PHOTO | MAYRA PARRILLA GUERRERO

Janet McCullough is owner of Charlotte Spa and Esthetics, which she launched in 2017.

When Janet McCullough opened Charlotte Spa and Esthetics in 2017, her dream was to help others feel good by teaching them the importance of a good skin routine.

“Skincare is very important. It could make someone have a lack of self-esteem if their skin is not together,” said McCullough, 58.  

However, what makes McCullough’s business different from others is her involvement with the community and her dedication to teaching those going through chemotherapy the dos and don'ts of skin care.

In 2019, McCullough launched a non-profit called Silent Touch Therapy, an initiative she uses to teach cancer patients about skin care.
“I started thinking about how else could I use my skincare,” she said. “So, I started volunteering with the American Cancer Society — the Look Good, Feel Better program — working with cancer patients on how to care for their skin.

“There's a lot for them to learn because their skin becomes compromised. So, it's about training them on the proper moisturizers to use because what they were sensitive to before, they're no longer sensitive.”

McCullough began by volunteering at the Look Good, Feel Better program, a non-medical service program that teaches beauty techniques to people battling cancer, in 2016
McCullough expressed that her drive-in volunteering, in general, came from the influences of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, a Black Greek organization that’s big on volunteerism and community service.

In Look Good, Feel Good, McCullough taught patients the right skin care products to use through events located at the Novant Health Cancer Institute Buddy Kemp Support Center.

“The Look Good and Feel Better program would only allow us to give them so much information, which prompted me to start the nonprofit,” she said, “I knew that these cancer patients still needed the treatment.”

McCullough, who worked as a revenue cycle analyst at Ensemble Health Partners, became passionate about skincare after going through an important period of her life.

“I began aging,” she said. “I started asking the people around me, ‘What are you doing as you age and stuff.’ ‘Oh, nothing.’ Or if it was nothing, they didn't know what to do. So, I thought to myself, ‘Well, self, what are you going to do? Who are you going to go to? Are they going to tell you the truth? How much is it going to cost you? And the type of person I am wanting to look a certain way all the time.’”

Knowing she wanted to provide the answer to those with the same questions, McCullough began the process of becoming an esthetician in 2014. In 2015, she incorporated her business but took a while to officially open it to the public as she was gaining experience working part-time as an esthetician with Charlotte businesses.

After officially opening her spa at Latrobe Drive, McCullough began offering a variety of services ranging from facials and intimate bleaching to chemical peels. Aside from local clients, people from all over come for her unique approach to skin care.

As McCullough continues to expand her business by taking clients ages 13-85, she also focuses on her nonprofit and desire to see it grow in the future.

“It’s about being educated,” she said. “They say if you know better, you’ll do better and knowledge is power. I want to continue in the skincare industry and provide great skin care with optimum results while continuing my community service.”

Comments