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Somber Tea. But because I am in the medical spa right now, and I really wanted to record this episode in this sort of like, ASMR style, which I've done on this podcast before. Not because I was purposely doing an ASMR style episode, but because I was recording at like 2 o' clock in the morning and my whole family was, like, sleeping. And so I was sort of like a public disturbance. And so that's why I've done ASMR episodes before on this podcast. Your favorite podcast, Intrusive Thoughts. But I wanted to record at the medical spa because I'm kind of almost ready to, like, open. And if you're watching this episode, then I'm gonna. I'm like, kind of pushing the chair back. And you can see that the reason I'm here is because I have, like, behind me a poster of our logo. I know. Quite exciting. Also, I'm gonna describe the poster sort of, and I'm gonna move off to the side a little bit. So I'm going to describe the poster a little bit to anybody who is just listening, not watching, which I'm going to go on the record and say, I'm a. I'm a podcast listener. I'm not like a podcast watcher. You know, I love to watch videos. I love to watch clips. You know, I like to do that. So, like, there is a always, like a video component to a podcast, but sometimes, you know, I'm more of like a throw it on in the car kind of guy. So I'm going to describe the poster itself. 1. I'm going to say, I think our logo is, like, beautiful. Okay. I think I revealed. I did a name reveal, and the name is the Atami Esthetics Club. I'm so excited. I'm thrilled, actually. And so this is our logo. This is actually, like, the logo that's behind me is not. And. And I worked with a branding team out of Minneapolis who was recommended to me by my chicest friend. And I trust this friend sort of with my entire life. And she was like, I know these girls. They're great. And they are great. They were amazing. And so I did a whole branding package with them. And, you know, maybe we can talk about that one day. I also feel like maybe this episode isn't going to be too long, right? It's not going to be too long because I'm sort of in the middle of complete and utter just chaos. But there are things that are getting less chaotic. Oh, I feel like I have to sneeze. I don't it was, it was a false alarm, so. Oh, God. I'm like kind of looking at the video right now. It is like a little cool. It's kind of chic. But I'm going to say something. The poster that's behind me is like the logo. Okay. I've already, like, I've established that I will be honest that a poster of the logo does look a little like. Yeah, it looks a little bootleg. That's. I mean, it's. That's fine, right? I just wanted to have like our brand somewhere in here. Because you don't know things until you get started when you're doing a God dang business. And the thing is, is that I wanted to get like right here on this wall. Specifically, I wanted to get like a, like a sign, you know, like a, like a. How do you say in English, a sign of the logo. Like, basically I wanted sort of like three dimensional, like acrylic letters or like brass, like logo stuff. Okay. And as you can imagine, with a business that hasn't opened yet, I've currently made, let me think, 1, 20 so far. So I went and everything is expensive, by the way. Literally everything is expensive. And so I just did not have it in me to be like. I was like, you know what? This is like phase one because, you know, a poster of the logo, like, we could throw this in the bathroom or we could like throw it in a treatment room, like on a side wall. That's where this will like eventually live. Because it's like cute. But I can see it's a poster and I can. If I really look close, I don't want to admit this, but if I really look close, I can see like where like maybe I touched the poster a little bit. So there's like a crinkle in it because I also wasn't going to. Okay. Also, if you've ever framed anything in your life in your mind, every frame is $20, maybe 30. Okay. If you've ever framed anything or gone to like a professional framer, you know what I'm saying is absolutely a lie. But in your mind, my mind specifically, I've always thought that like a frame to a photo, to a picture, that's something that's $25, 30, like I said, maximum. It shouldn't go higher than that. It's just a frame. Now, if you've ever gotten anything professionally framed, like I said, you'll know that that's not the case at all whatsoever. Framing things is anywhere between $5,000 and $10 million. I don't make the rules. I'm just sort of just telling you my experience. I'm exaggerating, but not much because I've gotten, like, little things framed professionally because I, like, want them to, like, look really nice, like in the house. And it's like no less than like 200 something dollars, which is like, insane. You're like, for wood, and they're like, yeah. And glass. And somehow when they do like the. And glass, you're like, oh, okay. And they're like, well, you want matting, right? Which is just cardboard, okay? Like, matting is just cardboard. And they're like, ugh, that's going to be an extra hundred dollars. And you're like, you gotta be like, there's not a. Okay. And then they. They get you, like, in a pickle. Cause then they show you, like, what you can, like, buy. Like, like stock. And it's ugly, right? Like, it's not nice. Um, and sometimes you bring something to get framed, and it's like a weird or, like, odd size. So you need, like a custom frame. I'll tell you, when you get something custom framed, it does look better. It does look like custom, for lack of a better word or term. So what I did with this specific poster was like, I. The frame, it was just like a stock frame. Okay, Like, I gotta stop. Like a poster frame. Like, it's nicer than a poster frame, but it's a poster. It's a frame for a poster, right? It's not a poster frame. It's a frame for a poster. Which is like a huge difference because there's like a mat in it, right? So, like, whatever. And I knew the size of the poster that I like, I. Okay, I'm just, like, going to cut the bullshit. So here's the thing. You think that, like, where do people get things for business? I'll tell you, like, where I've been getting, like, if I just need, like, things that have, like, the logo on them or like, whatever, I'm going to like FedEx. Like, business, FedEx Express or whatever. Like, they'll print anything. They'll print you posters, they'll print you postcards. They'll do business. They really have it, like, locked down over there at FedEx. This is not sponsored. Could you imagine? It's like in this episode, it's been brought to you by FedEx Business. I wish. I mean, if they're doing kind of like podcast ads, they should reach out. But anyway, there was, like, a slight issue where it's like, this Is like the thing that you like. I'm just gonna explain something quick. Maybe not quick. So I knew the size of the poster because I know like the standard size of a poster is 36 by 24 if you want like a large one. And I was like, I do want a large one for the office. Right, okay. Because in my mind I was like, maybe this will look elegant. And I'm looking at it now and it's like it, it's bathroom art. Okay. Like it's, it's like, like, oh, that's nice that you have it in the bathroom. Like that's where it will, it will go. And I'll eventually I'll have to get it like framed nicer. Okay, this is the deal. So I had to like take which you normally when you're putting something in a frame, you should like kind of tape it to the. The mat or tape it to something so it's not going to like move around. Right? Because we've all been victim to. You put a picture in a frame and you're like perfect. And then like you knock the frame and the picture goes like gunk. Like it drops down and then it's like the photo and like the whole bottom of it is like cropped out because it like it like manual crop. Do you know what I mean? Like it just falls down and then there's just like cardboard up at the top. I know that you know what I'm talking about. I just like, I feel like I'm not explaining it well. Doesn't matter. It's okay moving along. So what you need to do is you need to put a little bit of like painter's tape or scotch tape or like not a heavy duty, like thick ass tape, but like a little bit to just keep everything in place. Because listen, there's a time and a place and there's a ton of times and a ton of places where you're just gonna get a stock frame because something's like a stock size, like a normal size, like a sheet of paper size or like a photo size, a 5x and you know, 8 by 10 stuff like that thrilling episode. By the way, we're talking about stock sizes of like images and documents. Moving along, I knew that I was gonna get the poster 24 by 36. Okay. I knew that I did it. The thing was that this frame said that it was for like a 24 by 36 poster. What it didn't tell me was that like the tiniest little border is like, like it was 24 by 36. Exactly. So, like, I had to tape it on the backside of it, like, on its own border. So, like, it was almost surgical, the precision that I needed to have to get this done, which, you know, I did get it done. Like I said, it's getting, like, once I can. I mean, I can now I'm just like, listen, I just want to get this thing up and running, which I mentioned that I think I can do soon. Okay. I've been doing all the right things. We've been organizing everything. I really. Over the past weekend, I came in here, and I just, like, would get here in the morning, and I'd leave late, late at night. Again, like, abandoning my entire family, which I had just done for, like, a month when I was at the Olympics in Milan, like, abandoned. Like, I'm like, good luck with everything, you guys. I'm gonna miss you. And I. I've come into this place, and I've just been, like, organizing everything, and. Oh, God. I have to tell you, like, sometimes I just, like, sit here and I look around, and you're just seeing, like, poster. Like, you're just seeing, like, the poster of it. All, right? Which, again, like, I'm telling you, like, this is getting slapped on a secondary wall eventually. It's, like, gonna. It, like, it's doing the job for now. Also, if you're watching the video, you can see, like, the glare of, like, these lights. It's just like, whatever, okay. I'm moving out, like, into the way of it. Actually, I'm not. I'm like, it is cute. It is cute. I'm quite proud of it. So wait, I was telling you a little bit about, like, the branding and the team that I worked with. Like, there's a lot of things, like, when you look at brands that you don't ever, like, think of when it comes to, like, their logos and whatever. And so we have, like, a few different versions of the logo. And I actually. Okay. I keep saying that I'm gonna do this, and I know that. It's just, like, I keep forgetting, like, I'm. We will do text messages at the end. So I'm gonna try to make this, like, snapp. I want this to be, like, a shorter episode because it's. I am on, like, borrowed time right now because I was like, no, I'm on my way home. And then I was like, let me take out the microphone and, like, record the podcast here. It's okay. Like, everyone will forgive me when I'm, you know, a success, famously. That's. That's how it's always worked out perfectly for everyone. Um, and also, no one's mad at me, by the way. I'm just gonna throw that out there and be like, wow, his family's mad. No, they're not. My husband's proud of. Okay, so here's the deal. I think, what should I talk about? Imagine I'm like, I ran out of things. No, I have a lot of things I want to talk about. Like I mentioned, like, I was like, okay, this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna talk about the spa today a little bit about like, let's talk about like the logo and the story of the name. Okay, let's do that. I know, like, everybody wants to talk about other things. Not I. Okay, I raise my hand. I go, no, no, I actually don't.
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Grocery outlet, bargain market. I'm going to talk about the logo. Let's start with the logo. So I live in Los Angeles and I live in a city in LA county called Pasadena. And if you've ever watched like the Rose bowl or like whatever or like things at the Rose bowl or if you've ever been to the Rose bowl, those are like my three things. That's Pasadena or like the, you know, that New Year's Day parade. The Rose bowl parade again. Fourth time bringing up the Rose Bowl. Fifth time. Now that's Pasadena for you. And it's beautiful out here. Had to clear my throat to just really just exemplify exactly how I mean. And what I feel is that it's gorgeous. One more time. Better. And I originally wanted to try to locate this business in Pasadena because my friend who I'm starting it with, who is like, she's the injector that I was going to, to get like chemical peels and Botox and stuff. Like I was going to her and we, and I was going to like some place that she was working at and that's how we met. And then like we really hit it off and we were always, you know, just like having a good time whenever I would like see her and, and and get things done. And then we found out that we were neighbors. And then eventually she told me that she was thinking about doing her own thing and that there were some things that she needed to get done. And then, you know, the next step was like, you know, she needed some help getting some stuff together. And I was like, I think I could help with, like, a few of those steps. And I was just going to do it as just, like, you know, I want to help her out. And then as she was, like, exploring this a little bit more, I asked her. I was like, would you ever want to do something like this together? Because, like, I feel like we could have a lot of fun. And she was like, oh, hell, yeah. And so that's how we kind of got this idea together. And I've always been curious, and I've always wanted. This is a true thing. I've always wanted to start my own business. And this was like, a recommendation from God himself from. I, like, maybe. I guess it's been like, a year or two ago, I did Worst Cooks in America, that show, and I. I met my friend Wes, who's from the Challenge, and he was just on the. The season. Not the last season of Traitors with, like, Tara and Johnny and Portia, but, like, the season before Wes. Ginger. Wes, he kind of is like a. Like a TV villain. He was also on House of Villains, but we really, like, hit it off. And we were talking about, like, when you're an athlete or if you're, like, working in television, like, when you're an athlete, you always have something you're looking forward to, right? But when you work in television, there's. There can be, like, large gaps of time where you're not working. And even if things are, like, going well, it can just feel like, wow, there's been a lot of time. Like, for instance, you know, I was just working every single day in a row for a month in February at the Olympics. So all of February, I was working every single day. And I have some things that are, like, coming up, but now I'm more into, like, the routine of things will come up, and it'll be like, hey, are you free in three weeks? Hey, are you doing something next month? Hey, are you doing something on Friday? And that's how that works. So there's, like, no schedule to working in entertainment. And as somebody, like, when you're an athlete, like, for the Olympics, for example, if I ever decided, like, hey, I want to try to come back and skate at the Olympics, which I not gonna do right but if I ever said, hey, I want to do that, I could pull out a calendar right now and I could go, okay, the date of the next Olympics is here. And then I could work backwards and I could make a full, like, Google calendar filled with, like, my rough schedule, but, like, with main dates of things to, like, look forward to. And that is something that you just become so accustomed to. And that's like, it's very, like, it gives you, like, a sense of peace knowing that there's, like, things coming up, you know, a year from now or whatever. But when you work in entertainment, it's just so wildly inconsistent where it's like, you could be working a ton. Like I said, it can be going really well too. Like, you can have a ton of things, like, in a row, and you could be, like, making good money and like, like, really have a career, but there will still be, like, months where you might not be doing anything. And I was talking about this with Wes, and he was like, you know, having a business is something that is just like, very structured where there's, like, something happening every day. And so that's what really kind of like, planted the seed. And then, I mean, listen, I'm just as basic as everybody else. I was watching the Kardashians on Hulu, and I don't. I don't know why I, like, plugged Hulu there, but I did. And I was watching and I was like, you know what? They all have, like, a business. They all have something going on all the time. And I was like, that's very smart. And so I was trying to think of, like, what could I do? Because I didn't want to, like, make and be like, please buy this piece of, like, I didn't have a good idea for a product. But I was trying to think of things that I was passionate about and things that I liked. And I loved skin care. And I'm passionate about, like, aesthetics and, you know, things like that it, like, marries very nicely into, like, being an athlete, transitioning into, like, being a full time entertainer. And then when Tamar and I started talking, it all sort of, like, clicked and was like, this could be really fun. And there's a lot of parts about, like, starting a business that like, you know, you didn't sign up for, where it's like, that's not the fun part. Like, for example, trying to apply for, like, a state tax ID number. Like, what? Like, why would I ever want to do that? Well, you have to, right? If you want to get paid or pay taxes, which I don't want to, but I will. Because it's the law. Yeah. And, you know, so there's just, like, a lot of things that you need to do to, like, get a business set up. Like, for instance, you need to, like, create different llc, and then sometimes you need to file, like, different, like, doing business ads or fictitious business names, and you have to apply for, like, trademarks and things like that. There's just, like, a lot of, like, things that need to get done, which now we'll kind of lead back into, like, the. The branding. So when you look like. When you look like a brand. Good night, everyone. Cut the damn cord. When you look at a brand, there's a lot of things that you don't think about, or at least I did not think about until now, that there is usually, like, a few different versions of their logos. Okay. Like, behind me, this is a version of our logo. And there is something called, like, a hero logo. And then there's, like, secondary logos, and then there's, like, watermarks, and they're all a little bit different. And they're all a little bit different because they all serve, like, a different sort of aesthetic purpose. And you don't really think about it. But, like, when a business has all of these, like, things, it just gives this sense of, like, oh, they. It's just, like, so curated and beautiful. And not every, like, business needs this. Like, my very chic friend, she basically, she, like, finds these, like, antique pieces of art and she reframes them. And she. She has this, like, beautiful company. It's called Art History. And I've actually bought something from her company when she first started it, and she has, like, one logo, and she doesn't need any other, like, logos because she does this, like, direct to consumer. So, like, she prepares, like, she. She sources all of these, like, antique paintings. She frames them. She gets the history on them. And this is very cute. On the back of them, she puts, like, basically, like, a vintage sort of, like, library card in the back with, like, a little folder. And so you pull out the little index card, and it has, like, the. The artist name. Any background that she could find on this specific painting, the mediums that it was painted, it's like, oh, my. It's like. So it's very kind of chic. It's not kind of chic. It's, like, very chic. And for this business specifically, her One Hero logo is, like, perfect. But in a business that's like this, there's a lot of different, like, forms. Right. There's a lot of different forms. There's a lot. There's more than just, like. There's just like, a lot of different, like, places where the logo might end up. And it makes a big difference when there's different versions of it to, like, end up in different spaces. Like, if it's, like, the title of something, like, you want to have, like, the Hero logo, I'm making you think things that you've never thought before if you've, like, never thought of them. I know that's the dumbest thing anyone's ever said, but it's not the dumbest thing anyone's ever said on a podcast before, so I do feel a little bit better about that. But you'll notice this now. And, you know, and another example, like, my husband, he has a company called Studio Kayala, where he does, like, design work, and he has, like, one Hero logo, and it's perfect. Like, it's just, like, art history where it's, like, it shows up where it needs to be, and that's all. And. And that's, like, all there is that is needed to be. Do you know, like, am I forming a sentence correctly? So, like, there's, like. I feel like, like, especially because we're like, a place. Like, there's a place that you're gonna go to. And again, like, there's different places where you're gonna see the logo, and it makes a big difference when you have different versions of it. So if you're like, I want to start a business, but I didn't know I needed all this. You don't need all of this stuff, but something especially like this. Because this is a medical spa, right? And again, clearing that dang throat, because this is a medical spa, we're going to be doing, like, a lot of, like, and only medical things. Okay. I've brought up that I'm, like, opening this medical spa with my team because I'm not, like, I'm not doing this alone, right? Like, I'm not injecting people like, hello. Okay, don't. It's illegal. Again, like, you know me. I'm, like, so legal. But because this is a place that's, like, medical, and people will be getting injections and peels and, you know, different things like that. Like, I really wanted people to feel like, oh, no, this is, like, professional. And I just wanted to make sure that, like, I had all of those, like, little things taken care of. So when you work with a branding team, it can. The cost can vary exponentially. Like, it can really be wildly Different. And it can be, like, a few thousand dollars to, like, tens of thousands of dollars. And so I was really lucky to, like, find this smaller branding company in Minneapolis. And, oh, my God, they were amazing. They were so amazing. And they just, like, helped get, like, the basic brand, like, identity. And what we did was, like, we talked about what you want to feel like when you get here and what you want the vibe to be and what you want it to look like. And I always felt like when I went to a medical spa, it always felt, you know, medical, right? Like, it felt like you were going to, like, a doctor's office, and it'd be, like, very white, and it'd be like marble countertops or, like marble, like, patterned countertops. Like, I don't know, it just. It always felt like it had a look to it, and it didn't feel like, homey or boutique or, like, just. I don't know, I just. I felt, like, a little overly sterile, and I wanted it. I wanted to create a place that I would feel like I would really want to go to. And that felt very, like, boutique Y. And that, like, you were getting. I don't know, that you just felt comfortable, like, getting something done, like micro needling or getting your blood drawn, right? Nothing's like, I'm sitting next to also a lamp. Nothing, like, really soothes the soul, like getting your blood drawn next to a lamp. You won't be. Also, I'm in the lobby right now, and this is just, like, a part of it. No blood will be drawn in this lobby, so don't fear. But I, you know, I just, I. I wanted it to have, like, a look. So we talked about, like, that, and something that they also asked me were, like, what were brands that, like, I liked? And I was also trying to figure out, like, a name for it. And I was just trying to figure out all of these different things. And so I was trying to think of things that I. Brands that I liked, logos that I liked, and also like, ones that I did not like. And this is, like, absolutely no shade to this company that I'm going to bring up and. Because I'm absolutely going to bring them up, because why not? And also I do feel like they sponsor a lot of podcasts. If this puts me in the bad graces of this company, I mean, so be it, because I'm gonna be, if anything, honest. One of the logos that and, like, brandings of a company that I brought up that I didn't like was like. And this was like. So this came to me, like, immediately, I didn't even have to think about it. I went, I, like, close my eyes. And they asked me, is there a company that's, like, whose logo that you just, like, don't like? And I went, casper Mattress. Okay, let me dig in a little bit. No, I think, like, they have, like, a PR I. One I've not. Like, I have. I'm sure that they're nice people. Okay. But the logo, to me looks very millennial. Like, it just looks very. Like, we make mattresses. Like, it just doesn't. It just feels very, like, aren't we cute? Like, I. And I was like, I would rather not create a brand that looks like the Casper mattress. And somehow that, like, really hit home. And they went, we kind of completely understand what you mean, even though it doesn't make any sense, which is, like, very me. And so I was trying to think of logos and brands that I really liked. And I kept coming back to. I wanted this place to feel like. Like have, like, this more established look and feel to it. And so I kept coming back to these old figure skating clubs. And in skating, we have these, like, the. Some of the oldest clubs in America are, like, over, like, a hundred years old. And some of them, for instance, are the Skating Club of New York and the Skating Club of Boston or the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society. I have no idea why the Humane Society is involved in that one, but whatever. But these clubs are very old, and they have very, like. They have, like, heritage looking brands, and they're beautiful. And I just. Every time I was trying to think of something and a logo and a company and a brand that I liked, I kept coming back to these, like, old skating clubs. And I was like, okay. And so then Tamar and I were sitting and we were trying to think of, like. Because when you say, like, a med spa, we just both didn't like med spa, and we didn't like spa, and we didn't, like, you know, there was just, like, some words where we're like, we can do that better. And so we agreed that we like aesthetics more than, like, med spa. And so we were like, okay, let's go with aesthetics. And. And then I was just thinking, let's just take the idea of the Skating Club of New York or the Skating Club of Boston, something like that. Let's just take that idea and, like, make it the Esthetics Club. So our original idea was to do the Pasadena Aesthetics Club. And I was like, how adorable. We've been around for a hundred years. It's the Pasadena Aesthetics Club and Humane Society, just for good measure, because, you know, I'm from Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society. Again, I have no idea. I just remember that when I was young and I would skate at that rink, there'd be, like, a doghouse in the front of it, if I'm remembering correctly. And there used to be a Jaguar dealership, like, down the block. Okay. If you know, you know. And if you don't, you're like, what? And that's totally okay. Even if you've, like, if you're not there. There's, like, definitely a mix of people who skated and people who didn't skate who listened to this. So just, like, hang tight. We're, like, done talking about that. Philadelphia Skating Clubs in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Any Ardmore heads out there? So where was I? Oh, yeah. So we went with that. And then we kept looking and looking and looking for a space. And we never found anything in Pasadena, but we found something in Arcadia, California. And Arcadia is, like, the city, right? A little bit more east of Pasadena. So, like, from my house, it's like 10 or 15 minutes to drive. And it. Arcadia is beautiful. Like, it's very beautiful. There's like, wild peacocks that, like, walk around this park that's right next to the. The. The medical spa. And sometimes, like, I'll be driving here and they'll just be, like, walking the streets and they'll just, like, stop in the middle of the road and you're like, y going to be about 10 minutes late because there's a peacock who's literally being a idiot. They are not the brightest birds, I'll tell you that. They're beautiful. But it is funny because now it's mating season right now. So it's for the very first time I've seen the peacocks with the feathers up. I've only seen them, like, dragging their, like, long tails across, like, the dirty streets. But now I'm, like, seeing them, like, up. And I was like, wow, I can't believe I'm seeing them up. But it is funny because it does. They walk around, like, with the tails up in the way that, like, a dog walks around in a costume where they, like, look, like, completely, like, lost and, like, huh? And like, it's, like, too big for them, and it's like they're trying to attract a mate. And I can tell you, like, every female peacock around them is like, please put those down. That is like, there's not worth. Please put those away. And they don't And. But they, like, walk around. They're like. Like, it's, like, unstable, but needless to say, beautiful birds, truly. And so, like, we. It's just. It's like a very beautiful area close to the San Gabriel Valley. So you have, like, the beautiful mountains. We have those, like, in Pasadena. Like I said, it's, like, very close. So the feeling is, like, still all there. And so the address of this place there's actually the same literal, like, street number in Pasadena. So it's like, I don't really know if the Pasadena Aesthetics Club in Arcadia will work, because my first reaction was, like, who? Like, who cares? People just think it's, like a second location. Right? Okay. The problem was when I was, like, driving to the wrong address multiple times, I would, like, drive to the. This address in Pasadena and be like, this is a random apartment building. Like, what? Where did the office building go? And it was like, it didn't go anywhere. You just drove to the wrong place, sweetie. So I was like, okay, we can't do that. So I was like, you know what? Let's just reen. All we needed to do was like, like, refile some, like, different, like, paperwork. Because even though we didn't have a location, we were still trying to, like, get everything together, like, on the legal side of things, of, like, filing names and, like, doing stuff like that. So it was like, you know what? We can just, like, do another DBA doing business as. Not a big deal. So we did another one, and we just renamed it the Arcadia Aesthetics Club. Keep it simple, right? Like, just keep it simple. So then in the process of doing this now, I am. No medical credentials. Tamar is an rn, and to have your own medical spa, you need to have a medical director who's an md, a medical doctor, be the head of clinic. And we've been really lucky where one of my best friends, his husband is friends with a woman, and her name is Chantal, who. Excuse me, Dr. Chantel, who's so great. And she, like, as her main line of work, is, like, the medical director for all of these different medical spas in California. And that's her, like, main job. And we connected with Chantal, and we hit it off and love Chantal so much. And one of the. The things that's been really great is that because she has these different medical spas and different people that she works with, sometimes we can get, like, in on a package deal of, like, hey, there are people who are trying to, like, trademark, for instance, which is exactly what we're Going to talk about there are people who are going to trademark. If I can get a few people together, we can get a discount, like, group rate. And it's like, okay, that's awesome. There's, like, awesome things happening there. Thanks to the groups. Thank you, groups. And I was like, okay, let's trademark the brand. Okay, let's do that. And we, again, like, we had just found this location, so we were just. It was like, perfect timing, like, we hadn't established anything. So we did, like, a group call with the trademarking lawyer, who if like, what a loveless job being a trademarking lawyer. It's just like, they take the joy out of everything. The law takes the joy out of everything. That's, like, so true. The law takes the joy out of literally everything. Regardless. You need law, you know? You do. You really do. Now I'm gonna get to this. So when you're looking to trademark something, it isn't just like, I'm trademarking it and it's done. You have to trademark it in a specific category. Okay. And, like, if you have a name and you're like, my. The name of my company is Kizawitz. I don't. I'm just, like, made up a word, Kizawitz. Okay, well, you have to trademark it in clothing. If you're going to do, like, T shirts and, like, whatever, you have to trademark it in liquor. If it's some sort of, like, alcohol that you're doing, you have to trademark it again if it's a makeup brand. Right? So these companies that have, like, different products, like, they have to trademark in all these different categories. And the category that we were going to trademark in. And so then we basically. Here's the thing. We found the category of which we were like, what's the proper way for us to, like, trademark this? Okay. We find the category through the trademarking lawyer. She helps us figure it out. And she basically sits down and in this group call, she's like, the best things to trademark are words that, like, are just made up, that they have no meaning. And it's very easy, and it's straightforward. And even in this straightforward process that takes about a year for it to go through. So it's, like, not a short process. And if there's any sort of, like, hiccup or, like, bump in the road at that point, like, it takes a year for you to get there. And then if there is that hiccup, we need to then prove all of these things to show that, like, no, we really own this brand. Like, it's complicated. Okay? I'm not. I'm not really the man for the job to explain that. Okay? So she starts explaining these different things, and then she goes on, she goes like, an example of like, a horrible name to trademark is the California Pizza Kitchen. And she goes on to say, because those are all like, abstract words, like, you can't trademark the word pizza. You can't trademark California. You can't trademark kitchen. You can, but it's like these have all been trademarked before. So just adding those three words together, it does not make it trademarkable. And so little known trademarking fact, I say before you stop listening, please don't, by the way, is that for California Pizza Kitchen to eventually be able to trademark their brand, they needed to show, like, years of brand recognizability. So that's how they were able to eventually trademark the California Pizza Kitchen. And as she's saying this, I'm like, huh? Okay. The Arcadia Aesthetics Club. I'm like, these all sound like words that, like, I'm gonna have an issue with. And I was correct. I really was correct. So I come to her, I have, like, my private one on one with her, and I say, okay, the name of our place is called the Arcadia Aesthetics Club. And she was like, okay, let me get back to you. Going, not a good sign. Not a good sign. And so she's like, well, you can't trademark the word the. You can't trademark the word aesthetics, and you can't trademark the word club. So you can only trademark the word Arcadia, which is trademarkable. Okay? The problem was that in our category, we were like, fifth trying to get a trademark for the word Arcadia. And she's like, you're just gonna have a huge problem and it's gonna be expensive because you're gonna have to like, keep going back with information of, like, how your brand is different from these other, like, Arcadias. And it's like, frustrating because you're like, no, they're different. Like, some of them are like Arcadia Med Spa or like Arcadia Aesthetics Incorporated. And it's just like, you're like, it is different, but it's essentially not. Because the only word you can trademark was like, Arcadia. And she was like, my, My. My recommendation is that you figure out your own word. And then I'm like, oh, well, this makes sense of, like, why different? Like pharmaceutical companies, like, they're like way govy. Do you know what I mean? Like, they're like, completely made up so that they can just like, own all the categories. Like, okay, got it. So I thought of like, okay, can we combine like Pasadena and Arcadia? Maybe like Arkadenia? And I was like, these awesome, like, video game like villages. I'm like, this is not good. And so then jp, my husband, who is from Finland, I said jp, like, is there a word in Finnish that's just like, very beautiful? And I'm like, what's the word for like, beauty or like skin or like health or like aesthetics? And they like all sounded very like, long and clunky and like basically like IKEA furniture, you know, like it just like scotorp. Like it's just like that's also like, that's truly. And I. That's this lampshade, by the way. Escortorp is this specific lampshade at ikea. This lampshade is from ikea, by the way. Hate. Listen, you can make IKEA look nice. It doesn't all have to look like ikea. That's the name of this lampshade. Skotorp, okay? And I was like, these just like, are not rolling off the English tongue. So what's another thing? And so he eventually told me that my name in Finnish is Atami. Like, because my name is Adam. It's a name in the Bible. And the Bible is translated into every language. And so there's a direct translation of Adam in every language. Because, you know, sometimes if you're like you. Somebody comes to you and their name is something in another language, you can help them. I'm going to tell you an example of like, I don't have like a specific example that, like, actually I can make one up. I. Let's say I have a friend and her name is Elena, right? And. Or she's in bitchy. Likes to say it like Elena. Like something like that. Like, oof. Wow, Exotic. If she was like, I really want an English name, what English name? Could you give me the top of my head? I'm like, I. Your English name could be Ellen, right? Like, that's an English name. And a lot of people will do this where if they're foreigners, they'll come into this country and they'll choose a name that's similar sounding to their like, name in their language of origin, but it's not their name. Like, it's completely different. Like, Elena is not Ellen. But it's. It sounds close. But Adam is specifically like translated. And at this point it was like Tamar and I were like, really racking our brains. And I was like, would you be so annoyed if the name of this business was like Adam in Another language. And she was like, honestly, please, like, we just need to keep going. Like we just like, let's just try it. Because we tried a few different versions that just like, did not work. And so I went to the trademarking lawyer and this is where I mean, like, it's loveless. And I said, okay, this is what we're thinking. What if it's atomy? And to spell atomy is a T, T, A M, I. Okay. And I liked like the double vowel. I thought that was like, that's so cute, foreign and so Euro. And she was like, okay, what's the story? And I told her the story. I was like, it's my name translated into Finnish. And she gets back to me with this long ass email going, okay, you may not run into an issue, but there's a high possibility that you could because your name is translated into every language. So it is technically a word. And so it's a word that exists in another language. So there's a possibility that like, I, that you could run into an issue. And I wouldn't recommend it. And I was like, oh my God, this, this girl is really killing me right now. And so then I was like, oh my God. So I started talking to Tamar and we started like looking at Atomy. And I was like, nobody when they read that is going to go atomy. Like they're not. Nobody's going to say. They're going to say Atami. And so then I was like, wait, what if we change the spelling around? And Tamar was like, well, I kind of like that idea because like, as a Tamar, a lot of my family call me Tommy. And I was like, okay, this is now feeling like, perfect. It's like the perfect marriage of like your name and my name, combining them into like one sort of like balled up story that like, they make sense together. Now I'm like, the, the Atami. I like that. And I was like, I like the double vowel. What if we just drop one of those A's and we add the two eyes at the end, right? So a T, a M, I, I. And then it's our own word. And I like looked high and damn low and could not find any other Atamis. And it's just like, it's also short and it's sweet and it's quick and it's easy to read. And so I go to the trademarking lawyer and she's like, perfect. It's easy. I don't think you're gonna have any problems. We do it, we're the Atami Aesthetics Club. That's how we got the name, the Atami Aesthetics Club. And so if you're looking at the logo now, this is like, our watermark, but it's my favorite logo of them. Like, our hero logo is just Atami Aesthetics Club, but in this watermark, there's, like, a rose in the middle. And when I was originally coming up with the brand and, like, the concept and the things that we wanted, like, the things that we wanted to have in it, I wanted to have, like, a little icon. And we were like, in Pasadena, it's known as, like, the City of Roses. And I was like, what if we just have. Because I was like, I don't want, like, a face or, like a. Like a Botox needle or something. I'm like, that all feels, like, awful because in these, like, figure skating clubs, these old ones, it's like blades that are, like, crossed, and it's just they have the beautiful, like, crest sort of looking things. And I was like, I want to have something like that. Like, and I was like, you know, it's the city of roses. And I originally thought, like, in Pasadena, we have a beautiful city hall. I was like, what if it was, like, the silhouette of the city hall and we somehow, like, like, stumbled upon, like, the. The not stumbled upon. I think I emailed and was like, what about roses? I'm, like, really waxing poetically about it. It's, like, not that serious. And we loved. Feels like nature, nurture, beauty, flower, right? So because Pasadena is, like, the city of roses, and you'd think, like, oh, they draw a rose or whatever. And it's like they sent me, like, five different versions of, like, these different roses. And so what we did, we, like, got on a call and I was like, let's add another leaf. Let's, like, add another, like, rose bud. Let's do this. And, like, we really just, like, kind of fixed it up and we made, like, this little, like, rose situation that's, like, right behind me. And I just, like, I loved it. I just love the, like, our rose in there. And so that was because Pasadena, originally, it was like, the Pasadena Aesthetics Club, City of Roses rose in the logo. You feel me? You hear me? And when we changed, like, the name three times and we finally landed on, like, the Arcadia Aesthetics Club, and then when we finally got to, like, the name of this place, which is the Atami Aesthetics Club, I was like, you know, we needed to change some things around because, like, when it was, like, longer, we were really focusing on like, the club part of it, like, the club, whatever. And, like, is there, like, some sort of membership when you get here? Not yet. I'm. I'm literally. I'm copying from a skating club, so. Well, maybe there will be, like, a club part to it. But, like, so far, like, if you're just. If you come here, it's. You're at the club. Okay, don't think about it too hard. It's fine. It's a name, by the way. And so we were leaning into, like, the Aesthetics Club, because I was like, what will we call it? We'll call it the Aesthetics Club. But then when we finally, like, change it and we had, like, our own word, and our own word being Atami. So now everything is like, the Atami. Oh, I'm at the Atami. I'm going to the Atami. And that shifted the way that, like, the logo and the brand would look. So it, like, looked a lot different than it did when it was, like, the full. The Pasadena Aesthetics Club, The Arcadia Aesthetics Club. Because my vision was that, like, when you would say it shorthand, you'd drop the city and you'd say aesthetics Club. But now that we have, like, our own word, Atami, we've leaned way more into that, almost kind of, like, dropping the Aesthetics Club part of it. Like, so now it's very, like, atami heavy. And we were, like, rebranding it and just playing around because I liked all the elements of it. I loved our color palette. I loved our fonts. I loved, like, everything. The look and everything. I wanted that to stay the same. These are all things, like, you never think of, but it's like, so it makes a huge difference. And so basically what I'm getting to is that, like, I was like, I want to keep the roses, even though, like, you know, it's not Pasadena is the City of roses anymore. Because I feel like it's just part of, like, the journey of how we got here. And now. Now I'm sitting here and I'm looking at it, I'm like, it still makes, like, total sense, and it's still beautiful and perfect, except for, like, it's sort of, like, looks a little bit like a cheap poster. It was not dirt cheap, but it was less expensive than getting, like, branding on the wall, which, like, you think that, again, this is, like, a frame. You'd think, like, branding is, like, how much could it be? $10? No, it could be, like, $2,000. And you're like, okay, you know what? Let's get some clients first everybody can deal with the poster, okay? They'll deal with the poster. And then eventually they'll come here and they go, oh my God, what a beautiful thing. And like. And that's in the bathroom now. Like, that's so like. And that's also part of the story. And so as it stands, we're kind of almost ready to like book people. And so I'm gonna have to figure out how to like advertise like locally, right? Because there's, you know, I can like, obviously I can. I'm talking about it on the podcast. Not really with the intention of like, I'm advertising. I'm like, I'm sharing my life and story with you, okay? And like, I can talk about it on Instagram, but like, of all of the followers I have, like, who's. Who's gonna come here, right? So it's like you still gotta advertise a little bit locally. So that's another baptism by fire that I'm going to be figuring out. So honestly, wait, if you've ever like advertised locally, reach out to the podcast and make that your intrusive thought. Reach out to the Atami Aesthetics club. Okay? Also, like, I'll tell you when to like, Google it because like, the website's not finished, but like, everything else is like kind of coming together. It will be done soon. Okay. And I think that we'd even have like all of the pieces together to like possibly be accepting bookings maybe like next week or the week after, like soon, like in March 2026, this will happen, which will be like, that will be crazy. And it will, it will be crazy. I also said I was going to talk for 20 minutes. It's been an hour. And that's just sort of how it goes with me at and the Atami. And so I'm just so glad and grateful that you were here with me and that I could show you the logo. I think maybe I'll have to do like a real like video style, video, not podcast, ish sort of thing. This is again, like completely different mediums. This is me sitting in place for an hour. I think maybe I'll have to like put something together and really like show the space. You might even say promote it, right? You could say that. Now I have kind of done nothing else for the past five days than like be here and like clean and organize and like, oh my God, I'm just like, it looks so beautiful. Also, like, to like right over here, there's a lot of different, like, it was also really important to me that everything was like, ada fucking perfect. Okay. Because, like, I just wanted anybody to come here and feel comfortable and, like, they were thought of, like, whatever. There are so many places in businesses that, like, they're like, yeah, it's ADA enough, even when it comes to, like, signs on the door. Okay. So when I got. I got these done. Oh, that felt really nice together. And it's just like, oh, it looks so polished. It looks so nice in here. It does. I'm, like, seeing it from a completely different angle. You're seeing, like, oh, you have a movie poster. Like, no. But, yeah, it really is starting to look like a real place. And, yeah, I think next week we'll talk about maybe something different for once. Maybe. Maybe not. Again, these are my intrusive thoughts. And so this, again, I'm just sharing them as they're rolling on. And that being said, I want to say thank you for listening to this episode. I know I don't know what you were expecting. I just. I think you never know what you should or can expect. Right. I wasn't expecting to organize a bunch of needles earlier today, but I did that. And, you know, I wasn't expecting to spend about an hour trying to peel, like, the barcodes off of a bunch of plastic boxes, but I did that, too. And so there's a lot of things that we weren't expecting that we weren't expecting together, but we did do. And I just want to say thanks for going on that ride with me. Really, I mean it. Thank you. And that being said, if you have any intrusive thoughts or local business promotion advice, start. I'm begging on my hands and knees now. We're going to talk about other stuff. I just needed to kind of get this off of my chat. I'm, like, proud of it. Ew. Anyway, if you have any intrusive thoughts of your own or if you have something you want to share with me and we can talk about that, please go ahead and reach out to the podcast. You can call or text us at 310-90971 17. Again, that phone number is 310-909-9717. Would love to hear from you. We have a lot of, like, texts and some voicemails to go through. I know I keep threatening that I. I'm, like, being really such a horrible host and not, like, going through them. I'm gonna. I just, like, there's a lot on me mind at the moment. Okay. It's. We're getting it. We're getting it together. Right? But this podcast is all about just those. Those intrusive thoughts, honey. Those intrusive thoughts, baby. And we're going through them, and I'm sharing them with you again. If you have any, please go ahead. Or any Google SEO tips. And again, a real big sorry to the Casper Mattress brand. Terribly sorry, but your brand does scream millennial. I'm sure the mattresses are nice. I have no clue. But all the best to you if you are the Casper mattress brand and you do want to say something to the podcast, please, you're more than welcome to that. Number is 310-90-9717. And that's it for this episode. My name is Adam Rippon, and these have been my intrusive thoughts from the Atami Aesthetics Club. These have been my intrusive thoughts. And I will talk to you guys next week. Bye, everyone. Sa.
Podcast: Intrusive Thoughts by Adam Rippon
Episode: Naming a Med Spa Is Way Harder Than You Think
Date: March 12, 2026
Host: Adam Rippon
Main Theme: The comedic, unpredictable journey of branding and naming Adam’s soon-to-launch med spa—now called "Atami Aesthetics Club"—including logo design, the behind-the-scenes decision-making, legal hurdles, and the personal chaos of building a business from scratch.
In this episode, Adam Rippon invites listeners into the behind-the-scenes chaos of founding and branding his new med spa. Broadcasting right from the unfinished spa, Adam humorously chronicles the challenges of choosing a name, collaborating on a logo, battling trademark law, struggling with décor, and incorporating personal history into the brand's story. The episode is candid, self-deprecating, and sharply witty, revealing just how much goes into every little branding decision most people never think about.
Notable Moment:
"[00:08] I'm a podcast listener. I'm not like a podcast watcher. You know, I love to watch videos...but sometimes, you know, I'm more of like a throw it on in the car kind of guy."
Quote:
"[06:40] Framing things is anywhere between $5,000 and $10 million. I don't make the rules…I’m exaggerating, but not much."
Quote:
"[19:20] I was trying to think what could I do...I loved skin care. And I'm passionate about...aesthetics, and you know, things like that. It marries very nicely into being an athlete..."
Memorable Quote:
"[57:40] The law takes the joy out of literally everything. Regardless. You need law, you know? You do. You really do."
A-T-A-M-I-I), a brand-new word that combines Adam’s name and Tamar’s nickname (her family calls her "Tommy").Quote:
"[01:07:52] What if we change the spelling around...add the two is at the end, right? So A-T-A-M-I-I...and then it's our own word. And I looked high and damn low and could not find any other Atamis."
"[01:08:48] She was like, perfect. It's easy. I don't think you're gonna have any problems. We do it, we're the Atami Aesthetics Club. That's how we got the name."
Quote:
"[01:13:40] I just love our rose in there. So that was because Pasadena, originally, it was like, the Pasadena Aesthetics Club, City of Roses—rose in the logo. You feel me?"
Quote:
"[01:15:30] If you've ever advertised locally, reach out to the podcast...I'm begging on my hands and knees now. We're going to talk about other stuff. I just needed to get this off my chest. I'm proud of it. Ew."
| Timestamp | Topic |
|-----------|-------|
| 00:08 | Adam sets the scene in the med spa, describes the logo poster and his recording style.
| 04:40 | The brutal cost of professional framing and business decor.
| 10:04 | Where real small businesses get prints and supplies (FedEx!)
| 15:00 | How Adam met Tamar and why they started the business together.
| 19:00 | Inspiration from athletes, entertainment, and the Kardashians to strive for structure and entrepreneurship.
| 25:30 | The legal hellscape of starting a business: LLCs, DBAs, taxes.
| 34:00 | Multiple logo versions: hero logos, watermarks, and why they matter.
| 57:00 | Trademarking: why “The Arcadia Aesthetics Club” is a legal mess.
| 01:07:30 | Adam and Tamar invent the name “Atami.”
| 01:13:10 | Roses, skating club crests, and finalizing the logo silhouette.
| 01:15:00 | Last-minute logistics and a plea for advertising/SEO help.
| 01:17:30 | Signing off: gratitude, laughs, and listener call-to-action.
This episode is an endearing, humorous, and highly relatable guide to what really happens when you try to brand a new business, as told through Adam Rippon’s unfiltered lens. He transforms otherwise dry topics—like trademarks, framing costs, and local advertising—into laugh-out-loud moments, while giving an honest account of the stress, pride, and unpredictability that come with turning an idea into reality. Adam’s journey is both informative and entertaining for would-be entrepreneurs or anyone curious about what goes on behind the "grand opening" sign.
For listener input, advice, or intrusive thoughts: Text or call 310-909-9717.