Now Open At Mirada — The Largest Manmade Lagoon In The U.S.!

The Metro Lagoon is Open South of S.R. 52 & Will Host a Grand Opening Celebration the Weekend of June 24-25! 

“I made the call to make sure that Epperson got the potable water to open the first Metro Lagoons amenity in the U.S.,” District 1 Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said proudly at the VIP Lagoon Ribbon Cutting event at the new Metro Lagoons amenity at Mirada on June 2. “And, it’s awesome to be here as we open the largest (Crystal Lagoons¼) amenity in the country right here in Pasco!”

Yes, while Epperson’s 7.5-acre Metro Lagoons amenity was the first in the U.S. when it opened in Wesley Chapel in 2018, the 15-acre lagoon at Mirada, located just north of Wesley Chapel in San Antonio, is now the largest manmade lagoon amenity in the country — and also is now open to the public.

Metro Development VP of Operations Kartik Goyani, Pasco Commissioners Ron Oakley & Jack Mariano, Dan Mitchell of the Pasco Economic Development Council & Metro CEO John Ryan.

There were lots of “oohs” and “aahs” as more than 100 visitors — including Oakley’s fellow Pasco Commissioners Seth Weightman and Jack Mariano, a representative from State Sen. Danny Burgess’ office and Board members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC) — joined most of the team from Metro Development Group, which now has three Metro Lagoons amenities in the Tampa Bay area (the other is at Southshore Bay in Wimauma), with a fourth opening this year in Ft. Myers, and several others planned throughout Central Florida.

Oakley added, “This amenity will be for all of our citizens and visitors and I’m very grateful to have it. It’s also part of the Connected City and I made the motion to approve that, too.”

Metro Lagoons managing director Eric Wahlbeck. 

Oakley was introduced by Metro’s VP of marketing and communications Vaike O’Grady, who quickly ran down some of the stats about Mirada:

“This community is 2,000 acres and will one day have 4,500 homes from six different builders — DR Horton, Lennar, Lennar Active Adult Collection, Biscayne, Maronda and West Bay Homes — with prices from the high $200s to about $1 million,” O’Grady said. “This lagoon amenity includes about a mile of shoreline and is filled with 33 million gallons of water, or about as much as in 2,750 swimming pools. We also brought in 17.2 million pounds of sand, or enough to build four average-sized, two-story homes entirely out of sand.”

O’Grady then introduced Dist. 5 Commissioner and Pasco Board chair Jack Mariano, who noted, “Projects like this are what makes Pasco a premier place. We want to create quality places to live, work and play.” 

Members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber, Pasco County government and the Pasco Economic Development Council were all part of the Mirada Lagoon ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Mariano was followed by Dist. 2 Commissioner Seth Weightman, who said, “What a great and beautiful way to kick off the summer!”

Next, O’Grady introduced NTBC CEO Hope Kennedy, who said, “This is an absolutely wonderful day! We’re proud to have had a seat at the table on this project since, I think, 2012 or 2013, and we have been honored to stand by your side!”

Before multiple ribbons — well, pool buoy lines — were cut (by a saber-wielding pirate), Kennedy was then followed by Metro Lagoons managing director Eric Wahlbeck, who said, “We have had the first and now the largest (lagoon amenity) in the U.S. What’s next? This is a massive project and pretty exciting stuff!”

On With The Festivities!

In addition to the ribbon-cutting pirate, the VIP preview event featured three mermaids, one in a life-sized martini glass (above) one who appeared to be wearing a skirt surrounded by mimosas (above) and another sitting on the side of the lagoon deck.

There also were two gymnasts (top of page) wearing body suits covered in water bubbles who struck some impressive poses while balancing themselves. It looked like the young lady on page 1 was actually swimming in the lagoon (at least to me it did).

There also was a steel drum playing island sounds, the bar was open and serving tasty tropical drinks and a delicious lunch was provided by local favorite Vesh Catering that  featured coconut shrimp, chicken satĂ©s and roast pork.

A Metro staffer told me that there actually are multiple events every week planned and that the total number of planned events at the lagoon will number in the thousands.

The public Grand Opening event for the Mirada lagoon will be held the weekend of June 24-25, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., both days. It will include free carnival rides, games & tasty treats at the “Lagoon Shore,” the Mirada Lagoon Bar will be open and there also will be food trucks, live music, activities and fun. You’ll also be able to meet the Mirada builders under the “Big Top” on the beach.

In other words, even if you’ve already been a regular at the Epperson lagoon, you owe it to yourself and your family to check out the largest manmade Crystal LagoonsÂź amenity in the U.S. 

For free Mirada Lagoon Grand Opening weekend tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reserve-your-spot-tickets-574684235017 or MiradaStayCay.com.

Farina Orthodontic Specialists Celebrates Five Years In Wesley Chapel! 

The friendly staff of Farina Orthodontic Specialists. (All photos by Charmaine George) 

I have known Mark Farina, D.M.D., pretty much since even before he opened his office in Tampa Palms a quarter of a century or so ago. At that time, his only office was on N. Habana Ave. in Tampa (Note-That office has now been moved to South Tampa).

Since then, not only has Dr. Farina opened his third Farina Orthodontic Specialists office on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (just north of the Shops at Wiregrass), he just celebrated his fifth anniversary in that uniquely cube-shaped building with a packed Open House and anniversary party on Apr. 26.

To me, Dr. Farina is more than just an outstanding orthodontist. He’s a most likable guy who did the braces for both of my sons (who consistently receive compliments for their dazzling smiles) and he also has always stayed on the cutting edge of dental technology.

As one example, Farina Orthodontic Specialists may have been the first dental office in our area to offer in-office gaming systems so young patients wouldn’t mind having to wait a few minutes for their appointments. 

And, although both of my sons (just two of Dr. Farina’s more than 10,000 patients), who are now in their 30s, had no choice but to have metal braces, Dr. Farina also was one of the first in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area to embrace Invisalign clear aligners, which have become an industry standard alternative to traditional metal braces. In fact, Dr. Farina is today one of the top Invisalign providers in the Tampa Bay area.

And, Introducing…

At the Open House event, which featured outstanding food and beverages and more than 100 people in attendance, Dr. Farina not only introduced his two new associates — Dr. Undine Davis and Dr. Pedro Franco — he also showed off his favorite new dental “toys,” Remote Dental Monitoring through the Smile Doctors Anywhere network of orthodontists and the full-mouth-scanning device known as the ScanBox (see photo, left, and info below).

“We are really excited about the addition of our two doctors, Dr. Davis and Dr. Franco,” Dr. Farina says. “Dr. Davis comes to us from Stanford University and is a University of Florida graduate in Orthodontics, and Dr. Franco comes from a family of dentists and graduated from the Georgia School of Orthodontics. We are happy to have three doctors here to take care of our patients’ needs.”

If you become a patient of Dr. Farina’s, you could have access to the ScanBox digital imaging device and the remote ScanBox app

In addition, Remote Dental Monitoring provides patients with a portal system that minimizes visits to the office, resulting in less time missed from school and work.

“This cutting-edge AI (artificial intelligence) technology connects the doctors and clinical team to the patients to help answer questions and resolve issues more quickly,” Dr. Farina says. “Patients have access to the portal 24/7 and can also manage things like payments and appointment scheduling through it.”

The ScanBox allows patients to continue their monitoring on the go, from anywhere in the world, and helps remove the “nagging parents” responsibility so kids can be involved in their own orthodontic progression. The system will even let them know if there are spots that need better brushing or flossing.

“We’re very excited about Smile Doctors Anywhere dental monitoring for our patients!,” Dr. Farina says. “It connects them to our office virtually so they’re able to ask questions and send photos, so they are always connected and can reach out to us. This also saves missed time for the parents from work and the kids from school. We are so thrilled to have this technology and to be one of the first to have it in the Tampa Bay area.”

Farina Orthodontic Specialists has three offices, including at 15303 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms and 2370 BBD Blvd., Suite 100, in Wesley Chapel. For more information, including how to get $1,000 off your traditional braces or Invisalign aligners, call (813) 972-2929 or visit FarinaSmiles.com. 

SPOTLIGHT ON: The Original New Tampa Dentists!

Our editor has known almost everyone in this photo —(l.-r.) Dr. Tom Frankfurth, Dr. Rob Taglione, Dr. Mark Farina, Paul Gigante, Dr. Lou Cerillo & Dr. Greg Stepanski — for 25 years or more. (Photo by Charmaine George)

As I said in the story on this and the previous page about Farina Orthodontic Specialists, I have had the privilege of knowing Dr. Mark Farina for nearly 25 years. 

On the other hand, I have known a few of the other gentlemen in the photo above even longer than I have known Dr. Farina. I asked my photographer, Charmaine George, to shoot this picture of the “original dentists of New Tampa” to illustrate not only how long I’ve been serving the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas, but also how many of these folks also have been serving our areas.

In the photo above, I have known Dr. Tom Frankfurth of Sage Dental, Dr. Lou Cerillo of Cerillo Family Dentistry (see ad on pg. 10) and Dr. Greg Stepanski of Children’s Dentistry, as well as local photographer/DJ Paul Gigante of Gigante Productions even longer than I have known Dr. Farina. The three dentists mentioned all began advertising in the Neighborhood News even before Dr. Farina did, and I remember when Gigante, Cerillo and Farina became the three founding members of the New Tampa Italian Club.

The only dentist in the photo that I haven’t known as long is oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Roberto (Rob) Taglione, who also has been practicing in this area for more than 20 years.

Yes, they came out to enjoy Dr. Farina’s party, but to me, it was so meaningful that all of these gentlemen came to support their friend and colleague, just as I did.

Budget Blinds Owners Celebrate Five Years Of Having You Covered!

On May 5, the Wonderlin family celebrated the one-year anniversary of the opening of their “Inspiration Center” at the KRATEs with their Budget Blinds family and members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber. (Photo by Charmaine George)

When Tara Leblanc bought her home in Lexington Oaks, the blinds were old and outdated. She knew she wanted an upgrade, so she called “a bunch of different companies” to come to her home and give her an estimate.

After four consultations, she says it was an easy decision.

“We went with Budget Blinds,” says Tara. “They were absolutely amazing.”

She says she’s “not good with decorating” and notes that her Budget Blinds design consultant made many helpful suggestions. There was great communication throughout the process, and when the installers came out, they were friendly, didn’t make a mess and cleaned up after themselves. Tara was thrilled.

The local franchise of Budget Blinds is owned by Wesley Chapel residents Adriane and Mike Wonderlin, who are marking five years of owning the business, since they purchased it in June 2018. Their territory stretches all the way north to San Antonio and south to Palmetto and includes showrooms on W. Fletcher Ave. (near I-275, two exits south of Wesley Chapel’s S.R. 56 exit) and in Riverview, covering nearly 90 zip codes.

Whether you’re looking for beautiful new drapes (above) or motorized shutters with drapes you can control with your smartphone (next page), the local Budget Blinds franchise has you covered. (Photos provided by Adriane & Mike Wonderlin)

Budget Blinds also has an “inspiration center” at the KRATE container park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel. As people wander through the rows of converted containers to sample food and check out tiny shops, they also can pop into Budget Blinds to see how they might transform their homes with a huge variety of available blinds, shades, shutters and drapes.

A quick visit to Budget Blinds at the KRATEs will allow you to see the many possibilities, with videos of the products in motion on the TVs, consultants available to answer questions about how something functions or how it would look, and education about the different types of window treatments.

The KRATE location has been open since May of 2022, and the Wonderlins had the opportunity to celebrate their innovative shop with a one-year anniversary North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting event on May 5 (photo above).

As the local franchise continues to grow, the Wonderlins also are building a 7,500-square-foot warehouse and design center in Ruskin. When that opens later this year, the existing Riverview showroom will move to that new location.

But, for most people, a trip to one of the showrooms isn’t even necessary.

The Wonderlins employ a team of nearly 40 people, including design associates who come to your home with what Adriane describes as “a ton of samples” to help determine the best look and functionality for window coverings in your home.

There is a variety of styles from which to choose. Blinds come in vinyl, wood, fabric, faux wood and aluminum. Shutters are made from real wood or composite material that will not fade or warp.

If you prefer shades, you can choose from roller, pleated, Roman, cellular, woven wood, bamboo, sheer, solar or graphic, plus a variety of panels, valances and drapes.

The trends they continue to see, Adriane says, include motorization and lots of customers adding draperies.

“The functionality of the shutter is great and the look is classic,” she says. “But now, we’re adding a soft piece of fabric, too. In the 1980s and ‘90s, draperies were everywhere, but in the 2000s, no one did drapes because it looked like ‘your mother’s house.’ But now, it’s back.”

The Appeal Of Motorization

She says that window covering motorization continues to improve, with motors that are nearly completely silent and a trend that continues to make these “smart home” features more affordable. 

Adriane says that for high places you can’t reach, motorization is ideal. It’s also great for businesses to set their timers to automatically open as the business opens, or at home to automate window shades to help kids or teenagers wake up for school in the morning.

With these options, you can use a smartphone, remote, wall switch or even voice command to open or close your window coverings.

What you won’t find at Budget Blinds are outdated blinds that are raised and lowered with cords. A new law was passed to eliminate dangling cords that are known to be harmful to children, because they can get tangled in them.

“In Canada, you can’t sell your house with cords in the window,” explains Mike. “We don’t know if that’s going to follow here in the U.S. But, our sales team continues to educate customers about the laws in the U.S. and why it’s important to replace those window treatments.”

In fact, that’s one reason Tara was impressed with the Budget Blinds consultant who visited her home.

“I’m an ER nurse and I have small children,” she says. “So safety is really important to me.”

She says the consultant was knowledgeable and helpful, and that her understanding of the new law and how to keep her kids safe made Tara feel confident in choosing Budget Blinds.

For her family room, Tara chose a motorized roller shade and smart drapes, safe options that also are incredibly convenient for her. To open and close her window coverings, she just pushes a button on her phone.

Mike says that’s in line with what he and Adriane are seeing across their business. “About 70 percent of our orders have motorization now,” he says.

Tara says Budget Blinds offered the best value of all the companies she evaluated, and her choice was easy once she heard about the company’s warranty, which includes a one-time replacement, no questions asked.

It’s been six months and she hasn’t had any problems, but she says that knowing the warranty is there if she needs it gives her peace of mind.

“I have two boys and two dogs, including a Great Dane,” Tara says, “so somebody’s about to destroy something, I’m sure.”

Budget Blinds was founded in 1992 in Orange County, CA, and today has more than 1,000 franchises in the U.S. and Canada. The Wonderlins’ North Tampa franchise, which they purchased in 2018, was awarded Budget Blinds’ national Franchise of the Year for 2020, which was the franchise’s third such honor since 2016.

To schedule a complimentary in-home consultation, call (813) 968-5050. Visit the KRATE location on Mondays from 2 p.m.-8 p.m.; noon-8 p.m. on Tuesdays-Saturdays; and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, follow @BudgetBlindsofGreaterTampa on Facebook or Instagram or visit BudgetBlinds.com/NorthTampa.

Excellence In Eye Care For Outstanding Eye Care & Convenience!

You can find the friendly staff of Excellence in Eye Care (l.-r.) optometric tech Savannah Leder, Dr. David Scamard, Dr. J. Carson Woolwine & optometric tech Hannah Mammen inside the Costco off S.R. 56 in Lutz. (All photos by Charmaine George)  

Remembering to get your family’s groceries regularly is easy. Remembering to get your eyes checked regularly — maybe not so much.

Thankfully, optometrist David F. Scamard, O.D.’s office, Excellence in Eye Care, LLC, is conveniently located inside the Costco Wholesale store on the south side of S.R. 56 in Lutz, next to the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Dr. Scamard explains that eye exams should never be an oversight (pun intended).

“Many people tell me that they can’t imagine not being able to see, but they forget to go for regular eye exams,” Dr. Scamard says. “Getting your eyes checked regularly is so important for eye health.”

Dr. Scamard has been a practicing optometrist in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area for more than 20 years. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa and received his Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale in 1999. He says that it was during his undergraduate years when he first got exposed to eye care, while working for an optometrist.

“At first, I didn’t know what area [of healthcare] to specialize in, but after working for an optometrist in college, I realized that I enjoyed helping people to be able to see,” he says. “You can feel the instant gratification of patients when you give them new glasses or contacts and you hear them say ‘Wow!’”

Excellence in Eye Care offers comprehensive eye exams and contact lens exams (with dilation included) for patients who need prescriptions for glasses and contacts. Retinal imaging also is available as an alternative to dilation.

“For patients who don’t want or can’t handle dilation, retinal imaging is helpful because we need that view to check the health of their eyes,” says Dr. Scamard. “We offer retinal imaging at a low cost, and patients get to see the inside of their eyes — actually see what the doctor sees.”

He adds, “I recently had a patient with macular degeneration, in the early stages, and I was able to show it to him. [By the process of] autofluorescence, the images show the blood supply underneath the eye. This is not as apparent during a dilation or by the naked eye. Thankfully, we caught it early.”

If you need eye exams specifically for diabetes, glaucoma or to renew your driver’s license, need an exam for eye trauma or pink eye, or need a foreign body removed from your eyes, Excellence in Eye Care can help with that, too.

After working in New Tampa and Lutz for several years and successfully growing his patient base in those communities, Dr. Scamard moved his office into Costco as soon as the wholesale club opened on S.R. 56 more than six years ago. He says that partnering with Costco has been advantageous for many reasons.

“Costco has a great reputation,” he says. “Costco Optical has been historically rated #1 by Consumer Reports as an optical department and offers fair prices and good value for contacts and glasses. I had a lot of established patients who followed me here, but it’s also a growing area, so I get lots of new patients here as well.” 

Excellence in Eye Care and Costco operate independently. You do not need a Costco membership to receive any services at Dr. Scamard’s office. But, if you are a Costco member, Costco Optical will accept prescriptions from Excellence in Eye Care for your glasses and contact lenses.

In 2022, Dr. J. Carson Woolwine joined Excellence in Eye Care as the office’s second optometrist. Also earning his O.D. degree from NSU (in 2016), Dr. Woolwine works 2-3 days a week with Dr. Scamard, which allows the office to be open for expanded hours six days a week.

Young Kids Need Eye Exams, Too 

Children may receive eye screenings at the pediatrician’s office or at school.  But, what parents may not know is that children should be seen by an optometrist regularly too, ideally with the first visit in the first 6-12 months of their lives.

In an interview with Optometric Management magazine published in 2002, former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter shared some truly eye-opening (again, pun intended) stories about two of his eleven grandchildren who needed help with their eyes at a young age. Pres. Carter’s granddaughter Margaret suffered from amblyopia, or lazy eye, which was first suspected at around age 3, but was not properly diagnosed until later when she injured her eye with a butter knife and couldn’t see properly. Early treatment with eye therapy and eye patching corrected the problem.

But, a more serious case of amblyopia occurred with Carter’s grandson Jamie, who, at 8-1/2 years old, had no obvious symptoms and had already passed several eye exams at school. When he ultimately did fail a school eye exam, an optometrist diagnosed him with advanced amblyopia. By that age, the doctor explained that it might be too late to correct Jamie’s eyesight completely, but eye therapy and patching was leading to improvement in his overall vision.

Dr. Scamard, who has specialty experience in pediatrics, is very passionate about early childhood eye exams.

“A lot of parents think that the school is checking their children’s vision, but that’s just a screening,” he says. “Parents have come to me in tears, saying, ‘I’m a terrible parent! How did I not realize this earlier?’ Children’s eyes should be checked within the first year and on a regular basis after that. We offer free comprehensive eye exams for children ages 6-12 months through the InfantSee program, which has been supported by the American Optometric Assn. and by Johnson & Johnson Vision. We were one of the charter members of that program.”

Dr. Scamard says that there are many conditions that childhood eye exams can catch and that catching them early is key.

“With conditions like amblyopia and strabismus (crossed eyes), children don’t realize that they aren’t seeing well,” he says. “They think that type of vision is normal and they can adapt to it. Unfortunately, after age 9, the brain loses plasticity (or the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization) and visual pathways may not form properly. There’s a better prognosis before age 9. Afterwards, therapies may not take.”

Back to school and sports physical eye exams usually keep Excellence in Eye Care busy in late summer, but appointments and walk-ins for patients of all ages are always welcome. One of the office’s four optometric technicians, Savannah, Evangelina, Fran and Hannah, will help you schedule your eye exam. Mention Neighborhood News to get a free pair of non-prescription sunglasses (while supplies last).

Excellence in Eye Care does not accept insurance, but will provide an itemized receipt to submit for reimbursement with vision insurance companies. Costco Optical does accept insurance for glasses, contact lenses and other eyewear products. 

Excellence In Eye Care is located inside Costco at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. in Lutz. The office is open Mon., Wed. & Fri., 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; 1 p.m.–7 p.m. on Tues. & Thur.; & 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Sat. For more info, see the ad on pg. 3, call (813) 279-7038, or visit ExcellenceInEyeCare.net.

Visit Pampered Peach Wesley Chapel For Your Waxing & Facial Needs 

(Above, L.-r.): Waxologists Ashley Villela, Katie Kantor, Amanda Gonzalez (manager) & Nikki Brown of The Pampered Peach’s Wesley Chapel location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., next to Dickey’s BBQ pit, invite you to enjoy outstanding services in a true spa environment. (Photos by Charmaine George)

Between vacations, big occasions and Florida’s virtually year-round beach season, there’s always a reason that you need to look and feel your best. The Pampered Peach Wax Bar on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel (across from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel) will take care of all your waxing and even your facial needs and give you a relaxing spa experience in the process.

The Pampered Peach Wax Bar is a homegrown Tampa Bay addition to the waxing industry. Jessica Kustron, the founder and CEO (chief executive officer) of The Pampered Peach, was born and raised in Tampa. After owning and running her own day-spa in Tampa for more than ten years, she saw an opportunity to create a wax-only salon to offer a more intimate approach to waxing customers.

The Pampered Peach has added a display of some new “merch” for sale.

Since launching The Pampered Peach in 2017, the business has expanded greatly, with seven locations now open or in the planning stages across four states. Today there are four locations in the Tampa Bay area (Wesley Chapel, Brandon, Temple Terrace and South Tampa), with more on the way, including planned locations in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Ybor City.

You probably won’t see co-owners Jonathan Smith, Michael Grande, and Anthony Cintron much around The Pampered Peach of Wesley Chapel, but that’s how they prefer it, as they let their talented team of “waxologists” shine while they do the behind-the-scenes management and growth of the business.

“We’re all from this area and our market research indicated that Wesley Chapel, with its massive growth over the past five years, could really use a business like this,” Jonathan says. He and his girlfriend Amanda Gonzalez, who is the manager at the Wesley Chapel location, both live in Wesley Chapel, while Michael is in Land O’ Lakes and Anthony lives in Palm Harbor.

It’s clear that this trio of owners knows the industry well, from the lingo, to the products, to even first-hand knowledge of the services so that they can improve the experience for all their clients.

Ashley gets the wax ready for a client’s procedure.

“We offer three different types of wax — hard wax, soft wax, and sugaring — which is really unique in the waxing industry,” Jonathan says. “Picking the right wax will depend upon the area and hair type being removed, and sugaring offers a purely organic option.”

He adds, “We use and sell cruelty-free, botanical-based Farmhouse Fresh products, which have won multiple awards internationally and have many magazine and celebrity endorsements.”

The services available at the salon are truly head to toe. Amanda says the most popular waxing areas are the traditional Brazilian (bikini), eyebrows, and underarms, but other areas like half or full waxing of the arms, legs and back also are available. For the face, you can have every pesky hair near your lips, sideburns, ears and nose (and more) removed, and even get a full-face waxing package.

While The Pampered Peach’s website touts that the spas offer a five-minute Brazilian — and you can definitely get it if in a rush — if you have the time, the owners recommend consulting with the waxologists to get the best possible experience.

“Our waxologists — Amanda, Nikki, Ashley, and Katie — are all very well trained, with about 15 years of experience combined,” says Michael. “When you get services with us, especially the first few times, the waxologist will perform a consultation with you, asking about your skin type (dry versus oily), allergies, pores, acne and more. Based on your answers, they may add steam or other services if needed. They get to know you well.”

“Waxing gets easier over time,” Jonathan adds. “As the hair gets thinner, the hair removal becomes less painful and more predictable A Brazilian may take about 30 minutes the first time, but after that, the time goes down to 15 minutes or less.”

And, Amanda says that men shouldn’t feel shy. She says that while the salon mainly sees female customers, there has been an increase in male clients for services like back and chest waxing as well as arms, legs, Brazilian with a stem (aka, a “Manzilian”), and full body.

Facials & Specialty Services
Nikki provides a relaxing facial.

The Pampered Peach Wesley Chapel is proud to have expanded into also offering facials. As one of the initial locations to add facials, the salon offers four types — brightening, soothing, acne and anti-aging — and all of them can be mini (30 minutes) or full (60 minutes). The Wesley Chapel location also has increased from three service rooms to four, with the newest one being dedicated to facials, with a spa-like environment and relaxing music.

Brow lamination and brow henna, which involve using a tint or henna coloring to fill in missing areas of the eyebrows, is another specialty. This quick and painless process leaves eyebrows looking fuller and usually lasts 3-4 weeks.

Worried about ingrown hairs? The salon offers a treatment for that as well.

“Ingrown hairs often come down to a lack of exfoliation and not enough post-care support,” says Michael, emphasizing the importance of speaking with the waxologists to get the best experience for your skin and hair type.

Even the best wax service can’t stop hair from eventually growing back, so The Pampered Peach offers memberships monthly, annual and as package membership deals that are perfect for routine follow-ups. For periodic a la carte services, you also can get a VIP card for discounts on merchandise and future services.

If you’re not sure where to start, visit the Pampered Peach’s website to get offers on Brazilians and other bikini and brow waxes for new customers and other seasonal discounts. Pampered Peach Wesley Chapel additionally offers 20% off facials and $25 Brazilians for first-time guests. And, if you mention the Neighborhood News, you can get your second Brazilian for $25, too.

And, stay tuned  — The Pampered Peach Wesley Chapel is planning to launch a new website with a streamlined online booking process, as well as to add 16 more hours across the week, including opening on Mondays, by later this year.

The Pampered Peach Wax Bar of Wesley Chapel is located at 2653 BBD Blvd., Suite 102. The salon is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 727-FL-PEACH (357-3224). Or, visit PamperYourPeach.com/wesley-chapel-fl or find the spa on Facebook and Instagram.