For Ashley Martinez, founder of Luma Medical Aesthetics, entering the world of medical aesthetics wasn’t initially part of the plan. The former infection control nurse found her path to the industry during a period when caring for others had begun to eclipse caring for herself.
While working through the COVID-19 pandemic, Martinez was surrounded by illness and uncertainty. “There were times that I would look in the mirror and didn’t even recognize myself,” she said.
The seeds for Luma were planted during a babymoon before the birth of Martinez’s third child. She and her husband met a couple who had opened a medical spa in Washington and spoke enthusiastically about their work and the fulfillment they found in the aesthetics industry. Martinez began researching the field as soon as she returned home. The woman she met on that trip remains a mentor and close friend today.
In 2022, Martinez opened the first Luma Medical Aesthetics in Glenwood Springs. After an enthusiastic response, the practice expanded with locations in Willits and Rifle, extending its reach throughout Colorado’s mountain communities.
In Colorado, wellness is a way of life. From time spent on the mountain to an increasing focus on longevity, beauty and self-care, looking good and feeling good are becoming more intertwined. That connection is at the heart of Martinez’s approach to aesthetics. From the beginning, she envisioned Luma as more than a destination for injectables or skin treatments.
“I wanted to create a wellness haven,” she said. “We want our patients to feel like the full spectrum of health and well-being is accessible to them both on the inside and the outside when they walk through our doors.”
For Martinez, that means taking an approach to aesthetics that prioritizes subtlety. Rather than dramatically changing a patient’s appearance, she aims for results that leave them looking rested and refreshed – and increasingly, that means turning to regenerative treatments designed to work with the body over time.
Martinez is particularly excited about treatments such as Renuva, Sculptra, Advanced Biological Growth Factors, peptides and exosomes. Many of these treatments are used with the goal of supporting the body’s regenerative processes, including collagen production.
For patients just beginning to explore aesthetics, however, the answer isn’t necessarily an elaborate treatment plan. Carly Stillman, PA-C and Lead Aesthetic Injector points to microneedling as an option for supporting collagen production and Botox for creating a more refreshed appearance, depending on a patient’s age, concerns and goals.
Customization, Stillman says, is essential. Consultations at Luma begin with a patient’s treatment history and skin goals before developing a longer-term plan that may combine injectables, medical aesthetic treatments and at-home skincare.
“Ideal results are achieved over time – not in one appointment,” Stillman said.
That long-term philosophy pushes back against what Martinez and her team see as one of the industry’s biggest misconceptions: that a single syringe or treatment should transform someone’s appearance.
“One size definitely does not fit all,” she said. “We are practicing medicine, not using sales tactics.”
For Martinez, Luma’s growth has ultimately been about the relationships built along the way – both with patients and among her nurses and staff.
“My team has turned into family,” she said. “We all live and breathe the same values and goals for ourselves, our families, and our community.”