The “Facial Bar” Model That’s Redefining Routine Skin Care Featuring Michele Henry of FACE FOUNDRIÉ

0:00Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. This is Ekta. I'm super excited about our episode today because we're going to be talking about what goes behind when we're going and getting our facial treatments and the landscape. and how it's changing so much. Face Foundry is an organization that is really kind of changing the game and especially the way that we, I guess, as consumers interact with the world of going and getting our facials, getting our treatments done. I mean, I think it's just becoming more streamlined because of companies like Face Foundry. So without further ado, please welcome Michelle Hendry, who is the founder and CEO of Face Foundry.

0:33Welcome, Michelle. So excited to host you. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yeah, I'm excited to dive in because I would love to learn more about Face Foundry and what made you start the entire company and where did the inspiration come from? If you can kind of walk us down memory lane. Yeah, absolutely. So I'm going to take you back to 2017. I had just had my third child and I was struggling terribly with hormonal acne and I could not get a grasp on it. I spent what felt like years being a frustrated consumer and facials were either too expensive or overly clinical or inconsistent where you never knew what you were walking into.

1:15And I just wanted results and I wanted that education and I wanted efficiency because as I noted, having three kids, I wanted to be able to get in and get out and make sure that that service was solely focused on my face. And I wanted to be able to have that luxury of walk-in availability. And I couldn't find that. I couldn't seem to find that middle ground. And I think that having the results driven affordability in a modern and very repeatable location, I realized the industry itself was definitely overdue and needed this concept, needed this facial bar. So Face Foundry then was my solution.

2:00and really was created out of kind of a need for my own personal experience. Yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense. Actually, you know, the idea of a facial bar for me has always actually been the most logical because for me as a consumer, I know it's always been like a task, right? Going to the facialist and then you wait. In the past, it's been like that, where it's just taking a lot of time. And unfortunately, there were so many, I remember so many months where I was kind of like dreading it because I was like, I don't have the time to spend three hours and get this whole thing done. And it was always like this.

2:35It's like, I know I need to go, but I know I don't have the time. So it's like the whole concept is really, really resonates with me as a consumer. And I know a lot of people can relate to that where it's something that you go and you're, you're able to get things done and you don't have to have those really, really long waiting times. I want to ask you, how was that whole business model etching that out? Did you have to go through a few trial and errors? Walk us through that journey of putting the business idea together. So I will take you back to March 1st, 2019, when we opened. And the original concept had five beds.

3:08And my thought process was, well, maybe there are folks that want to hang out and we'll have an actual bar where it is really a wellness bar. And the idea of taking care of your skin from both the inside and out. So we had a lot of juice shots, things like that. noticed very quickly within the first four days. Nobody wanted to hang out after their service. They didn't want to enjoy juice. The shelf life on juice was incredibly short. And we found that people wanted to come in and truly get this facial experience. So 10 days in, we closed down, we repositioned the layout of the store to accommodate more facial beds and scrap the juice idea and really pivoted very quickly to be able to make sure that we were adapting to exactly what the clients were asking for and what we felt like had real traction within the business.

4:05Yeah, it makes sense. I mean, I think that it really comes down to just giving people accessibility at the end of the day. I think that's the really interesting part about this. A lot of times we focus so much on things like exclusivity and like that prestige experience. I think it gets lost the whole user experience gets lost in all of that a lot of these really really uh high-end spas all over the world I mean don't get me wrong they're beautiful experiences but sometimes you just really need functionality and accessibility so I mean how is that your approach to trying to really build that accessibility in I mean what were some of the hurdles or maybe you can walk us through some of the brainstorm moments that you had when you were trying to really figure out what does true accessibility mean in a space like this?

4:50You touched on it and you hit the nail on the head. The beauty industry has been historically, they've thrived on exclusion. And I wanted the exact opposite. I wanted a place where people could feel welcomed, not judged. We're going to meet you wherever you are in your skincare journey. And ultimately, I wanted a place where I could go in personally and have a monthly membership that was not going to break the bank. I think that is really that approachability that opens the door to frequency for results and to ultimately create a community. And I think that prestige has a ceiling and approachability, in my opinion, scales, especially knowing that the mindset was always that we would franchise this concept.

5:37No, that's, I mean, that's solid. I feel like that is just so much more user-friendly. I won't lie. I think I've had all of my experiences at the really nice resort spas. I mean, they've been great, but it's never been something where I walk away. And I don't know if all of you listening out there can relate to this, but I've never walked away feeling like, oh, my God, my skin is amazing. I just don't need anything anymore. That kind of thing. It's never been like that. And you end up dropping crazy amounts of money. It's five, six hundred dollars for a treatment that's I don't even know what we're doing here.

6:11You know, that kind of thing. So I think that you're really kind of, you're serving such an important piece for consumers because we, for one, nobody has the money. And number two, if you're not seeing the results in your skin, why would you ever go back? Like I never went back to any of those spas and resorts that it was like a one-time thing. I would say I'm very bullish on protocols and what we deliver from a client and customer service experience. And I would say we can go head to head with those experiences where you are paying upwards$500,$600. Our experience is absolutely top notch. We are setting the standard and you will leave with seeing visible results.

6:56That is the goal with our protocols. So I get really excited hearing that because think about having that visible glow once a month. That is huge, that you're going to eventually see results long term and you're taking care of your skin long term. So I think that that's something that was a non-negotiable for me when we were starting this business. Yeah, I mean, I think that's that really has to be the pillar. I want to ask you because I think it really changes the experience you have and the results you see based on the location, the practitioner, where you're at in the moment. How did you kind of reverse engineer Face Foundry to be scalable without sacrificing this personalization aspect?

7:41And we built the system in layers. So our protocols, we guarantee consistency because the goal is right with franchising. You want to make sure that if you go get a service in Sarasota, or Sioux Falls, it needs to be the same. And I think that's where in the industry, what I tapped into and really found is that that consistency was not the case in other concepts I would visit. Even those luxury concepts we just touched on, you leave it to the discretion of the esthetician that's performing the service. They can really get their hands in there and play with different products or tools. And that's where it offers some inconsistency from location to location.

8:24That is not the case for us. So we definitely ground ourselves in very consistent protocols. And I think that what we then do is we pair it with targeted enhancements. So then your esthetician can recommend and create personalization and build off of that. But we lean heavily into tech. We want to make sure that no matter where you go next, we can pull back up exactly what protocol you had, exactly what enhancement you had, and we can continue to build off of that. So I think that's really important. And especially as we franchise, and especially as we grow, we still very much ground ourselves in those core protocols and making sure that we're educating our franchisees and the estheticians to do exactly how the blueprint and playbook is laid out.

9:16That's really interesting that you franchised this model because I feel like that's brilliant, first of all, and also very curious about it. I mean, how did you manage to do that? Because you've, from what I've read, you've sold 60 plus franchise units in just a few years. So how has that been? Walk us through the business side of that. Yeah, actually, my prior concept. So before I started Face Foundry, I had a women's clothing chain. And it was, it was amazing. I learned an absolute ton about customer service and client experiences. And I really wanted to franchise that concept. And it was not the franchise model.

9:56It was not the business to model out franchising. There were too many nuances. We moved through a lot of SKUs. It just wasn't it. But I loved the idea of franchising and providing this blueprint and roadmap to really passionate individuals that wanted to step into a system. So I knew whatever I did next, it was going to be some concept that we could execute from a franchising level. And that's exactly what we did with Face Foundry. So we laid out day one, I knew I wanted to franchise, we were going to lay out all of the process, the protocols, the procedures, everything we were doing from an operational or marketing standpoint, we were capturing all of that data and creating playbooks.

10:38So that was really important, doing that from from day one. And of course, creating that consistency. We currently have 65 locations open in the US. We have 100 that we will close 2026 with. I believe we have commitments on another 158. oh wow that's really impressive well I mean congratulations on your very well-deserved success that's amazing I mean I think that that's the that's really really interesting in beauty because beauty I feel like it's always siloed and I feel like there's a lot of times where things become super viral or like a concept takes off but it's really rare to see something become a way of delivering across the board you know nationally and in different places I mean that's I think we need to see a lot more of that.

11:32The only place I can think of this is like retail stores. It's the only place I've really seen it where obviously there's a Sephora everywhere, there's an Ulta everywhere, but the idea of having like a facial bar that is available to people and you can go and you know that this is the experience I'm going to get. These are the results I can expect. That's huge. And I know that me as a consumer, I really appreciate that because I've always said this on the podcast where I feel like with the skin, we treat it as this vanity thing, but it's health. Skin is our largest organ, as we've said here, ad nauseum.

12:02And we need services and we need businesses that cater to that in the same way that if you were able to go to like your family practitioner, your data would be there, your history would be there, they'd be able to pull that up about you. That's important to have that. So I'm just I'm such a believer in what you're doing. This is awesome. Oh, well, thank you. And you are like, it's like you just read my 2026 roadmap. Our investment in tech is huge. And we're actually launching something I'm so excited to talk about further in March for our seventh birthday. But it's a heavy, heavy use of AI. And it's pairing it with, of course, our app and the tech we have in place to continue to educate our clients and to show how that consistency has paid off and they can see the visible results results then through all of their, you know, as a member, their monthly treatments over the course of two years, you're tracking your skin.

13:00I mean, that is just going to be absolutely amazing to be able to see where you started and listening to what your skin needs and being able to make recommendations as to what then, you know, the path you're going forward. So it's, I'm so excited for, for what we have in store and it's continuing to build off that foundation of, yes, how do we educate? How do we treat our skin? Because you're right, it's our largest organ. So you can do monthly facials all day long. But what is your at home protocol and products look like? What are you eating that might not be right for you that is causing some sort of inflammation or reaction?

13:38There's there's so many levels where we can tap into making sure that holistically, people as a whole are treating their skin and ultimately their bodies the right way. yeah I'm so excited for you this sounds amazing and that sounds absolutely phenomenal I feel like I would I know anybody anybody who takes their skin seriously would invest in that so much faster than like just going to like a random retailer trying to figure out your own skincare routine trying to figure out what's going to work for me at home how can I pair this that's what consumers are doing and it just I feel like having something like this and a location where you can go and you know that you're getting great service but then also that guidance and that holistic approach where they know you and they know what you're going through what your skin's been through over like we'll say it's a year or two years whatever that is for you that's absolutely huge and that also changes the game when it comes to how we make purchasing decisions when it comes to just otc products whether you're going to a walgreens or like an ulta or sephora you're gonna think twice because then you're gonna have that in the back of your mind all the time no i went and had this experience and I was told by a professional, like this, this is where my skin thrives.

14:50These are the parameters under which my skin thrives. And so now all of my purchasing decisions are changing and that's absolutely huge. So I'm just, I'm so excited for you. Oh, I can't wait. I, well, let's, let's link back up in March or maybe February. And I can, I can show you exactly what this tech is going to look like. We're actually doing demos next week. It is going to revolutionize the skincare industry. And I'm really excited to put it in practice in our locations. But it's, it's again, it's rooted in how do we educate our clients the best way possible and meet them wherever they're at on their skincare journey.

15:27That is the whole purpose. So I have a question then, because I feel like I do this a lot. I will go in with like a bag of skincare products. I swear my esthetician hates me because she's always like, you need to stop with this. But how do you guys deal with that? The whole idea in doctor's offices, patients do this too. They'll bring in like a bag of prescriptions. How is that the whole process of here's somebody who's been using say like 15 products and then they come in and do you do like a consultation? How does it work? Absolutely. And we'll make sure that we notate it through the charting process because we want to know what products you have that you're using that might have a really strong active.

16:07We need to know that if you're using a retinol, we want to make sure that we're recommending the correct services or the correct products that will work in unison with that and not against it. So 100%, and I actually think that this goes a little bit on a tangent, but what I'm seeing and what we saw quite a bit in 2025, and I think is going to continue in 2026, is a little bit more of a simplification where we're not seeing a ton of product usage. People are getting really smart and making their products work harder for them. So you've got multifunctional uses of products. One of my favorite products we have has vitamin C, vitamin E, hyaluronic, niacinamide.

16:52It really does check a lot of the boxes. And so we're seeing that that 15 product selection is actually going to get consolidated and condensed to really foundational products. And then less stress on clients, right? You don't have to remember, oh, my gosh, I forgot something in my 15-step routine. It's like, nope, it's a five-step routine, and it's going to work just as well. Yeah, no, that's really, really fascinating. I love that so much. And you are so right about what you said where, yeah, I mean, consumers are expecting their products to just work better for them, work smarter for them. I think that we're now, it's very interesting, right, the space we're in because I feel like biotech has taken center stage in skincare and product development and all that.

17:39And it makes me just wonder because as much biotech as we can incorporate into skincare, that's good and fine. but if you don't know what to do with that biotech you're still not going to see results and I've said this I feel like I've said it before on the podcast and we get a lot of emails about this and I'd love for you to also speak on this because I think a lot of times consumers feel like I feel like now my products have say all these different peptides all these different encapsulated ingredients and I don't need to go see an esthetician anymore I don't need to go get a facial anymore I mean what are your thoughts on that and your messaging for anyone who does feel like this?

18:16Because say they've invested$200 in a new serum and they're like, well, now I'm not going to go get a facial because I feel like this is going to do everything for me. I mean, what would your advice be to that kind of mindset? I have lots of thoughts on that, right? I think if that product has all of those amazing ingredients and it is showing results, 100 % keep using it. That's exciting. And that means it's working with your skin type and it's serving a purpose. But what we're doing at Face Foundry, we're going above and beyond, and it's more of advanced care. And you need to be able to go in and dermaplane and get that, the vellus hairs and the top layer of dead skin off in order for your products to penetrate deeper.

19:01And so I think it's a much more active approach to making sure that then your products work in conjunction with the treatments that you just did. And so whether it's a chemical peel or a hydrafacial, one of my favorites with dermaplaning, you're still very much cleaning out pores, ridding yourself of dead skin. Those are all things that you need to do to make sure that the products that you are investing in actually work and can penetrate deeper. Yeah. No, I love what you said. I completely agree with you. I think that's, and that's why I asked you because that's where I think consumers get lost and they get lost because there's so much over promising going on and it's like kind of nuts it's bonkers because you one serum cannot do for you what a trained professional esthetician can do for you or a professional who understands skin it's just not possible because there's no way and and so I think that's that was like the whole idea was that you know to get this message out there because I a lot of you that are listening I know a lot of you chime in your emails to us where you're like well should I invest this$800 into this skincare system should I do this and usually the answer that you're getting from us is no go see a professional because at the end of the you have to I mean you can't at the end of the day take the entire health of your skin in your own hands and expect it to give you the same results to where what we're talking about here where it's like a monthly subscription you go you get this done monthly, you check in with somebody who knows what they're talking about monthly, and then you kind of cater your skincare around that.

20:36That is the sequence that should be happening. So yeah, I just, I feel very passionately about this. I'm sure you could tell I'm getting very excited. I'm with you. I'm with you. I mean, it has, I would open this up to your listeners. Who here has ever tried to do extractions at home? I'm raising my hand. Yes, of course, we all have tried. And guess what? Nine times out of 10, I end up with a much larger pimple or multiple pimples and it's very inflamed and it ends up scarring. And it's like, oh, why? You can't, you can't do that. A licensed professional, in order to actually extract properly, you have to go to a place that you trust and you have to have those services provided because it's very difficult to execute at home.

21:23Absolutely. Michelle, I cannot tell you how many times I go onto TikTok and I'm like, scared. What kind of recommendation are we looking at today? Yeah. And I'm like, you know, have you seen the DIY side of TikTok skincare? Like it's, it's a scary place. It's a really, really scary place. And they're doing, I feel like, please don't do it. If you haven't done it, I don't want you to, because I feel like it's going to give you nightmares. It gave me nightmares because people are doing things that I'm seriously sitting here and I'm like, why are you buying these? There was a, there's a health announcement that went out, I think the other day about how people are doing at home Botox now and they're buying.

22:05Yeah. It's insane. And they're buying these vials from God knows where they're, they're the shady sellers online and they're buying these peptides, these vials of like Botox and they're doing it at home and it's scary. Yeah. Yeah. This is the PSA right now to everybody listening. Please do not do that. You can paralyze your face. You could hit a nerve. You could damage it permanently for life. I think that there needs to be more public service announcements just around the fact that there's long-term damage that can be done. You have to be careful. Do not do that. 100 % 100 % and that's that's exactly it right because it's it it really worries me when I see consumers do this and you know where it comes from is this unaccessible nature of how the system has been for so long and because people aren't able to go get that$600 treatment done and go the ridiculous ridiculous ones that's where I feel like face foundry is it's really it's filling a space that's been needed to be filled for so long and I I really encourage anybody out there you guys honest to god the amount of money you're spending on these at-home treatments or like whatever garbage that's out here just put it into a subscription for something where you can go in every month I mean why wouldn't you do that that's more it's obviously more safe but it's also more efficacious for you at the end of the day so our memberships they're anywhere between 79 to 99 a month.

23:36So like we're talking very approachable. And I think that's something having transparent pricing that was also in this industry, I feel like that's not commonplace. And I found that really surprising coming from a retail background, that transparent pricing and that approachability. When I say approachable, I truly mean it. So I agree, leave it to a professional, sign up for membership and definitely just let it's also a chance to take 40 minutes to your for yourself yeah when do we get 40 minutes of just relaxing oftentimes you don't and so I think that's the other component and we're really tapping into the wellness side but I think that is a call out I would make well on that note though I really like that I want to dive a little deeper into that component I'm so glad you brought it up is this whole emotional side of beauty because I feel like no one really discusses it anymore.

24:29I feel like people used to more before, but nowadays it's so, so tech driven and all this stuff. But what are your thoughts on and how do you guys actually deal with this in terms of managing patient expectations, managing the emotional side of results and what to expect and what not to expect? What is that process like for anybody that comes I think, first of all, I want to call out our design of the store is very, very thoughtful and very welcoming. And I think it starts there. And obviously our branding and social media, we really try to showcase exactly what it's like, because there are people like you and I that love, we love facial services.

25:11But there are quite a few people that step in and they've never had a facial before. I've heard time and time again, we've heard from clients, I never thought I could afford a facial. And now I'm a monthly member. So I think that making sure that it's very approachable from an aesthetic standpoint. So it's very calming. We have a signature scent that, trust me, I spent way too many hours trying to perfect. And you come in, it's warm, it's inviting. The staff members are friendly. They want to greet you and meet you where you're at. we often have water, we end the service with a chocolate, and it's all around just, it encapsulates comfort and feeling a sense of warmth and community.

25:56It has to feel welcoming. During the service, we break down, we've got a client journey, right? So we step it out and that helps our estheticians really understand our protocols and break it down. So again, driving home that consistency. That's crucial. But during our client journey, one thing that I would call out in our protocol is we always ask, would you like to take this time to relax? Or would you like me to walk you through the steps? Because it opens that area of opportunity to communicate. If someone is going through something emotional, or they just need time for themselves, they get to navigate how the facial looks for them.

26:38And on the flip side, if it's your first facial and you just want to know what's going on, you have that option to talk and converse. And I think that strikes such a nerve with people that I don't want to overlook. Really, you get to decide because we've all been in that situation where this stemmed from actually, I got a massage when I was nine months pregnant and the woman talked the entire time. And I was thinking to myself, oh, this is going to be my very last moment of peace and quiet before I welcome my first child. I just want 90 minutes to not have a conversation. And that's really where this idea of kind of choosing your own adventure within the facial experience that is rooted in every single facial and every single part of the client journey is making sure that the client navigates how they want to interface.

27:32And I think that really encapsulates like there's a lot of there's an emotional side to it, but then that esthetician really can respect whatever the client's wishes are. Right, right. No, I love that. I love that you have that built in. I mean, I'm definitely the customer that would come in and be like, I'm just going to lay here. I need time. I need time to just be silent. That's, I think, very, very important because, yeah, I mean, our lives are so busy. So when you're getting away for something where it's a treatment and it's you time, yeah, you should have that option of not having to talk to someone and not having to deal with all of the other stuff.

28:10So that's really huge. I love that. On the flip side, I used one of the examples that this always resonates with me and it really does hit me at my core of drives my mission for this concept. But we had a woman in one of our Wisconsin locations. She was battling stage four breast cancer. She was a member. She ended up passing away and her husband came in and said, I just want you to know that coming here every single month was really a safe haven for her. And you think about that, and you realize the impact the estheticians then have on that emotional connection with someone, and you don't know what anyone is going through.

28:57And so I really applaud our estheticians. They are truly, they're so open, they're empathetic, and they're there to listen. So if you do want to talk through stuff, they kind of have this therapeutic scope. And I do want to call that out because I think that's really special in what our service providers offer. I love that. That is such a, it's such a beautiful story. I think that it really kind of showcases how much it is important to have a safe space for everybody. And unfortunately, especially for women, and nobody really, I feel like, discusses this openly enough, not at least from what I see where we don't talk about how much women do in our day-to-day lives.

29:41I mean, especially if you're a mom, especially if you're, you have your career, you have your motherhood, you have all these different things going on. Where is that time for yourself every day? Where is it? A lot of times, I mean, I know I have friends where I literally look at them and I'm like, I worry for you because it's from the minute you wake up in the morning till the second you go to sleep at night, you are taking care of someone else in some capacity. And that's beautiful in a lot of ways, right? I mean, it's a beautiful thing to be a mom and to do all these wonderful things. But where is that time for you where you sit down and you don't have something going on constantly where you can just breathe?

30:20And a lot of times I've gotten this answer and it's sad. A lot of my friends will tell me, well, that five minutes every morning of coffee. That's me time. Yeah. My five minutes of coffee before the kids go crazy. You need more than five minutes. You need a dedicated time. And so something like this, incorporating it into your routine, this is something you can count on. It's permanently etched into your calendar. Okay. I'm going to take this time. Yeah. When I carve out time, cause I get it. I've got four kids. Trust me. I, I get the five minutes in the morning, that coffee, that first sip of coffee where you're like, this is me time.