa had seen a steady stream of clients and repeat customers.