The Importance of 'ME' Time

By: Liz Simon, Staff Writer

July 28… We are over halfway through the year. A month ago, I celebrated 76 years of daily wake ups or as some say “trips around the sun."

School will be officially back in session Thursday; I still have that back to school feeling when all things begin anew.

Recently, I visited The House of Skin and Wellness and met with Brandi Semiklose Kirkland (LE ’95). When given the opportunity in January, Brandi prayed, loved, and painted the inside of the business and prepared for the opening of the spa. The House of Skin and Wellness is open Monday through Friday 9:00 to 6:00, and is an escape from the corporate world, the Mama world, and is a place of rejuvenation. There will be a ribbon cutting for this new business on August 8 at 4pm.

I asked Brandi what attracted her to the property located at 1113 Mill Street, located in the historic area of Camden across the street From Camden Bone and Joint. The buildings around her business are zoned for medical purposes. The House of Skin and Wellness building was where Doctor McCorkle’s medical office was for years in Camden.

There are four thousand square feet in her business which Brandi calls the White House (She says she has enough room for an East and West Wing like the famous White House). The remodeling and design of the interior spaces reflects Brandi’s gift of interior design and welcomes one to a relaxing place.

Brandi, and her three full time employees, offer services including facials, brows, lashes, and chemical peels. Soon they will be adding a medical doctor to the staff, allowing them to offer additional services.

Brandi plans to sponsor pop-up events with other new shops in Camden for holidays and back-to-school specials. The first week of August will be Teacher Appreciation Week which will include specials such as Express

Facials and bubbly beverages for $80. Also in August will be a customized jewelry party (with Camden Jewelers) and pop-up Botox Event on August 24th from 5-8PM.

Brandi will also offer an elegant suite for brides to be to prepare for their big day. This suite will also be available for special events.

I booked a deluxe signature facial with one of the estheticians, Misty, and was treated to an hour of exfoliation, cream, oils and detoxed with the most relaxing aroma to help with the bags and sagginess under my eyes. Misty gave me a lymphatic treatment with a jade stone. The bags have not come back under my eyes, and yes, I am taking “my me time.” There will be a demo of a facial on Facebook Live Aug. 31 at 6PM. Guess who our readers will see without make up?

Brandi found her niche at the Darla Moore School of Business and graduated from the University of South Carolina. Brandi and her husband have three boys 24, 23, 15, and one daughter, 18.

Marketing and journalism have always been among her interests from her time at LEHS when she was one of my yearbook editors. Brandi worked in medical sales and direct marketing, before meeting with Debbie Grainger to do some consulting, which eventually led to her pursuing her dream of opening a spa.

I have learned over the course of my fifty plus years of marriage and those of my friends that our other half (men in our lives such as fathers, husbands, sons) do not know how to pick out a gift for that special woman. A customer can walk into this business not knowing what to buy, but will walk out having found the perfect gift certificate for that special person.

I asked Brandi what she enjoyed when she could take a getaway and have time for herself. She is a country girl at heart. She loves the fact that she can sit in a deer stand in the evening and find serenity and peace.

If I had the chance to live my life again, scheduling time for myself would be something I would make sure to do. Be good to yourself and your mental and physical wellness. There is no price tag on the time we all need for ourselves. Come find that time at the House of Skin and Wellness. Reach them at 803.427.9993, or visit them on Facebook.