by Kayla Sosa | photography by Aleka C. Thrash of ACTPhotoMedia

At Aspara Spa, Femé Naigow is providing a unique experience to clients through her transparency, environmental and globally conscious mindset and her new personalized skin-care line.

Mé by Femé is the name, an attribute to Naigow herself. The line carries all kinds of skin care products, from moisturizers to toner.

“When you touch someone’s skin or face, and you’re looking at them, you want to make sure that what you’re putting on them works for them and the ingredients work for them,” Naigow said.

As an individual, Naigow tries to recycle and be as environmentally friendly as possible, and that trickles down into her work as well.

"Your skin is your largest organ, so why would you put something toxic on your skin?” Naigow explained. “Looking at it holistically, what fits into your life, what do you want to use.”

Everything in Mé by Femé is natural, plant-based and vegan. There are no added, unnatural fragrances. The line is meant to work for anyone, but has a focus on anti-aging and hormonal acne.

Linda Godoy, 70, started using the Mé Femé products during one of her visits to Grand Rapids to see her daughter. Godoy, who lives in California, was looking for a smooth moisturizer for aging skin, but also something that she could bring back on the plane.

“I find that the way it goes on is really nice,” Godoy expressed. “The moisturizer isn’t real sticky or gooey, whereas with some of them you feel a residue on your skin.”

Someone had recommended Godoy check out Aspara Spa and when she walked in, she said she immediately noticed the soothing atmosphere.

“I like to deal with small businesses because I think it’s important to support small businesses, especially women,” Godoy said. “And I like to have a connection, and I felt that with (Femé) right away. She’s very calming, she just makes you feel good.”

Naigow said she strongly believes that the culture of the employees entirely affects the experience of the customers.

“I personally don’t ask anybody to do something I either have not done or I’m not willing to do,” Naigow said.

Naigow gets her work ethic and passion for environmental and natural health from watching her father.

“Be the best you can be, and sometimes that’s what you ingest and what you surround yourself with, your environment,” Naigow said. “Not only what is it going to do for me today, but what is it going to do for the Earth? Sustainably sourced, fair trade…all of our products that we have in our spa, I have thought about that.”

Until age 15, Naigow grew up in West Africa. Her parents, and especially her dad, influenced her to be kind to others in more ways than one.

“At the very core of my being, I believe in treating people fairly,” Naigow expressed. “I believe in treating everybody as you would like to be treated. That can be taken in a lot of different contexts, but if you use that as just your general rule, I think it leads to a fairer life for everybody.”

Click here to learn more about Femé and her spa.

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Kayla Sosa is a multimedia journalism student at GVSU. She’s a local freelance writer and enjoys spending time with her husband, her kitty and her family. When she’s not writing, she likes to go on nature walks, do yoga and paint