Patricia Serentill knows what it means to walk in your purpose and bring a dream to life. Turning heads in 2004 when she opened Spa On Wheels, Patricia spent the next eight years serving clientele throughout Miami. When life took a different turn in 2012, she returned to the workforce only to discover just how much she missed her role in healing and helping others. Once again, Patricia brought her dream to life and launched the Heavenly Scent Skin & Rejuvenation Spa in New Tampa in late 2020. That’s where we find her today as she shares her passion and her story in this Sheen Magazine exclusive.
Who is Patricia Serentill?
The daughter of Cuban parents who fled their native country in 1962 due to the communist invasion, I was born in New York and raised in Florida where I watched my father become a successful American surgeon. My parents instilled strong morals in me, which is why I have integrity in all that I do. My endless faith in God keeps me going through life’s challenges. Regardless of how difficult a situation is, I turn to the Lord for guidance to take the path that He chooses for me.
Tell our Sheen readers about your spa studio, Heavenly Scent Skin & Rejuvenation.
I opened my spa studio in October 2020 with a franchise called Sola Salon in the New Tampa area. The name was a collaboration with my husband who encouraged me to use a name that mirrored my holistic and spiritual approach to performing skincare treatments. Since I started in the skincare profession in 2004, I’ve said a prayer before working with every client. The name, Heavenly Scent Skin & Rejuvenation, reflects my passion for skincare and the inner strength and confidence that God gives me every time a client walks into my studio.
What propelled you to start a day spa and how are you impacting your clients during the pandemic?
My husband, Arthur Barfield, is a licensed psychotherapist and he saw me lying in bed talking openly to God. At the time, my career had nothing to do with skincare and healing, and I was desperate for change. Arthur heard me tell God, “There has to be more to life than what I’m currently doing.” Then, Arthur asked me, “At what time in your life can you say you were truly happy?” My response came quickly, “When I owned my spa in Miami.”
From that moment, my husband encouraged me to open a spa in Tampa saying, “We’ll see what happens in a year.” It didn’t take much for me to find a location, bring back the products I’ve been using since 2004, and set up my one-room studio. My first client was a referral from another professional in the building, a massage therapist.
The Lord touches my hands and gives me the strength and confidence to treat every person who walks into my studio searching for healing. During the pandemic, my clients see my professionalism, the precautions I take to ensure their safety and mine, and my compassion toward ensuring their comfort throughout their experience.
Why are facials important?
A professional Esthetician considers the skin condition—sensitive, acne-prone, mature—and follows certain steps. Ideally, men and women should have a professional skin treatment once a month. Our skin is the largest organ in our body, so why wouldn’t we want to take care of it both at home and professionally? We should nourish it by watching what we eat and drink as well as by being mindful of the products we apply daily.
Tell us about being featured in the Miami Herald.
I opened Spa On Wheels in 2004 with the concept to travel to my clients whether that meant working with a mother from the comfort of her home to attendees at business events, a bridal party at a hotel, etc. At the time, I was a working mom who never had time for a professional massage. My coworker told me about a massage therapist who visited clients at home. I expanded the concept to offer group spa services with skincare specialists, massage therapists, and nail technicians.
A bride, who was the editor of the Miami Herald, hired me to pamper her bridesmaids. She told a reporter for the newspaper and they booked an interview during another one of my spa treatments. The article showcased my business and my journey to living my dream and giving back to others by doing what I love.
Tell us more about Spa On Wheels.
Spa On Wheels was open from 2004 to 2012, which marked the best years of my life apart from the birth of my son, Luis Salvador. The spirit of owning a business that fuels your passion is the best feeling of accomplishment and is especially rewarding knowing that, through my positive energy and talents, I’m giving back to others by helping my clients feel better about themselves.
What are some of your greatest accomplishments?
I completed my MBA, brought an idea to life with Spa on Wheels, and earned my skincare certification and my skincare specialist license in Florida. I’ve worked in many specialty medical businesses as an administrator in gastroenterology, plastic surgery, general surgery, bariatric surgery, and cardiology. Clientele in these areas have different needs but they all want the same result—to feel better and gain a better quality of life.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to mirror your success?
Take the risk. Life is short and it goes quick. You won’t lose anything if you take the risk and, if you fail, you know you tried. This is better than not trying and wondering, “What if?” Do everything with meaning and integrity.
What sense of purpose do you draw from your culture and community?
To treat everyone, even your enemies, with kindness. Those who envy, who need to compete, who don’t like what I stand for, how I look, or what I wear… are irrelevant to me. At the end of the day, we leave this earth with only what we’ve done for others. Heaven will be waiting for me without cars, jewelry, clothes, etc. I’ll only have my soul.
What can we expect from you in 2021?
It all depends on what God puts in my path. I hope Heavenly Scent Skin & Rejuvenation will grow to serve many clients who will leave feeling physically and spiritually rejuvenated.
Where can we find you?
Sola Salon – Studio 11 in New Tampa | (813) 523-7870
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