San Francisco's Epi Center MedSpa Goes Green

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--San Francisco’s Epi Center MedSpa, the nation’s original medical spa, will be achieving another first with the opening of its eco-medspa, bringing nature and science together for a more naturally beautiful you – and more beautiful planet. The Epi Center MedSpa will open the doors to its LEED-certified medspa in April to commemorate both its 10^th anniversary and Earth Day.

“You don’t have to sacrifice style to be eco-fabulous. We certainly didn’t in this case, where everything from the aesthetics to the products and services are offered in a beautiful, safe and healthy environment.”

A trendsetter in the skin rejuvenation industry since its opening a decade ago, the board certified plastic surgeon led eco-medspa now combines its beauty enhancing medical procedures with the most effective organic treatments and healthy environment to create a naturally vibrant and youthful appearance with minimal downtime. The Epi Center MedSpa will be located in its new luxurious and sustainable LEED certified offices in the prestigious Union Square medical building at 450 Sutter Street. The Epi Center MedSpa will begin booking patient appointments at its eco-medspa in February.

The Epi Center MedSpa is working with leaders in eco-architecture and design to create an elegant and luxurious LEED certified medical spa. Eric Corey Freed, founder of organicArchitect and author of Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies, ensured the Epi Center MedSpa conforms to the strict standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The dedication of Epi Center MedSpa founder and owner Margaret Mitchell to this project, ensuring that every aspect of the new eco-medspa is green for the right reasons, has been inspirational to me and made this project an exciting one,” says Freed.

Eco-Fabulous founder and style guru Zem Joaquin served as the “green style police” for the project, ensuring that its design adhered to architect and designer William McDonough’s strict “Cradle to Cradle” standards. Cradle to Cradle means as many aspects of the medspa as possible are designed to be in line with natural systems to create a building that allows nature and commerce to co-exist in a way that supports the health of the planet.

Justin Martinkovic, principal in the San Francisco commercial and residential architecture firm MartinkovicMilford, served as the lead architect on the project. Will Wick of San Francisco’s Wick Design Group designed the interior. And Alsterlind Construction Inc. served as the contractor.

The new eco-medspa is light, elegant and inviting, cultivating San Francisco chic meets eastern simplicity in its design. It is constructed using eco materials, from recycled and FSC-certified wood, marble flooring and countertops, to the eco-paints and recycled fabrics in a color palette that reflects those found in San Francisco’s natural environment. The medspa’s treatment rooms are named after our local natural treasures, from the Farallon Islands to rare and endangered animals. It will also be energy efficient and conserves resources through its lighting, recycling, electronic medical charting, digital photography and water filters that will eliminate the need for bottled water.

Eco medical treatments on the Epi Center MedSpa’s menu will include those that are light-based, such as its PhotofacialSM Elite that offers a naturally non-toxic approach to skin rejuvenation. It will also include state-of-the-art microdermabrasion. The treatment is crystal free, eschewing the aluminum oxide crystals used in most spas today to create an effective and healthful treatment with long-lasting results.

As an industry leader, the Epi Center MedSpa is working to develop the first line of organic medical grade skin care products with celebrated skin care company Juice Beauty, also based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The next generation medical grade skin care boosters that the two companies co-developed are formulated to be effective, sensuous and healthful.

Traditional medical spa treatments will remain on the menu, being balanced with organic products and a healthful environment to bring out natural beauty holistically.

“The entire Epi Center MedSpa will be green,” says Joaquin. “You don’t have to sacrifice style to be eco-fabulous. We certainly didn’t in this case, where everything from the aesthetics to the products and services are offered in a beautiful, safe and healthy environment.”

About the Epi Center MedSpa

The Epi Center MedSpa was co-founded in San Francisco in 1998 by Margaret Mitchell and world-renown dermatologist and PhotoFacial developer Dr. Patrick Bitter Sr., MD. It is the first medical spa of its kind to open in the United States, and continues to uphold its reputation as a skin rejuvenation industry leader and top provider of state of the art aesthetic skincare and hair removal. With a commitment to customer service and safe, effective care, the Epi Center MedSpa develops customized treatment programs that target each individual’s needs. The board certified physician-led facility is located in the prestigious 450 Sutter Building in downtown San Francisco.

About Epi Center MedSpa Physicians

Dr. Scott Mosser is a nationally recognized Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and is published in plastic surgery literature. Known for achieving a natural result, Dr. Mosser has dedicated his life to the art of facial and whole body cosmetic surgery. Among his many distinctions, he was a Fulbright Scholar to Ecuador and participated in a yearlong aesthetic surgery fellowship, studying under an internationally recognized plastic surgeon. He previously founded the cosmetic surgery center for Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco and is now the Medical Director for the Epi Center MedSpa.

World renown Cosmetic Dermatologist Dr. Patrick Bitter, Sr., now the Epi Center MedSpa’s advisory physician, has been practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 40 years. He developed the PhotoFacialSM Elite skin rejuvenation procedure, which is now performed around the world. He also performed FDA clinical trials for hair removal, collagen, and several laser procedures and has helped to develop medical grade skin care products.

Jennifer Fick, RN, BSN, is the Director of Clinical Operations at the Epi Center MedSpa. She worked closely with Dr. Bitter as he developed the PhotoFacialSM Elite procedure and has been performing Intense Pulsed Light treatments since 1998. Jennifer has presented at physician workshops and teaches other physicians the art and science of performing IPL, laser and cosmetic procedures. She is recognized for her expertise not only with laser and IPL, but is considered one of the top nurse experts in BOTOX® Cosmetic and Restylane® injections.