The Skin Cleric, a spa that started in 2021 has moved to 941 North Broadway and owner Castle Greene wants you to know you are welcome. The spa offers a range of services and invites anyone and everyone to enjoy their services, reaching out particularly to those who may not feel comfortable in other spas. “If you feel you don’t belong, you belong here,” is somewhat of a slogan. I met with Castle to learn more about her and the Spa.
Castle grew up in Maryville and graduated from Heritage High School in Blount County. She’d lived some time in Knoxville, attending Fulton High School, and when she graduated, she moved here as soon as possible. She feels like North Knoxville is her home.
She worked at Dancing Bear Lodge in Blount County until the lodge burned. “The timing of that was pretty perfect. I took the leap to go to esthetic school.” She attended Douglas J. Aveda institute on Gay Street, graduating in 2014, where she graduated with honors and won their annual fashion show competition. “I really enjoy taking care of people.” She thinks of it as blending her hospitality background with helping people in a new way.
She worked at Sephoria, originally interviewing for a seasonal, part time job, but being given a full-time job. “I really excelled as a makeup artist, and I got certified with them.” In the skin care department, she met a person who owned a med spa and she invited her to join them and offer her skin care services. “I had to build their aesthetics menu and pricing . . . I learned so much from both jobs about client care . . . I tried hard to make everyone’s experience as chill as possible. I learned a lot about wholesale and retailing products.” She also learned about medical aesthetics under the supervision of a physician.
She also met others (as she says she has along the way) who were able to help her move forward. She worked next at Salon Azure in Blount County with her sister, where she worked for several years. After learning more about suppliers and the accounting side of the business, she wanted to move into management but there were no openings.
She continued to accumulate clientele from each job. As the pandemic was underway, she got an offer from a former co-worker who was opening a Med Spa and operated at her second location. She’d loved working with her co-workers at Salon Visage and missed that as she worked mostly alone. She had to set up the business from scratch and she handled it all in addition to providing her services.
She got to a point where she questioned why she was running businesses for other people when she could run it for herself. In the spring of 2021, she started her business with about $5,000 seed money. She’s worked hard since, she said, but it has been worth it to be in control. She started by renting a space inside a building. “I was spending too much money on just a room.”
She saw an available space on Whittle Springs in December 2021. It looked rough, but her husband convinced her they could improve it and make it work. “It was 400 square feet and had a lobby, service room, and bathroom . . . My landlords were incredible . . . they ended up being clients. My business grew really fast in 2022 and 2023.” She offered memberships, took her certification work for permanent makeup (along with a full year internship in her spare time), and hired her first employee. Just for kicks she also joined a band. She was just a tad busy. “I really enjoy filling up my time as much as possible.” She has had Shaelen on board as an esthetician for the last year. When we talked, she was hiring for a receptionist/bookkeeper.
Trading the single room back and forth was not a long-term plan and she began looking. She wanted at least a couple of service rooms and wanted a few more amenities like a break room for employees. After looking at somewhere around thirty spaces, she saw an ad for a space over and behind LuLu Liquor Cakes. Previously used as storage, she immediately saw the potential and now has produced the beautiful space you see in the photos.
It took the addition of walls and a lot of imagination to make the 1400 square foot space feel like home. She said she’s only just begun to fix it up right. Still, she has two treatment rooms (with new spa beds purchased for the new space) and a mezzanine space where she does the permanent makeup. She also got that break room she hoped for, a large waiting area, where she also displays products. She’s even got a spot to do laundry, so she doesn’t have to take it back-and-forth to her home.
As for services, she says she “offers everything that the state of Tennessee will let me offer.” That would include full facials (“a relaxing, luxurious experience”), chemical peels (“faster, but it does a little more”), full-body waxing, semi-permanent services (“like tinting of the brows or lashes”), perming of the lashes or brows, and the permanent makeup. “The names of our services are named after cleric spells from Dungeons and Dragons. I tried to make a really nerdy, but cool spa environment. Every service we offer has a lot of hours of love behind it.”
As for products, she said, “I try to find products that are not only cruelty-free, but ethically sourced. I try to find good smaller companies. The smallest line is a “small batch” brand made by a friend she made along the way. She carries Green Envee and Circadia. “Our most recent brand is ‘Farmhouse Fresh,’ and they are completely focused on giving back to rescue farm animals. I love their story and their product. There is not a single product I don’t (personally) like, otherwise it wouldn’t be here.” Most of their products are only available through professionals.
The name came from Dungeons and Dragons and she said she likes to bring in her own nerdiness as a part of making everyone comfortable. “I try to make it comfy and I want everyone to feel like they are coming to a friend’s house. We can answer all your questions. Being accepting to everyone is my business plan. With a (sub) name like ‘Spa for Freaks & Geeks,” I want to appeal to a more alternative crowd because they don’t always feel accepted . . . I’m passionate about making everyone feel as comfortable as possible.”
You’ll need to know where to look, as the entrance comes off the back of the building. The easiest plan is to find Lulu Liquor Cakes and park. Look around behind the building (signage is subtle – on the wall over the parking spaces) and you’ll see a rear entrance that leads to the very welcoming business inside. You can also take a deeper look or schedule an appointment at their website or follow along on Instagram. You can also call 865-208-7761.