SKN BAR Rx: A Modern Medispa
22 Mar 2022
By Jennifer Anderson | Photo by Patrick Manning
Walking into Skn Bar Rx in the former Hayek’s Pharmacy space, you might never guess you had stepped into a building that dates to the turn of the 20th century. The medispa’s minimal, modern aesthetic — natural bamboo panels and counters, cement floor, muted color palette — is both calming and curative. Lighting is soft and flattering, guests are offered fruit-infused water and the feng shui is on point. The business has breathed new life into a local landmark, and its trained practitioners are ready to do the same for your skin.
Owner Susan Haise was credited with changing the landscape of Milwaukee’s beauty industry when she opened the city’s first day spa in 1993. Today, Haise owns five Neroli Salons and two beauty schools, The Institute of Beauty & Wellness in the Third Ward and The Aveda Institute in Madison, Wis.
We love the response from the community, and we are grateful to the men and women who are looking for medically directed skin care services.”
Haise created the Skn Bar Rx brand and medispas (there’s another one in Pewaukee) as a reaction to changing client demographics. Once dominated by older women seeking to minimize signs of aging, today’s medispa clientele comprises women of all ages — and plenty of men, too. Skn Bar Rx offers them a full range of treatments under one roof.
Skn Bar Rx is under the medical direction of a board-certified plastic surgeon and has a staff of four aestheticians and a nurse practitioner. The business offers leading-edge skin analysis, chemical peels, laser aesthetic treatments and hair removal, facials, injectables, dermaplaning and LED light therapy.
Client memberships include discounts on some services, and Skn Bar Rx also offers packages, including one for brides with a series of customized skin treatments leading up to the big day. Consultations are complimentary and treatment plans can be created for any age, skin concern or budget. The business also features a retail space to sell the products used in the treatments.
Haise says she chose to open Skn Bar Rx in Shorewood to attract “an urban, hip and educated consumer who is knowledgeable and/or interested in looking and feeling good.”
While Haise acknowledges the abundance of choices in the medispa marketplace, “the education, comfort and value-added experience is a niche we felt the North Shore consumer would appreciate,” she says. “We love the response from the community, and we are grateful to the men and women who are looking for medically directed skin care services.”
