Keisha Peynado-Downer’s oncology aesthetics

AS Rose Peynado aged, she developed a beauty routine of always wearing red lipstick, red nail polish and dyeing her hair black to hide her grey strands. Little did she know that when she asked her granddaughter Keisha to help her dye her hair, she was introducing her to beauty therapy.

When young Keisha Peynado tried to get into the business and cosmetology classes in high school though, they were full, so she ended up doing clothing and textiles. She pursued that field after leaving school, but threw in the towel after three months because she was bored. She did a short stint in sales, then decided that she needed to go back to school — this time to do what she loved. She quit her sales job and took on a full diploma programme offered by The Face Place Institute of Aesthetics. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, Keisha Peynado-Downer is the owner of Shays Day Spa and Beauty Clinic at 25 Annette Crescent in St Andrew. With more than 18 years experience under her belt, she is also a licensed beauty therapist, a massage therapist, an oncology-trained aesthetician, a certified nursing assistant, a nail technician and a hair and scalp restoration technician.

“When God is ordering your steps a lot of times you won’t see where you are going, but you will get there,” she told All Woman, reflecting on her journey.

After working at a spa in Kingston for a few years, Peynado-Downer felt as if she needed a change. She considered being a beauty therapist in the hotel industry and mentioned it to a client of hers. The client asked, “Why would you go back to working for people?” That question reignited Peynado-Downer’s desire for owning a business.

“I was afraid,” she confessed. “But I’m sure anybody who is thinking of starting a business would feel that way, so I went for it anyway.”

Out of that Yashays Day Spa & Salon was born in 2003 as a partnership on Old Hope Road.

“The partnership ended and I rebranded as Shays Day Spa & Beauty Clinic. I went beauty clinic because I’ve always been big on the care aspect of the industry. Many people can do hair and nails, but I’m very big on caring for my clients’ hair, scalp, skin and nails.”

Even after rebranding, and subsequently moving to her current location, Peynado-Downer still was not quite sure where she was going with the ‘beauty clinic’ aspect of the business. She soon realised that the move was, as she calls it, divine intervention.

“I had a client call me one day and ask if I knew anybody who does oncology aesthetics. She had a sister who was undergoing cancer treatment at the time, and she just wanted her to have a spa day. The response she was getting from everywhere was that they could not accommodate her sister because back in the day, especially with massages, we were trained that one of the contraindications to certain services was cancer, so most practitioners would just not touch cancer patients.

“But things are changing. Now we have oncology aesthetics. We have more spas being oncology-trained. So I decided I needed to learn more about this. I started doing my research. The client was also helping me to find out where I could get the training.”

Though curious, Peynado-Downer took a little time getting her oncology training, as she was preoccupied with getting her business stabilised after moving and rebranding. She started noticing though, that she wouldn’t see some of her clients for a while, only to find out that they were ill, many of them with cancer and autoimmune diseases.

“And I thought to myself that maybe if I was oncology-trained then I could still see them, but maybe in a different capacity. So I did my research, found a school abroad, and I went and got my training.”

Now certified to practice on cancer patients, Peynado-Downer has to renew her license every two years to ensure that her training is on par with new research.

“For some people it might not seem like going to a spa is necessary, but for others it’s one thing that they look forward to every once in a while to help them cope with life. To wake up one morning and hear that you have cancer or an autoimmune disease and you can no longer enjoy this service is devastating. This kind of treatment helps people with these conditions cope with their illnesses.

“If you’re going through radiation, chemotherapy or immunotherapy and you’re losing your hair, your skin is breaking out, it’s getting dry, your lips are cracking, do you want to stay home and be reminded of your issue? Or, do you want to go out and get a treatment done that can take your mind off your long list of medication and pain? This is what I’m here for,” she beamed.

“I quickly discovered, too, that this kind of treatment is not just for cancer patients. A lot of the medication used to treat lupus, for example, is similar to that used to treat some cancers, which invariably means that they will have similar side effects.”

While Peynado-Downer is driven by her passion for caring for others and providing comfort to them when they need it most, she is also guided by her own battle with an illness.

“While I’ve never had cancer, I’ve had my own personal illness,” she shared. “I suffer from endometriosis and I know what it is like to be in pain, and to want to just be able to relax. I know the pain that I have is nothing in comparison to what someone going through cancer may have, but somebody has to be able to provide some amount of comfort to these people while they are actively going through treatment, or after they have gone through the treatment.”

While Peynado-Downer admits to facing many challenges in the 15 years she has owned her business, she is pleased with how far she has come. She credits the new direction of her business to God, as she believes that offering this service to cancer patients is a part of her divine purpose. She strongly believes in doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, and she also uses the John C Maxwell quote, “Your daily agenda determines your success” to guide her steps.

“There are days when I get dressed and leave my house and come to work and there are no appointments in my book. But I don’t stay home. I still have to show up. What you do everyday determines where you go,” she said.

Being a wife of four years and a step-mom, Peynado-Downer says finding a balance between home and family is not very difficult, as her husband travels often. Nevertheless, she likes to stay home when she has free time.

“My job is not just physical, it’s emotional. I give a lot of myself everyday. I like to stay home and recharge when I find the time. I’m the Netflix and chill type.”

And Peynado-Downer isn’t just satisfied with being an oncology-trained aesthetician. She wants that branch of therapy to grow in Jamaica by training others.

“I want to get trained to become a trainer so that I can train others in oncology aesthetics. It is out there in the world, but I want it to grow in Jamaica. We always seem to get on the train last. I’m hoping this isn’t one of the areas where that happens,” she said.