Life News
Chemist gets beauty down to a science
03/24/04
Kathleen Murphy Colan
Special to The Plain Dealer
Marnita Sandifer was 34 when she got her first-ever pedicure. She didn't just get polished toenails - she had a major "aha" moment, too.
That one pedicure in a small salon in Beachwood was all it took for Sandifer to realize she wanted to change careers, in a big way. She decided to give up teaching college chemistry to become a spa owner.
That was seven years ago. Today, Sandifer co-owns AJ's Millennium Spa in Beachwood with her business partner and constant companion, A.J. Othman.
"I wasn't happy anymore teaching chemistry, and my dream had always been to work with skin-care chemistry," says Sandifer, 41. "And then I listened to the woman giving me the pedicure - she was happy, she loved what she was doing, and she was making money."
Shortly after that memorable pedicure, Sandifer left her teaching position at Kettering University in Flint, Mich., and moved back to her hometown of Cleveland. She quickly signed up for a five-week course to get a nail technician's license.
"My friends thought I was crazy, but I knew if I wanted to learn the spa business, I would have to start at the bottom," says Sandifer.
Othman was skeptical, too, but he knew Sandifer's determination.
"I have no doubt that if she decided to be a mechanic tomorrow, she would be the best mechanic in the city, so I supported her," says Othman, 38.
Sandifer knew from the beginning that she wanted to own a spa and invent her own line of skin-care products using her background in chemistry.
After getting her nail technician's license, she took more classes to become certified as an esthetician to perform facials and other skin-care services.
For two years, she worked two part-time jobs - doing manicures at Mario's in Beachwood and giving facials at Sundance Studios in Brunswick. All the while, she was building a loyal client base. She and Othman began saving up money they would need to open a spa; Sandifer also continued to research and develop her own skin-care line, testing the products on Othman.
In December 2003, she and Othman unveiled the result of years of planning - AJ's Millennium Spa, a 4,800-square-foot space dedicated to "an experience of peace and happiness," as their tag line reads.
When she was deciding on the spa's name, Sandifer was adamant about using the "AJ" as a tribute to Othman.
"He's been there for me through everything," she says.
A homelike atmosphere helps clients relax as soon as they arrive. The lobby resembles a contemporary living room, with eight cream-colored, plush chairs scattered around coffee tables that are topped with an assortment of magazines. Low lighting, sweet-smelling essential oils and hushed voices convey serenity.
The lobby is also where Sandifer sells her extensive line of custom-made skin-care products, a line she calls MarLiz. Prices for the products range from $20 for a cleanser or toner to $96 for a retinol resurfacing complex. Skin-care system packages run from $110 to $230.
Five massage and facial-treatment rooms also exude comfort. The back of the spa houses six manicure stations, six pedicure stations, plants and still more marble-topped coffee tables strewn with magazines.
Surprisingly, Sandifer hasn't hired a small army of technicians. "Right now, I'm concentrating on building a new base of customers before I start hiring," she says.
But with such a large space - including a meeting room for seminars and a full-service kitchen and lounge it's clear that Sandifer and Othman have big dreams.
On Monday nights, they offer seminars featuring guest speakers in the meeting room. Among the upcoming topics are cosmetic dentistry, cardiovascular health and what women need to know about divorce.
"We really do the seminars to make new friends and network with new people while providing education," Othman says.
Sandifer and Othman - both of whom live in Cleveland - say business is growing by 25 percent a month since they opened in December.
First-time customer Laura Salkin, owner of Laura Salkin Bridal in nearby Shaker Heights, loved the manicure and pedicure Sandifer gave her so much that she made appointments for her husband and bought gift certificates for friends.
"Marnita was great - I'll definitely be back," Salkin says.
Clients who crave a dark tan can enter a showerlike stall to get a tan without harmful ultraviolet rays. AJ's Millennium Spa is one of a growing number of spas offering the Magic Tan system - a two-minute, spray-on process that costs about $30 and leaves tanners with a healthy glow for up to 10 days.
"It's so good I could get addicted to it," says another new client, Jill Spira, of the Magic Tan process.
The spa also provides a full range of massage, makeup and waxing services.
"We'll wax everything and anything," Sandifer says.
Sandifer does microdermabrasions and chemical peels herself, using the products she's created.
She says her life's journey - from being a near-dropout at Collinwood High School to getting a doctorate in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University before becoming a spa owner - has left her with a sense of gratitude.
"I keep my transcripts from high school in my desk as a reminder of where I came from," says Sandifer, who says that out of about 250 graduates at her high school, she ranked somewhere in the 240s.
"I'm just so thankful for the opportunities that I've been given and the wonderful people I've met along the way."
Colan is a free-lance writer in Cleveland.
To reach this writer:
features@plaind.com
2004 The Plain Dealer.
Used with permission.
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