The Scene Medical Beauty Bar in Toronto is looking to bring more awareness to skincare and to decrease stigma for those who want treatments. The brand has expanded its services to include more wellness options and has the goal of opening 50-60 locations across Canada within the next ten years.
“The brand was developed last year, bringing a new way of skincare and wellness to the industry and we are really trying to innovate it. With our first location opening in October of 2023 and our second location opening in December of 2023, we are still very much in our infantile stage, building and learning lessons along the way. We are very excited to be part of the Greater Toronto Area and beyond and our plan is to expand further out in the city of Toronto, out of the GTA, and eventually across Canada. We also have our eyes on a few international spots as well, so big plans over the next ten years,” says Samantha Foley, founder of The Scene Medical Beauty Bar.
The two openings from last year include one in Leslieville and one in Forest Hill and they offer facial treatments, wellness IVs and shots, injectables, and minimally invasive InMode technology treatments. The brand also offers service stacking for consumers who want multiple services at the same time.
“At our studios you will find open air concepts along with private treatment rooms. Our open air environment allows for you to still enjoy high quality, medical grade skin services, while also getting you in and out and back to your busy lifestyle. The open air beds are kind of like getting your hair done, having a tattoo, or even being at the dentist these days. We really wanted to remove some of those frills, some of that fluff that really ends up driving the price up for the consumer and create something that becomes more accessible.”
Along with the open air concept, consumers can also request a private room for treatments.
Expansion Goals
Currently, Foley says for the brand’s next location, they are looking at the West End as well as in the heart of downtown.
“So we are looking in high traffic areas, where people work or where they live that way consumers are not crossing the city or worrying about parking or things like that. We are hoping for the fourth quarter of this year to open another location and another location in the second quarter of next year.”
Outside of the GTA, Foley said she would like to expand outside of the city and will be looking at high populated cities such as Vancouver, Halifax, and Montreal.
“The goal would be to open out first outside of Ontario location in 2026, so two years from now and that allows us to really built up our brand awareness in the GTA and potentially even with another out of town Ontario location, first being Ottawa, and then from there we would start to move out to Quebec or the Coast.”
Foley says as looking for new locations, she is looking for street entrances as mall locations can be daunting for some consumers. As the brand does not need as much room as a traditional skincare space, Foley says the ideal size would be 1,200 square feet and needs space for both private rooms and the open air concept.
“While we understand that it can be convenient to be in populated areas, we do find that there is still a bit of a downside when it comes to our downtime from our procedures that can be a barrier for some people walking through a populated shopping mall, perhaps a treatment that leaves them looking like they have had work done. People still want the ability to exit and not necessarily be surrounded by people.
Within the next few years, Foley says she is hopeful the brand will have eight locations in the GTA with the ultimate goal of having between 50-60 new locations within the next ten years. Outside of Canada, Foley says she wants to take the brand internationally: “For that, we are definitely looking beyond 2028. But again, we will be looking at highly populated cities in the US where we know that this type of service is quite popular.”
Raising awareness
To educate and destigmatize treatment services, Foley says they offer free consultations and also go out into the community.
“Especially in this day and age with social media, you are getting so many mixed messages about skincare and the treatments. So we are trying to make sure that people are going to trusted sources to get information, as these products can actually be damaging if not used properly. People are also realizing that good skin comes from within, and we are able to provide support in that and educate people on how our services will help.”
Foley says the brand’s ideal consumer is someone who takes their skin seriously, visits monthly, and wants to have the best care in the least amount of time with amazing products, technology, and educated staff members.
“You always get that ‘oh, I don’t want to look fake’ or things like that and in the right hands, you are only going to have your natural beauty or natural skin enhanced – we are not trying to change anyone’s appearance, we are just trying to create true skin health because at the end of the day, skin is our largest organ and we know that taking care of it has benefits.”
