If you’ve been spending time in Downtown Fort Wayne lately, you may have noticed a fresh new addition to The Pearl: illumé Laser & Skin Med Spa. With locations already established in Angola and Middlebury, illumé has brought its full suite of aesthetic and wellness services to the heart of DTFW.
We sat down with owner and medical aesthetician Amanda Taylor to learn more about the philosophy behind the brand, what makes them stand out, and why Downtown felt like the right fit.
Meet Amanda Taylor of illumé!
Molly: For those who aren’t familiar with illumé, can you talk about your services, and your approach to skincare and wellness?
Amanda: Absolutely. We’re a full service medical spa. We specialize in aesthetics and wellness. We have services that include everything from injectables—like Botox and filler—to facials, to laser treatments and laser hair removal. Also on the wellness side, we do a lot of weight loss solutions. We have multiple options for that, along with peptides and vitamins.
Our personal approach is to keep you natural, but make you feel better and enhance your natural features. We never want to overdo anything. The goal is always to bring out everyone’s beauty, and to make them feel more confident and better about themselves.
Molly: I love that approach—not trying to change anyone, but help them walk a little taller! Tell me, what inspired you to get into the med spa industry?
Amanda: When I made the career shift, I had been working in the ER for 18 years, and just really needed a change from the ER. Skincare and aesthetics has always been a passion of mine. Growing up, I had terrible acne. Finding good skincare changed my life. It was a huge game changer for my confidence.
I knew it was important to me to continue helping others, and I realized how good it felt being able to change people’s lives in the same way mine was changed when I found skincare routines that worked for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I still miss the ER. Not enough to go back, but it’s always going to be a part of me. If I could work a random four-hour shift to experience the excitement, I would. But this is the right place for me right now. This is a place where people want to come see you. They don’t have to come see you, like in the ER. It feels a lot lighter. And you can still change people’s lives, just in a different way.
Molly: For sure! For those shopping around for med spas, what is illumé known for, and what makes you stand out?
Amanda: I think what makes us different is really our approach and our commitment to learning. We really like to keep up on new trends and the new science that’s coming in.
We love to do lip filler, which is one of our specialties. But most of all, we’re always educating ourselves on new techniques, new products and new ways to help our clients meet their wellness goals. And like I said, we don’t like to overdo it. We want to keep you natural and just make you feel better about yourself without changing your base.
We’re not here to sell you something. We’re gonna do what’s right for you long term and what’s good for you personally. It’s important for us to keep it very personal. We love being on a first-name basis with our clients and feel that we have a real relationship with them.
Molly: Wellness is so personal, and I love that you keep it personal with your clients. I understand your Fort Wayne location is new, and that you have two other locations in Angola and Middlebury. Why did you choose Downtown Fort Wayne?
Amanda: I think that Downtown Fort Wayne is growing and becoming a really popular place to be. We love the feel of Downtown. There’s a lot of cool things happening here, and we want to be a part of it. It just felt like it was the right place for us to be.
Plus, there are so many people living Downtown. I feel like some people don’t realize how much it’s growing with all the new condominiums and apartments. So yeah, with all the growth, it was a good opportunity for us to offer our services to all the people who are here, either for work or who live in the Downtown community.
Molly: Well, we’re glad to have you! Last questions: what can people expect when they make an appointment with you? And is there anything else people should know?
Amanda: I feel like it’s so important to encourage people to come in for a free consult. So many people don’t know what they want or what their options are. Some people are very against Botox, but might not understand how many other non-invasive options out there.
Our initial consultation is always free and meant to help people navigate all the options that are available to them. It’s a time where they can say any of their concerns and then we can give them solutions. It’s intended to be a learning experience. Since it’s free, there’s no losing. And there’s absolutely no pressure. We’re not salespeople. We want you to take your time. We’re truly just here to help you feel better about yourself and help you meet whatever goals you have for your wellness.
Learn more by visiting illumelss.com, or their new location inside The Pearl on Main.
About the writer
Molly Conner is a Fort Wayne native, freelance writer, and digital marketer. Having lived in Downtown Fort Wayne throughout her twenties, she loves watching her stomping grounds grow. Passionate about storytelling and community, she’s eager to tell Downtown Fort Wayne’s story piece-by-piece—exploring the people and places that make it unique.
Have a story to share? Shoot her an email!