Words by Sonia Beekman Photography by Lia Crowe

Most of us have heard the quote 害羞草研究所淭rue beauty comes from within.害羞草研究所�

Well, this is more than a saying for Joy Stewart; it害羞草研究所檚 a hymn every layer of her skin sings every day. It may all sound melodic now, but a lot of fine tuning went into what today is one of the most thriving skincare studios in Vancouver, .

Joy grew up in the Philippines singing and performing, and during her teen years she made a huge leap by signing on with Sony Records in Japan, where she would go on to become a successful singer and show producer.

害羞草研究所淚 always liked behind the scenes more,害羞草研究所� Joy says. 害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 like being in front of the camera but I was also always exposed to the beauty industry because of that. I pretty much lived in a spa. I was my own product so I always had to look good.害羞草研究所�

Although it seemed like she had it all, there was something missing in her life and that was love. Her contract restricted marriage and children, but we all know that love often wins the war and in this scenario it did. Joy decided to walk away from her contract and move to Victoria with her husband and her one-year-old daughter to start a new life, not knowing what her next endeavour would be.

害羞草研究所淚 really didn害羞草研究所檛 know what to do, and my funds were starting to run out,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淥ne day my sister-in-law said, 害羞草研究所榊ou害羞草研究所檙e really good with your hands, you should be an aesthetician!害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

Through different conversations, Joy was stunned to learn women and men in Vancouver had never been introduced to Brazilian wax (not a single hair left behind) and a light bulb went on. Soon after, Joy found herself challenging city hall to grant her a licence to perform Brazilian waxing and, after a lot of back and forth, her perseverance paid off and Touch of Joy was born in 2000.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 a goal-setter and I did 998 Brazilian waxes in three months,害羞草研究所� Joy says.

That number was two waxes short of her goal, but she revolutionized the waxing experience in Victoria. Touch of Joy害羞草研究所檚 buzz started to reach the mainland and Joy decided to move her studio to Vancouver in 2004.

One challenge was conquered but another one then appeared. When Joy moved to the south coast, she developed severe acne and had to use an aggressive medication to treat it. This not only affected her thyroid but also rapidly broke down the collagen in her skin.

害羞草研究所淢y acne was so bad, it was all over my body and I was losing collagen faster than the speed of light from all the medication, so I decided to research it and it all came down to my diet,害羞草研究所� Joy says.

As her skin started to heal from the inside out, Joy had an epiphany: skin care is more than just creams and serums, it害羞草研究所檚 a way of life, and it害羞草研究所檚 why Joy害羞草研究所檚 studio, Touch of Joy, has a holistic approach.

害羞草研究所淲e really invest in your entire life,害羞草研究所� she adds.

Since the studio害羞草研究所檚 inception in Joy害羞草研究所檚 basement suite, she害羞草研究所檚 made it a mission to study and learn as much as she can about true skin health, ingredients that have created all the hype, and products that claim to deliver promising results. She害羞草研究所檚 commissioned herself to learn from the masters and test all treatments and products on herself before introducing them to her clients. Along with Brazilian waxing, Joy was also the first aesthetician to introduce the Pico Facial, using PicoSure害羞草研究所檚 original picosecond device (PicoSure is a registered trademark of Cynosure, LLC). It is now the number-one treatment at her studio.

There害羞草研究所檚 no denying Joy is a skin health guru. Her radiant skin is like a vortex that draws you in and is one of the reasons so many celebrities flock to her studio.

害羞草研究所淲hen X-Men was shooting here, I treated most of the cast. And now all the girls from Riverdale come to us,害羞草研究所� Joy humbly mentions.

The relationship with the Riverdale cast was very serendipitous. It all started with M盲dchen Amick, who plays Alice Cooper on Riverdale. M盲dchen was on the hunt for the skin care line by Jan Marini and Touch of Joy was the only boutique carrying it at the time. M盲dchen decided to also try a facial with Joy and the rest is history.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 very particular about facials, but Joy was very knowledgable about nutrition, about so many different elements. She taught me so much about my skin,害羞草研究所� M盲dchen says, adding. 害羞草研究所淛ust six months ago I started doing PicoSure. Because of hormonal changes, I害羞草研究所檓 getting a lot of melasma, so that has helped with that. But in general I害羞草研究所檝e really noticed some lines are gone and my skin looks great. My accountant asked me what I害羞草研究所檓 doing with my face!害羞草研究所�

At 49, M盲dchen radiates sincere and healthy beauty and admits to being very vocal about aging gracefully: 害羞草研究所淣o botox, no fillers, we don害羞草研究所檛 know what aging looks like anymore!

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 very hard to survive, you have to work extra hard, there is so much body and beauty dysmorphia that influences young women now. All the young actresses are going to Joy now and embracing beauty how it should be embraced.害羞草研究所�

Touch of Joy has always avoided single formulas.

害羞草研究所淎ll of our facial treatments are 90 per cent customized,害羞草研究所� Joy says. 害羞草研究所淎ll the girls from Riverdale have their own skin care plan with us.害羞草研究所�

It害羞草研究所檚 also Joy害羞草研究所檚 genuine personality that draws people to her and her studio.

害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 very warm and really wants to do the best for you,害羞草研究所� M盲dchen says. 害羞草研究所淎nd, she remembers everything from my personal life scenarios to what treatment I had done last.害羞草研究所�

It害羞草研究所檚 no surprise Joy and M盲dchen have become good friends over time.

害羞草研究所淲e see each other a lot!害羞草研究所� Joy says. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e always laughing and having a lot of fun in the studio.害羞草研究所�

Joy has only one mission: to help her clients feel happier and healthier and, most importantly, spread joy one touch at a time.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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