Beauty with Intent at GBY Beauty
You walk in and are immediately greeted by a woman with long dreads — one of those people with a warm smile that you immediately want to be perma BFFs with. You’re there to get your lashes done, but first, she asks you to sit on the plush pink couch. She gives you a black round crystal and you hold it in both hands while she asks you a few questions.
The next thing you know you’re tearfully telling her stories about your ex, your insecurities, your every weakness. She’s listening intently… and then she speaks. BAM! You just got served a piece of life-changing life advice you’ve legit never even thought of before. Counselor, who? Therapy sessions, what?
Afterwards, she lines up an array of essential oils and leaves you with them to smell each one, choosing whichever one(s) speak to you in peace. Once you’ve dabbed lavender and frankincense and peppermint all over your body and ears (is that weird?) she appears again to lead you down the hall where she has you lay on a massage table and proceeds with a reiki session. Again, she asks you trigger questions, and you cry. Again. But somehow you feel better, like you’re gonna be okay… like you really needed this.The relaxing background music changes to pop, and it’s time for the fun part, she says with that smile. She spends the next hour-and-a-half painstakingly applying lashes on your closed lids. It’s so gentle and soothing that you actually fall asleep. When you wake up and look in the mirror you look more refreshed than you’ve looked in years, not to mention those long, thick, caterpillar-looking lashes displayed on each eye. You’re obsessed. You say thank you a trillion times to this beauty spa angel and float out the door, thinking, “Now, THAT is a spa experience!”
Welcome to Mystic Monday’s at GBY Beauty, led by their beauty mage, Taryn Dean. “The service is designed to couple metaphysical healing and wellness around a luxury beauty service,” explains co-founder, Kendra Studdert.“Beauty with intent,” co-founder Courtney Casgraux chimes in.
At GBY Beauty (which stands for “Go Blush Yourself” — a play on words the founders thought perfectly fit the playful vibe of the brand) their aim is to combine healing modalities in order to bring balance into today’s vanity-obsessed culture.
The two friends teamed up in 2013 and combined over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry to create “an inclusive atmosphere where beauty can be fun and not intimidating,” Courtney explains.
Their two locations (one in West Hollywood and one in Silver Lake) offer a vast array of unique services from tooth gems to vegan and organic spray tans to reiki, crystal healing, and aromatherapy. They want their clients to leave feeling beautiful, empowered, and inspired — “part of their tribe,” they laugh. Dedicated to using the most quality ingredients in their services, since opening in 2013 they have become the cool kids on the scene, and a trusted name where all types of people go to get their beauty and healing practices on over and over again. They’ve even become the first beauty brand to offer on-site services at the Twitter headquarters and Nike campus (which may have you second guessing your career choice).
In a city like LA, where health and beauty spas can be full of the stuffy types, GBY Beauty is a refreshing place where everyone is welcome… there are more than enough crystals (and golden tidbits of mystic life advice) for everyone.Lindsay DeLong is the Managing Editor of The Fullest. She’s usually pretty reserved, but put a black crystal ball in her hands, and be prepared for the floodgates to open. (Thanks Taryn!) If she’s not at GBY getting her lashes done, find her on Instagram at @lindizzaster, or email her at lindsay@thefullest.com.
