MARMORA — “I figured I know I can do it, so I did it,” Dr. Laura Kasper said of opening her own business, Aesthetic Reflections medical spa in Marmora.
Kasper, an emergency physician who also specializes in aesthetic medicine, held a grand opening ceremony April 3.
In the middle of Wayside Village off Tuckahoe Road, the shop is next to Reflections hair salon, whose operator Holly Kolonich owns both buildings. Kasper decided to name her first solo business to complement her neighbor.
The business bills itself as the “premier destination for beauty and wellness,” using and selling products from industry leaders Obagi Medical, VI Derm, SkinCeuticals, INVO, Hydrafacial and InMode.
During the open house, representatives from the companies showcased their skin care and aesthetic innovations, while Kasper and her estheticians held giveaways on their permanent make-up, micro-needling, chemical peels, facials, botox and other services.
Kasper, 58, grew up in Upper Deerfield Township, Cumberland County, and moved to Tuckahoe in 1999.
She operated Medical Aesthetic Center in Marmora with her ex-husband from 2011 to April 2023, when she took a position with Luminary Cosmetic Medicine & Hair Restoration in Linwood.
“I have been looking to open a new business for years,” Kasper said.
Board-certified in emergency medicine, she works night shifts at Virtua Health System in Berlin, where she has had experience with dermatology and treating lacerations with plastics.
That medical background is key in a field where there is no board certification.
“Virtually anyone could do aesthetics if they wanted,” she said, noting she first got involved in the field in 2004.
Some procedures she performs require a medical degree, such as plasma rich growth factor injections for rejuvenation.
Kasper said it is similar to platelet rich plasma treatment “but takes it an extra step further. It’s more specialized, more refined.”
Other services include botox injections, dermal fillers and laster treatments for hyper-pigmentation, resurfacing and hair removal.
Kasper generally sees patients — which she admits are mostly female with a man mixed in here and there and range in age from 18 to 90 — for an extended period.
“A lot of the people so far that I’ve been seeing are patients from my old practice,” she said. “I have this following in South Jersey.”
Kasper said there were few medical aestheticians in the area when she and her ex-husband opened their facility.
“I live in this community and there was a big need for it, no one else was doing it,” she said. “There were no med spas around; now they are on every corner.”
The fulfillment she gets from the job drives her to work hard.
“This is my passion. I love doing this type of work and didn’t want to let go. Because of the following, I decided I was going to continue doing it,” she said.
Aesthetic Reflections recently joined the Upper Township Business Association.
“I wanted to be more a part of the community, more involved,” she said.
Hours are by appointment. Call (609) 827-9789 or email aestheticreflectionsnj@gmail.com.
– STORY by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
PHOTO by STEVE ZELLERS/Sentinel staff
