ISPA VISIONARY AWARD
BY RYAN O ' GARA
KERSTIN FLORIAN
The 2021 ISPA Conference & Expo
EVEN AFTER A LONG , DECORATED CAREER IN THE SPA IN- DUSTRY , KERSTIN FLORIAN STILL LOOKS BACK FONDLY ON HER HUMBLE BEGINNINGS . She remembers the feeling she got when she saw the way a woman walked into the spa with her shoulders slumped and a sad look on her face , and how quickly her mood changed when she got a facial .
Interactions like that formed the vision for Kerstin Florian International , a lifestyle brand built around four cornerstones of wellness : proper nutrition , regular exercise , peace of mind and care of face and body . Florian believes that skin care has the power to heal and provide positive energy , and that ’ s why she has made it her life mission to bring that joy to her clients . The first time she gave a woman a facial and saw the end result , she thought ,“ I did it , I made it ,” and she still gets that same feeling today .
Florian is the recipient of ISPA ’ s Visionary Award , which she will receive at the 2021 ISPA Conference & Expo this May in Phoenix . The honor is presented each year to someone in the spa industry who has made significant contributions to both the definition and positive movement of health and wellness over the lifetime of their career . That describes Florian perfectly .
“ It ’ s been so gratifying ,” Florian says .“ I still love it , and I ’ m not going to give up because I want everybody to love themselves .”
Helping people has been her calling from an early age , as she loved to cut hair and do anything to make people feel more beautiful . As a young girl in Sweden , Florian would pick
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Florian believes that skin care has the power to heal and provide positive energy , and that ’ s why she has made it her life mission to bring that joy to her clients . The first time she gave a woman a facial and saw the end result , she thought , “ I did it , I made it ,” and she still gets that same feeling today .
28 PULSE ■ JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2021