A holistic approach to skin care that incorporates her passion for the ocean, surfing, yoga and nutrition has driven Veronica Barton-Schwartz’s business in Malibu for the past three decades.
“My philosophy is to help people with their skin to make them feel better about themselves. You can’t just care about the skin. You have to care about everything,” Barton-Schwartz said from a courtyard outside her business, Veronica Skin & Body Care Center, at 24955 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
Barton-Schwartz said she chose the spot for her business in Malibu very carefully.
“To me, I always wanted to be in a beautiful spot in Malibu. I wanted to be in some spot that was private,” she said.
Barton-Schwartz opened her first day spa in 1981, behind what is now Zooma Sushi (which used to be known as I Love Sushi).
After five years, she moved to her current location.
“This is right in the center of Malibu,” Barton-Schwartz said, adding that she draws clients from western and eastern Malibu.
The spa and skin care center is known to most locals simply as Veronica’s.
As she grew her business from a single treatment room to nine, Barton-Schwartz said she incorporated her own outlook and the needs of the Malibu community.
“I moved to Malibu in the 70s. I had no idea I was going to be in the skin care world,” she said, pointing to issues she had with her skin, forcing her to visit a dermatologist.
“Back then dermatologists would give you medication. They would give you cortisone shots and antibiotics. I knew I was always into health, so I knew if I took a lot of antibiotics my teeth would go brown. It would kill all the good bacteria in my body,” she said.
Barton-Schwartz said she went to a specialist in Beverly Hills who cleared her skin through several methods, including nutrition.
“That set me on the road to learning about it, reading everything I could get my hands on. Once my children were in school full time, I went back to school, got my esthetician license,” Barton-Schwartz said, adding that she traveled to France to further her education about skin care.
As her clients began to ask for referrals, she began to offer additional services.
Today, Veronica's offers a variety of facials; acne treatments, anti-aging and discoloration products; a medical spa that offers fillers, botox, laser treatments and endermologie; acupuncture through Lisa Knickmeyer, who is also a nutritionist; and more.
She recently welcomed medical associate and Malibu resident Davis B. Nguyen, M.D., who is dual board certified in plastic surgery, as well as head and neck surgery.
Veronica’s also has a tai chi and yoga studio, which offers classes.
“I started doing yoga when I was 21 years old. That has always been part of my life,” she said. She said that was why she placed her yoga studio at the center of her skin care center.
“If you can’t be happy on the inside no matter what you do out here, you’re not going to have that glow. It’s going to be superficial,” she said.
Likewise, her love of surfing helped her realize the benefits of saltwater for the skin.
“I surfed until my 40s,” she said.
All of her skin-care products come in some part from the ocean, and she plans to release a line soon that will be derived solely from the sea.
“I knew there was something in that salt water. It was the seaweed and the pH balance that is good for our skin,” Barton-Schwartz said. “I have seaweed peptides in my products. Everything I do, with the chemists that I work with, is derived from the ocean.”
Barton-Schwartz said apart from spending time with her 14 grandchildren, she spends most of her time working and growing her business in Malibu.
“The reality is this isn't work. I'm in a beautiful place in the world. I meet the most interesting people in the world, and I'm surrounded by good people,” she said.
Learn more about Veronica's at veronicaskincare.com.
