Ask co-founders and sisters Jessica Stellwagen and Melissa Mickelson what they love most about their CoolSculpting business Bodify, and odds are they’ll tell you they love helping their clients feel good about themselves.
Stellwagen and Mickelson founded Bodify, a CoolSculpting-only boutique that offers services to men and women to target stubborn fat in areas such as the stomach, lower back, thighs and arms. CoolSculpting kills fat cells by exposing them to cold temperatures. The CoolSculpting applicator chills the unwanted fat cells to a certain temperature (-9C) for about 35 to 75 minutes. As a result the damaged fat cells will die over a 2-3-day period and the dead fat cells take 2-4 months to flush out of your body, leaving those areas slimmer.
Bodify is based in Phoenix and recently opened its second location in North Scottsdale in May. Stellwagen and Mickelson have both completed advanced training at CoolSculpting University and the elite CoolSculpting Master’s course in Pleasanton, CA, each with a 95 percent client approval rating. Since Bodify opened in Phoenix in January 2015, their team has completed over 15,000 treatments to date and counting to give clients life-changing results.
Stellwagen said Bodify decided to specialize in CoolSculpting because they wanted to be able to focus on one thing and execute everything really well.
“We wanted to be the master of one thing and not the jack of all trades,” Mickelson said. “We both come from a background where we want to provide a very high level of customer service and also wanted to be the experts at what service we provide.”
“We thought if we could really focus and have a niche, that we would be able to excel in it and that way it would translate not only to that client experience, but also our personal lives, having that type of focus and not having to do 10 million things,” Stellwagen said. “The business just happened to be something that people who were hearing about it really appreciated too. I think that was something we were surprised by…The feedback has consistently been, ‘If I’m going to transform my body, I’d much rather go to a specialist, than a jack of all trades,’ So it’s benefited everybody, including us.”
Mickelson said the reason CoolSculpting is great is that it’s a “permanent non-invasive fat reduction procedure that works with no downtime, needles or surgery. People like that and trust us and believe we know what we’re doing. The fact that our patients can have it done and be at the gym an hour later is a testament to how great of a procedure it is.”
However, she cautioned that if people have a CoolSculpting procedure completed by an inexperienced or untrained technician, it could lead to unsatisfactory results. “CoolSculpting is the only thing that we offer, which is exciting because we are the experts at it,” Mickelson said. “We wanted to make sure we were the best in the industry and I think it’s one of the reasons that we’ve been able to be No. 1 in Arizona and No. 4 in the U.S. in the treatments we do, is because it’s the only thing we do,” Mickelson said.
Their 2,000 square foot North Scottsdale location off Greenway Parkway and Scottsdale Road is modeled off of their Phoenix location. Stellwagen said the Scottsdale office has the same footprint and spa-like treatment room designs to mimic the Phoenix location and give clients the same experience and feel at each location. “We wanted to make sure that no matter which office you go to, call, text or email, that that experience is phenomenal regardless of what zip code it’s in.” The Scottsdale location also has a Bodify ManCave with beverages and three big-screen TVs.
“As two young women who are sisters, we started out with the idea of having one location, and being able to expand to a second location means a lot to us — it means we found a model that works,” Stellwagen said.
“I feel like it (the Scottsdale location) was kind of us being able to take our business acumen to the next level,” Mickelson said. “We definitely worked very hard for our one location and it was a challenge for us to see if we could open a second one and make sure that it has the same look, feel and client experience and giving the same results.”
The owners also attribute their success thus far to their team and creating a fun and respectful work environment. “I think we treat our team exceptionally well, and I love that as we grow Bodify, that we’re going to bring more people onto our team. We have a workplace that people love going to–there’s respect, they get paid well and it’s a fun environment,” Stellwagen said.
In addition to fostering an enjoyable work environment, Stellwagen and Mickelson said they feel they are able to make a positive impact in their clients’ lives through CoolSculpting.
“Melissa and I have always said, we feel like in our own way we get to uplift humanity,” Stellwagen said. “Because good, bad, right or wrong, how people feel in their own skin impacts every interaction they have on a daily basis. We love that by transforming people’s bodies through non-invasive technology, that in our own way we get to make people’s lives better, not only for their self perception, but their interactions with spouses and kids and coworkers and everybody else they interact with daily.”
Stellwagen is excited about what they do and feels the technology along with their expertise and client experience have all contributed to their success thus far.
“I think we’ve stumbled upon a technology that’s really remarkable and that coupled with the level of expertise and the client experience that we offer gives people a place to come and feel freaking good about themselves. Humanity and the world can be harsh so it’s fun to give people a little piece of, ‘Hey guess what? This is a great place, you’re respected and we uplift you and when you leave you feel great about yourself.’”
As for Bodify’s future? Mickelson said they would love to expand Bodify to additional locations, perhaps in the East Valley. Stellwagen said the new location gives them a chance to serve more clients, and give them the lasting results they’re looking for.
“In general I think Melissa and I as sisters we love working together it’s it a really fun ride and it’s pretty remarkable to be able to have an idea and create something and be successful at it,” Stellwagen said. “And not a day passes where she and I aren’t like, ‘Wow, look at what we’re building and how many people we’re serving,’ and it’s a really fun journey that we’ve been on and we’re excited for more.”
