Touch Nail Spa Celebrates Its 5-Year Anniversary In Wesley Chapel!

Treat yourself to a royal experience in Touch Nail Spa’s queen-like thrones and wide variety of services provided by a friendly staff at either the Hunter’s Lake location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. or in Wesley Chapel on S.R. 56. (Photos: Charmaine George)

Tomorrow, Touch Nail Spa on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a special event. The first 50 people at the Wesley Chapel location (not available at the New Tampa spa) when it opens at 11 a.m. will receive a free “Simple Touch” pedicure (a $27 value). Simple Touch is the spa’s basic pedicure that includes nail trimming, shaping and buffing, cuticle grooming, callus treatment, pineapple sugar scrub, hot towel wrap, lotion massage and polish with one of Touch Nail Spa’s 1,700 colors.

The husband-and-wife team of Timmy Pham and Tiffany Ha opened Wesley Chapel’s Touch Nail Spa in 2017. At that time, the Wesley Chapel location was 3,200 square feet, but the spacious, clean salon with great customer service soon saw a need to expand. Now, at 5,000 sq. ft., it is the largest nail salon in Wesley Chapel.

Timmy and Tiffany expanded their business again in December 2020 by opening the second Touch Nail Spa location in The Village at Hunter’s Lake, near Sprouts Farmers Market off Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

The pair is excited that later this spring, they will be launching yet another new location in the Odessa/Trinity area. That Touch Nail Spa is expected to open in mid-April.

The two current Touch Nail Spa salons both offer high ceilings for better ventilation, rows of comfortable leather pedicure chairs, plenty of manicure stations and a complimentary beverage with any manicure, pedicure or other services, including eyelash extensions, waxing, facials and massage. Complimentary beverages include bottled water, soda, or a glass of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, moscato or sangria, served in a chilled glass (wine is for adults age 21 and older with proper identification, of course). 

While Timmy tells us social distancing is no longer required, the staff will gladly accommodate anyone who asks to be seated more than six feet away from others. For manicures, plexiglass partitions separate the technicians from their customers, with enough room on the bottom to slide your hands through.

“We want people to be comfortable,” Timmy says, explaining that while CDC guidelines have relaxed and many customers are no longer seeking social distancing, the salon still follows strict health and safety procedures to be sure all areas are always clean and disinfected. While this cleanliness has always been part of the Touch Nail Spa experience, it has been especially emphasized during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The most important thing people are looking for right now is that everything is clean and sanitized,” Timmy says.

The salon’s cleanliness and bright atmosphere is one of the reasons it has been so popular since it opened five years ago.

In addition to the Simple Touch Pedicure, Touch Nail Spa offers other services with an even more spa-like experience, including a variety of “Hot Touch” and “Organic Touch” pedicures, ranging from $47 to $62. These include a hot stone massage for your legs and feet, plus your additional treatments, such as specialized exfoliation for the bottom of your feet and a mask for your legs and heels. Timmy says the Orange Burst and Milk & Honey pedicures are among the services most requested by customers because of the excellent results they provide in leaving feet feeling soft and smooth.

Whether you prefer a simple mani/pedi to keep your fingers and toes neat and polished, or are looking for the perfect technician to provide the latest trend in nail shapes and designs, the experts at Touch Nail Spa can help. 

At both locations, Touch Nail Spa offers dipping power, acrylic nails and all kinds of nail designs. French manicures and gel polish (which lasts longer than regular polish) are available.  The color choices are seemingly limitless. Touch Nail Spa carries roughly 1,700 colors, available in both regular polish and gel. For those who prefer dipping powders, which add a layer to your nails that is as strong as acrylic but healthier for your nails, there are 2,000 choices.

While Timmy says the pandemic has been difficult for the entire industry and has increased his costs, the prices at Touch Nail Spa have remained the same.

“We also haven’t cut the quality because of the economy,” Timmy says. “Everything is more expensive now and a lot of salons have had to increase their prices, but we haven’t done that. We have kept the prices the same, but also kept the quality of our products the same or better.”

Touch Nail Spa’s Customer Rewards Program helps keep the services even more affordable. Upon arrival at either salon, customers sign in on one of Touch Nail Spa’s iPads. There, you register for your free membership and start earning points. Members receive 1 point for every dollar spent. When you reach 500 points, you receive $25 off any a pedicure service. 

Touch Nail Spa also offers discounted prices for children age 11 and younger.

Both locations have plenty of technicians waiting to serve you, and Timmy promises that the customer service experience will always be top-notch. The Wesley Chapel Touch Nail Spa has 48 employees, while the slightly smaller New Tampa salon currently has 32 employees and Timmy is looking to hire a full-time receptionist for that location. Please call either location if you would like to apply.

Touch Nail Spa also now has e-gift cards available for all occasions that can be used at both locations. They are available for purchase at the spa’s website, TouchNail AndSpa.com.

Appointments are welcome if you want a service with a specific nail technician. For services with any available technician, please just walk in.

The Wesley Chapel (27233 S.R. 56) and New Tampa (8630 Hunter’s Village Rd.) Touch Nail Spas are both open Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sun. To make an appointment with a specific nail technician or for more information about the Wesley Chapel location, call (813) 973-4111. For the New Tampa location, call (813) 536-1003.

Murtha & Murtha, LLC, Takes The Confusion Out Of Tax Season

It seems like taxes get more complicated every year, and the Covid-19 pandemic has caused more confusion than ever.

Patrick Murtha, the managing partner of the accounting firm of Murtha & Murtha, LLC, says, “There is an abundance of changes the IRS is sending our way.”

Patrick, his father Tom, and Kyle Flischel run Murtha & Murtha in the Seven Oaks Professional Park off S.R. 56 (across from Sam’s Club) in Wesley Chapel. 

While Kyle has served as the firm’s long-time senior accountant, he recently became a full managing partner of the business. The trio has more than 60 years of combined experience in handling taxes on behalf of their accounting clients.

One of the biggest changes parents will see on their taxes this year is in the child tax credit. In past years, people have gotten a credit on their annual taxes — and often a refund — for each child in their care, but this year, that money has already been paid to those parents in quarterly payments.

“People are used to getting that refunded,” Patrick says, “but it won’t be like that this year because they already got it.”

While that may cause confusion — and some people may be upset that they won’t get as large a refund as they are used to, or may end up owing money —Murtha & Murtha promises that if you have the firm prepare your taxes, you will always understand the issues and exactly why you owe what you owe.

“It’s really important for us to understand every single thing that goes on the tax return so we are able to make sure our clients understand it, too,” he says. “Some just say, ‘Tell me what I owe,’ but others want to know why they owe, so we make sure they understand exactly what happened and why, and what we can do to make sure future outcomes are not that way.”

Patrick says people are still dealing with stimulus issues, too. But, whatever your situation, the accountants at Murtha & Murtha are up to date on all of the tax code changes and can help you file your taxes easily and correctly.

“We’re experts, we’re prepared and we’re well-learned,” Patrick says, “so we’re able to confidently handle all of that.”

Bobbie Smith is a small business owner who came to Murtha & Murtha a couple of years ago when she needed help with taxes, both business and personal.

As the owner of the Wesley Chapel-based Interior Design By Bobbie, she lives in Meadow Pointe III.

“They do everything for me,” she says, “I am so impressed with them, their knowledge, their expertise, and their response back to me. Every time I have a question, they are quick to reply to me.”

Patrick says that’s intentional. He says communication is the top priority at Murtha & Murtha, and while mistakes can sometimes happen because of human error, not returning a client phone call in a timely manner is “unforgiveable.”

And, he says, while some tax firms have a strategy where CPAs meet with clients face-to-face but hire seasonal tax preparers to actually complete the client’s tax forms, that’s not how Murtha & Murtha does it.

“Whoever you meet with is who is going to actually be doing your tax return,” he explains. “If I meet with you and learn about your situation and tax circumstances, I’m going to remember that and it will play a role in making sure I remember to catch things. That doesn’t translate.”

Tax season is Murtha & Murtha’s busiest time of year, but it’s just part of the services the firm provides.

Patrick says Murtha & Murtha’s “CFO Retainer Package” continues to attract new clients. With this package, the firm helps businesses and people who are self-employed do monthly accounting and bookkeeping, but also helps with budgeting, and act when clients have questions about tax planning, mitigating tax bills, or about offering health insurance or retirement plans, for example.

“It’s almost as if you hired a CFO (Chief Financial Officer), but you’re not paying a six-figure salary,” explains Patrick. “We come up with a plan as to how you’re going to grow your business and mitigate your tax bill, so that the tax return should just be a formality. Most people are just looking at their bank account, and it’s impossible to really manage a business effectively that way.”

Patrick understands that most business owners are too busy worrying about their primary business to really step back and look at the big picture, so Murtha & Murtha provides its clients with an extra layer of financial planning and analysis for their business.

Background

Tom Murtha, CPA, earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Management from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 1976, and his M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree in Accounting from St. John’s University in Queens, NY, in 1981. He has been doing mergers, acquisitions and business valuations since the 1990s.

Patrick, who grew up around tax codes at his father’s business, graduated from the University of South Florida in 2009 with B.S. degrees in both Finance and Accounting. He joined his father in opening a firm in Tampa in 2010, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

Meanwhile, Kyle Flischel, CPA, is practically family, having gone to school with Patrick at USF.  

The Murthas merged with another accounting office in Zephyrhills a couple of years ago, and that location is now called Henson & Murtha, CPAs. It is located at 5315 8th Ave.

Murtha & Murtha, LLC, is located at 2236 Ashley Oaks Cir., Suite 101. For more information, visit TampaTaxFirm.com or to schedule a free consultation, call (813) 991-1120.

Award-Winning High School Artists Featured In Local Exhibit

Submissions by 11 New Tampa teenagers were chosen as award winners in the 2022 Hillsborough Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Exhibition. Of more than 1,200 entries, judges chose 231 art awards and 95 writing awards.

Wharton High senior Brianna Lee picked up three photography awards, including Three Bodies (right) being chosen as one of just five American Visions Nominees. The nominees are chosen from among all Gold Key winners, and one of the five will be selected the overall winner by a national panel. Brianna won a second Gold Key award for Caked On Disguise, and Faultless was chosen as a Silver Key winner.

Brianna describes their artwork as inspired by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, lust and beauty. 

“There are only two models in this picture: one model with a beautiful full figure with well-defined curves and the other with a tall, slim frame,” she says. “By overlapping the two photos of the two different body types creates a semi-distorted, unusually small body in the middle. This is also another body type that some people strive to change themselves to. I hope this work can show that there really is no perfect body type and that it will constantly change time and time again, and no one should feel the need to change along with it.”

Gold Key winners will be submitted to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in New York City, where they could be selected as national winners and recognized in a ceremony this summer.

Several other Wharton students also were recognized:

• Sabrina Valencia won a Gold Key award for the digital art piece Body Water, which also won a Judges’ Award, and a Silver Key award for Dyssoconnected.

  • The Vulnerability of Black Men by Terance Eady
  • We Eat the Mushroom The Mushroom Eats Us by TAylor Vanderpuyl

• Taylor Vanderpuyl won a Gold Key award for the photograph We Eat the Mushroom The Mushroom Eats Us which also won a Judges’ Award, and an Honorable Mention for Megan. 

• Terance Eady won a Gold Key award for the photograph The Vulnerability of Black Men. 

Honorable Mentions were awarded to Isabella Ancheta for the photograph Reflections and to Pranshu Modi for the painting Tokyo. 

These students are all taught by Wharton art teacher Curt Steckel.

Honorable Mentions also were awarded to Benito Middle School students in the drawing and illustration category. 

• Ananya Dongre won for The one who makes me smile and Frances McKoen won for Medieval Battle.

These students are taught by art teacher Cheyenne Causby.

Freedom High had three writing award winners, all taught by English teacher Robert Counts. 

Frankie Vilsaint won a Silver Key award for his dramatic script The Egg Thief. 

In the science fiction and fantasy category, two students were awarded an Honorable Mention, Haileigh Mereness for Beating Hearts and Jayden Mujica for Dark World. 

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, established in 1923, is the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the United States and claims to be the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers. Previous winners include Stephen King and Andy Warhol.

This is the eighth year that the Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Hillsborough Education Foundation are serving as the regional affiliate for the national award program.

The Hillsborough Region Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards virtual awards ceremony is available online at EducationFoundation.com/2022ScholasticArtandWritingAwards. These and other award-winning works are on display at the University of Tampa’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery (310 North Blvd., Tampa) through Friday, March 25. The gallery is open Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Samantha Taylor Fitness Helps Women Stick With Their Resolutions

Sara (left) an instructor at the Wesley Chapel Samantha Taylor Fitness studio located just north of S.R. 56, demonstrates an exercise during a recent small group class.

When the Covid-19 pandemic forced gyms to close in March of 2020, it took Samantha Taylor Fitness studios just 48 hours to completely pivot their method of delivery so that clients of the private and small-group training studios could continue their workouts virtually.

“We were doing 13 virtual workouts a week within two days,” says Samantha, the CEO who began her career in the fitness industry nearly 30 years ago and launched her own business more than 20 years ago. Today, there are four Bay-area Samantha Taylor Fitness studios — including Wesley Chapel, Land O’Lakes, Carrollwood and Palm Harbor — that have helped more than 7,700 local women lose 54 tons of lbs.

“I can’t go anywhere in public without people stopping me to say, ‘I know who you are,’” says Samantha, who has made numerous appearances on ABC-TV’s Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend” TV show and hosted her own radio show.

The studios have reopened and clients are given many options to work out safely, both in-person or online. “During this difficult time, one thing you don’t want to do is put your health and fitness on the back burner,” says Samantha. “That’s not going to help you reduce your risk.”

She says that the CDC website lists obesity as one of the highest risk factors for not only contracting Covid-19, but also for having increased complications.

“Everyone’s body responds differently, but you have a better chance of it not affecting you as much if you’re healthier and have balanced blood sugar,” Samantha explains. “Statistically, if you’re healthy, even if you do get Covid-19, you’re more likely to get over it easier.”

Samantha says she understands that some people still may be fearful of going to a gym in person and if so, Samantha Taylor Fitness continues to offer virtual options, including recorded workouts that can be followed at home or virtual workouts with a private trainer via Zoom.

But, she’s quick to point out that a study of 2,873 gyms by the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association) analyzed millions of gym check-ins to determine that only 0.002% of the active gym members studied had contracted Covid-19.

“Some people might think gyms are where Covid-19 is spreading, but it’s not true,” says Samantha, in part because people coming to the gym are often not as high-risk (because high-risk people are choosing to stay home) and have stronger immune systems as a result of being generally healthy.

She encourages anyone concerned about coronavirus transmission to visit her website at SamanthaTaylorFitness.com to see a comprehensive list of how the studios have responded to Covid-19 (including the new Omicron variant) — with protocols such as limited class size, social distancing within classes, and sanitizing equipment between each class.

“Samantha Taylor Fitness centers are private studios,” she explains, “not overcrowded gyms. We have plenty of space to spread out in all four of our studios.”

The Wesley Chapel location has its own standalone building off of S.R. 56, near I-75, in the Cypress Ridge Professional Center. Samantha moved the studio there in 2018 from its former location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. The new studio is bigger, with a larger personal training room, specialty rubber floors, and a private, first-floor entrance.

For Women Only!

All of the Samantha Taylor Fitness studios offer a women-only environment where clients can choose personal training in the form of 1-on-1 private training, group training, semi-private personal training or “fitness boot camp” classes. All workouts last just 30 minutes.

Before choosing  between the programs at Samantha Taylor Fitness, a potential client is invited to participate in a body transformation analysis, where you meet with a membership specialist in person, on the phone or via Zoom, to go over the many options available at the fitness studio. But, it’s not just about working out.

“The only way to make lifelong, lasting changes is to learn how to eat,” explains Samantha. “It’s not about being on a diet or starving yourself, but figuring out how to eat in a way that you really enjoy that is simple and maintainable (for you).”

She says people can diet temporarily, but if they don’t learn to eat in a way that’s realistic and sustainable for them, they won’t stick to it.

She adds that the pandemic has led to many people complaining about weight gain, and it hasn’t slowed.

“The ‘Quarantine 15’ has now turned into the ‘Quarantine 20 or 25,’” says Samantha. “If you don’t start making changes in the new year, that could possibly continue to increase, and you’ve increased your risk factors for Covid-19 even more.”

Samantha Taylor Fitness also has licensed dietitian Shannon Barker on staff, who is available to consult with clients. 

A Supportive Community

At Samantha Taylor Fitness, women also find a supportive community, which Samantha says makes it fun and helps women stay on track. 

Samantha and Lynn Smith

At 81 years old, Lynn Smith is a Realtor who doesn’t yet have an eye towards retirement. She has been working out with Samantha for more than a dozen years. When she first started, she had never exercised in her entire life. “I want to live to be 100,” Lynn says, “so I figured I’d better do something about my health.”

Lynn adds that those early days were extremely hard. “I had no muscle strength,” she admits. And, while she wasn’t obese and didn’t have a lot of weight she needed to lose, she says she lost about 10-12 pounds and has kept the weight off. “Samantha taught me the importance of muscle strength.”

She says now it’s easy, and even fun. 

“I go three times a week, and the trainers challenge us every day,” Lynn says. “I look forward to it. The sessions are nonstop for 30 minutes, which is doable for just about anybody.”

Lynn likes that she works out in a very small group and that it’s for women only. “The trainers are very experienced and compassionate,” she says. “They want everyone to be successful.”

She adds, “I’m very proud to be where I am at my age. It’s never too late to start. I encourage anyone reading this to get started at whatever age they are.”

Among the tools to help make women successful at Samantha Taylor Fitness are an integrated accountability program, which gives them direct accountability to their coach through the Samantha Taylor Fitness custom app. 

“Accountability is huge for getting results” Samantha says. “Our clients have to be more accountable to their workouts, how they’re eating, how much water they’re drinking and how their weight loss is going on a more detailed, ongoing basis with their trainer.” 

She adds, “We’ve also added some very effective supplements for those who want to use them, to help expediate their results from a supplement line created by a Ph.D. in biochemistry who previously only provided these supplements for Olympic athletes before making them available to the public.”

STF also offers a 3D body scan machine that takes your measurements digitally once each month and provides more accurate readings of your measurements, body fat and muscle tone.

“It’s not just about weight loss here,” Samantha says. “We focus on how their body shape is changing, not just weight loss,” Samantha says. “So those measurements really help with that.

The studios also offer a variety of payment plans, including new weekly payments and month-to-month options. 

The Wesley Chapel Samantha Taylor Fitness Studio is located is at 26908 Ridgebrook Dr. For Samantha’s free New Year’s goal-setting master class, go to SamanthaTaylorFitness.com/new2022. For more information, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com, call (813) 377-3739.

Dr. Kiran Patel To Open Elementary School On Charter Campus

When Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary School opens this fall, it will complete the campus that currently houses Patel High School for students in grades 9-12 and Terrace Community Middle School for students in grades 6-8.

The 32-acre campus is located on Raulerson Ranch Rd. and is visible from I-75 near E. Fowler Ave, just 15 minutes south of New Tampa.

Patel High opened its doors for the 2019-20 school year and has continued to increase in popularity, with 450 students already signed up with hopes of being chosen by lottery to fill one of the 150 available slots at the school for the 2022-23 school year.

Terrace Community Middle School has been operating for more than 20 years and moved onto the Patel campus at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year in August.

After establishing the high school and working to bring the middle school onto the campus, Dr. Kiran C. Patel has turned his attention to younger students with the latest campus expansion. 

“I think education in the formative years is what will create the future for anybody,” says Dr. Patel, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist who is both the founder and financier of the school. “Here we have an educational institution that focuses on a well-rounded person who has qualities of being a better human being. We don’t just focus on the grade of the school. There’s no question we want students to achieve a high standard of measurable goals, but there’s a lot more to education than that.”

(L.-r.) Co-founder Ashok Bagdy, Dr. Kiran C. Patel and former Chiles Elementary assistant principal Ashley Galfond are the driving forces behind Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary, which opens Aug. 2022.

After initially committing $20 million to launch the high school, Dr. Kiran has spent another $20 million to build the elementary school and has spent an additional $5 million on upgrades to the campus, such as adding a covered outdoor court and restrooms by the sports fields. The Tampa resident’s business enterprises include luxury real estate development, medical software, healthcare solutions and commercial property acquisition and management. The success of these businesses allows him to make impactful contributions on a global scale, which he has done through the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals on three continents. 

“Construction on the elementary school was completed this summer,” says Ash Bagdy, who is a co-founder of the school, along with his wife, Kavita Jain, and Sonali Judd, who is Dr. Patel’s daughter. 

Bagdy explains that the 84,000-sq.-ft. building is L-shaped. The elementary school is housed in one half and the middle school in the other. The two schools are completely separated with no interaction and TCMS remains a completely independent charter school.

Bagdy also says the campus was built with security in mind. Classrooms have key card entries, there are security cameras, a school security officer, and the school can be locked down in an emergency, with “one click to lock all doors.”

About The Elementary School

New Tampa’s Ashley Galfond has been hired as the first-ever principal of Patel Elementary.

Galfond was most recently the assistant principal at Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms. She taught elementary school since her graduation from USF in 1998 until she moved into school administration seven years ago. 

While she says it was not an easy decision to leave Chiles, she is extremely excited about the smaller focus at Patel.

“I like that everything within the organization is focused on the kids of Patel Elementary,” she says. “Here, everyone who has any stake in the school is just focused on our students.”

In fall 2022, the school will open with students in just three grades — kindergarten, first and second grade.

 “Each year, as those children move to the next grade,” Galfond says, “we will add that grade until — four years from now — we will have K through five.”

Patel Elementary will open with a total of 270 students. There will be five classes in each of the three grades.

Each class will be limited to just 18 students. Although the physical size of each of the classrooms was expanded just before construction, it was to allow kids to spread out more for physical distancing because of Covid, not to make space for more kids in each classroom.

The Three ‘Pillars’

Galfond says that faculty members explain to parents and students that there are three crucial “pillars” at Patel Elementary.

“First,” she says, “we will focus on the whole child, including mental, physical and academic health and growth, with great outdoor learning opportunities as well as in the classroom.”

The second pillar, she says, is social emotional learning, which will be woven into the academic curriculum every day. Galfond explains that this includes teaching children to support one another, helping them to learn to express their own opinions and views, and figure out ways to calm themselves when they become upset. She adds that teacher training is a crucial part of the program.

The third pillar, according to Galfond,  is project-based learning.

“It is inquiry-based,” she says. “We start with a question to engage students – something that affects the community in some way — and then, all disciplines are tied in to solve the problem, from reading to science to math.”

Dr. Patel notes that while academic achievement will be emphasized, it is not the only measure of success for the students who attend Patel Elementary.

 “We will have a holistic approach and the goal of producing a student who is going to be an asset to the community,” explains Dr. Patel. “The purpose of education should not be to become a CEO. That should not be the primary goal, but to say that I will be a better human being and leave the earth better than I found it.”

Students Chosen By Lottery

Parents whose students will be entering kindergarten through second grade for the 2022-23 school year and are interested in attending Patel Elementary must apply online at PatelElementary.org. Students are chosen to attend the school through a random lottery process.

 “This is the year with the best chance to get in,” explains Galfond. “It’s the most spots we will ever have.”

Every Tuesday in January, at 6 p.m., the school will host a new applicant Open House where families can meet the principal, with food and drinks provided.

“I am excited that everything materialized,” says Dr. Patel. “It was a big, big endeavor. I am very happy and proud to provide this option to the community.”

Patel Elementary is located at 10739 Raulerson Ranch Rd. in Tampa. To apply online for a spot for the 2022-23 school year, visit PatelElementary.org. For more information, call (813) 444-0660 or see the ad on page 21.