The Pampered Peach Wax Bar Offers A Unique Spa Experience

When my husband — Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager — asked me if I would be willing to write a Business Feature story about The Pampered Peach Wax Bar, located next to Dickey’s BBQ on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., I agreed, even though I’ve rarely had my eyebrows and lips waxed and never had my underarms or private area waxed.

I was even happier to take on the assignment when I found out that even though The Pampered Peach specializes in waxing for virtually every area of the body (more on that below), it also offers other services, like amazing facials, all of which use only the finest organic products from Farmhouse Fresh for all of its services.

“We chose Farmhouse Fresh because the products are amazing,” says manager and licensed cosmetologist Amanda Gonzalez. “They’ve been recommended by Oprah (as well as actresses like Lisa Kudrow, Marlee Matlin and country music star Reba McEntire) and The Pampered Peach founder Jessica Kustron is now using Farmhouse Fresh products at both her corporate-owned and franchise locations.”

So, even though I didn’t end up having any waxing services performed, I do feel that I got a wonderful, full spa experience at The Pampered Peach when my aesthetician Nikki gave me the most relaxing deep-cleansing facial (called the “Glow Your Age” mini- or full facial) I’ve ever received. 

First of all, The Pampered Peach of Wesley Chapel, which currently is one of only six locations (five in Florida and one in Long Island, NY; the Wesley Chapel location is owned by C&S Waxing LLC, a partnership between Jonathan Smith, Anthony Cintron and Michael Grande), has more of a salon feel than most sterile-feeling med-spas — even though it is immaculately clean — with soft peach walls accented in green, black and white, and with fun music playing in the lobby area, and more soothing spa music playing in the facial treatment room, all of which provides a perfectly inviting atmosphere for whatever service you choose.

“We fell in love with the name, the branding and the organic experience,” Jonathan says, adding that they’ve been so happy about how the business has been going that they’ve committed to opening four more locations in the area this year. “And, with Amanda’s five years of experience in the waxing business and her ‘angel hands,’ we knew she could bring a high level of expertise to an already-great business model.”

Nikki and Amanda offer outstanding waxing and facial services at The Pampered Peach Wax Bar on BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)

For example, Amanda adds, “I have learned how to do — and teach — proper self-care after a waxing procedure, which eliminates the razor burn and ingrown hairs associated with shaving. Plus, it lasts for weeks, instead of just a day or two.”

Amanda also says that the core values at the Wesley Chapel location are to deliver effective and painless wax services in a cozy, fun environment. “Our wax techniques using the best all-natural, organic and vegan products to give our guests an amazing, smooth result.”

There definitely are differences between The Pampered Peach and other companies in the industry. “We offer three types of patented waxes — hard, soft and sugar — while most others only offer hard and soft waxes,” Amanda says. 

Not  For Women Only

All of the pricing for the huge variety of waxing services available at The Pampered Peach is on display on the wall when you walk in. Services include ingrown hair treatments, pre-wax numbing, v-steam “vajafacials,” full-body wax, services for specific areas of the body (everything from bikini to stomach), as well as facial wax services for everything from brow laminations and cheeks to nose and sideburns.

Amanda says that even though women still make up the majority of their clients, more and more men are utliizing waxing services for their chest, back, shoulders and even full body. There’s even a “Manzilian” wax service offered. 

I have to admit that even though I was apprehensive, even nervous, about starting a waxing regime, after enjoying my facial so much and being educated by Amanda and Nikki about how their waxing services work and how much healthier they are for my skin, I’m actually considering giving it a try.

And, I’m not alone in raving about The Pampered Peach of Wesley Chapel. At our press time, even though the location has only been open three+ months, all 31 Google reviews are five stars and a client named Stefanie who happened to visit the same day I did said she usually goes to the South Tampa location but that both locations are better than anyplace else. She was so happy with her painless bikini wax that she decided to also get her eyebrows done. 

The Pampered Peach’s menu of services also gives you pricing for one-time services for guests and “drop-ins,” VIP Monthly Memberships and VIP Annual Memberships. Among the current specials are a first-time Brazilian for only $19, 20% off all first-time facial clients, and unlimited Brazilian waxing for just $49 per month.

The Pampered Peach Wax Bar’s Wesley Chapel location (2653 BBD Blvd., Suite 102) is open Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sun. It is closed Monday. For more info, call (727) FL-PEACH (357-3224) or visit PamperedPeachWC.com.  

It’s Official: Vanzant Will Replace Tonelli

Long-time Wharton High boys basketball coach Tommy Tonelli (left) is stepping down and former Wharton star Shawn Vanzant (pictured here with daughter Lena) is taking over.  

Shawn Vanzant is coming home.

It took a little cajoling, but the former Wharton star and 2007 graduate has officially been named as the Wildcats next boys basketball coach.

“I’m very excited,” Vanzant told the Neighborhood News. “I can’t wait to get to Wharton and get a full head of steam going. I’m excited to get back home.“

Vanzant, 33, who has coached the boys team at Bloomingdale the past four seasons, will replace Tommy Tonelli, who announced that he was retiring from coaching after Wharton advanced to the Class 6A final four this past season for just the second time in school history.

Tonelli has always praised Vanzant’s coaching acumen, long predicting that his former player would someday become one of the top high school coaches in the area if a college job didn’t come along first.

“I couldn’t be more excited and proud that he will be the basketball coach at Wharton,” said Tonelli, who will continue in his role as a guidance counselor at the school.

It was a recent dinner with Tonelli, and a phone call with a former college teammate, that eventually persuaded Vanzant to take the job after he had declined previous overtures.

“Anybody who knows me knows I don’t like anything being given to me,” Vanzant says. “I felt like I’ve been building something great here at Bloomingdale, and Wharton was really what coach Tonelli had built. I wanted to do that same thing at Bloomingdale.”

But Matt Howard, a teammate at Butler where the duo helped lead the Bulldogs to consecutive NCAA championship games in 2010 and 2011, helped Vanzant look at it differently.

“He said, ‘I get what you are saying, but at the same time sustaining something that great is a big challenge,’” Vanzant said. “He helped me see the other side of it. Wharton’s never had a losing season. I’ve been a part of building that, and I know I can keep that going.”

Vanzant, who has known Tonelli since he was nine-years-old and would show up on weeknights and weekends at Wharton for pick-up games, coached Bloomingdale to a 3-21 record his first season as a head coach in 2018-19, but the team has averaged 14 wins over the last three seasons and went 17-12 — and won a District championship for the first time since 2016 — this past season.

Having played for two ultra-successful coaches in Tonelli and Butler’s Brad Stevens, Vanzant, who is married with two young daughters, says he has incorporated both men’s styles into his own.

“My coaching style is very similar,” he says. “Offense is easy, you compete and win on defense, and I expect you to compete at a very very high level. And you play for one another. It’s we over me, that’s something we always said at Butler.”

Vanzant acknowledges he has big shoes to fill.

Although no official records are kept, Tonelli is leaving the coaching ranks as the all-time wins leader for Hillsborough County public schools. Since building the program from scratch when Wharton opened in 1997, Tonelli never had a losing season and finished with 528 victories and just 137 losses in 23 seasons — for a sparkling .794 career winning percentage. 

Tonelli picked up his 500th win on Dec. 7 against Chamberlain. On Jan. 28, he won his 517th game against Vanzant’s Bloomingdale team, passing former Chamberlain legend Doug Aplin to take the “unofficial” No. 1  spot.

William Bethel, who coached at Middleton in the segregation era, was 551-88 in the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association (at the time, the FHSAA of all-black schools). The Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association annually awards the William Bethel Award to the county coach who has gotten the most out of his team, an award Tonelli has won more than once.

Tonelli, 57, says the demands of coaching have made balancing two jobs too cumbersome and overwhelming. He had been contemplating retirement since last season, worn down by the demands and difficulties during the pandemic, but wanted to let the dust settle before deciding to actually retire. 

“I didn’t want the frustration caused by Covid to be something that chased me out of coaching,” Tonelli said. 

As it turns out, it wasn’t Covid.

It was just time.

When the dust did settle, it revealed one of Tonelli’s most successful seasons ever. The Wildcats were 28-3 and won the school’s 12th District title, its second Regional title and advanced to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 6A finals, where it lost to eventual champion Stuart Martin County.

In typical Wharton fashion, the Wildcats overachieved this year and rode an opportunistic offense and gritty defense to a better finish than most expected. Tonelli called it a “dream season.” 

In perhaps Tonelli’s most impressive accomplishment, it marked the 17th straight season that the Wildcats won at least 20 games, a testament to his practice regimen and game preparation.

“Coach always had us prepared,” says forward Trevor Dyson. “We worked harder than almost everybody. We were always ready. Coach always made sure of that.”

Tonelli, a former Chicago high school star and University of South Florida point guard, says he still feels he has something to give as a coach, and said he would “never say never” to a return to the sidelines one day, if the right situation comes along.

“But right now, I’m done,” he says.