Young beauty therapist with a good ear

Beauty therapist Christi Joubert is a bubbly 20-something who totally loves what she is doing.

It’s a career that beat studying psychology to the finish line and if she didn’t end up pursuing either option, specialising in neurosurgery could have been an alternative.

Joubert said life as a beauty therapist demanded a good ear.

“When clients come in, they are looking for a treatment but also some ‘me time’, time to rest and time to talk,” she said.

“The majority of the time it’s not about life’s challenges, but rather benign topics like Netflix shows and celebrity gossip.”

There are instances where clients discuss some serious stuff on the chair. Joubert said that while they are not able to give advice, sometimes people just need to get something off their chests.

“Family matters, emotional burdens and stressful relationships are frequent topics, while exceptions like challenging childhoods and neglect sometimes boil to the surface, too.”

There have also been instances where couples come for treatments but, once in conversation, it emerged that both parties had partners and families in a parallel life.

She said that it was particularly fulfilling to make clients feel better during treatments, and sometimes the tiny boost of self-confidence that accompanies a visit to a beautician was well worth it. And she never tires of it.

Joubert is an avid reader and escapes to fiction to unwind while delving into personal mastery and self-help books to learn more about herself and people around her.

And, as seen on television, pimple popping obsessions are a real thing among people in the pretty trade.

“Pimple popping is a real obsession . Therapists frequently share tales of blackhead challenges and how we get to pop some large zits. I cannot put my finger on why it’s so enjoyable. But it is.”

Joubert loves giving foot treatments and said that as a child she used to pamper her granny’s feet.

“Feet are an important part of the body can make someone feel really good about themselves. I loved doing it for my gran and that passion has extended into what I do for a living.” Joubert added that it was easy to tell a lot about a person simply by looking at their feet.

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“It’s a measure of how well a person takes care of themselves. “Neglected feet point to a likely overall neglect of individual wellness.”

In her line of work Joubert often engages with clients who are in a vulnerable position. She said that body image was really important and while there’s a lot of bullish talk about personal acceptance and body image empowerment on social media, people still feel quite exposed when removing garments during a beauty routine or a massage.

“We come in all shapes and sizes and therapists don’t judge, we have our own imperfections, too. We are there to help people overcome some of these hurdles and feel good about themselves.”

When she’s not working or reading, Joubert cooks for her family almost every night. It’s another way to de-stress, she said. While coming up with different meal ideas can be somewhat of a challenge, she said that she turns to social media for inspiration.

“There are so many foodie profiles that finding something interesting to eat is never a problem,” she said. Joubert’s love of food spills over into a favourite pastime.

“I also love trying new restaurants.”

But she avoids franchises and prefers to seek out small, independent stores that offer something more than just a steak. Joubert loves Thai food and sampling different tastes and flavours from around the world.

Presently she said she was absorbing as much experience as possible and learning about people and behaviour as she goes along.

Her dream is to unleash her entrepreneurial spirit and own a business one day. For now, though, it’s all about taking in life’s learning curves.

– news@citizen.co.za