Meet Gry Tømte, a Norwegian-born Skin Clinician and Founder of the award-winning HÜD Skin + Body clinic. Coming into her 15th year of treating skin, Gry is looking to shake up an industry that is driven by profits and quick fixes, by leading with a people-first mentality, for both her clients and her team.
Gry’s passion for skin was ignited in her early 20’s while suffering from acne and pigmentation. A quest for knowledge and exploration of reliable treatments lead Gry to study skin and biology, unearthing an insatiable appetite to find out how the skin heals and how to treat it effectively.
Tell us about HÜD Skin & Body.
HÜD (“who’d”) is Norwegian for skin – and that’s what we’re about! It’s the perfect combination of chill and clinical – a Scandi skin haven!
I have a team of 14 incredibly passionate and talented skin clinicians who every day treat each client with one purpose in mind – to change lives by changing skin. We also have an onsite cosmetic doctor and a referring naturopath we work closely with.
We treat skin from both an internal and external standpoint. We see a lot of inflammation – and all inflammation starts in the gut… So it’s only natural that we’re big on gut health!
What inspired you to start HÜD Skin & Body?
I founded HÜD in 2014 after finding a gap in the market. After having struggled with acne myself for over 10 years, I knew there had to be a better way – a more long term solution, to treating skin instead of the “quick fix” treatments that were on offer. During the years I underwent acne treatments for my own skin, I realised that my skin was looking older and older very rapidly – simply because the treatments were just peeling away the surface layers and not fixing the root cause.
I also noticed that all “serious” skin clinics were really sterile and quite unfriendly and “salesy”.
And for someone who suffers from crippling acne or pigmentation – or any other skin disorder you can’t hide – this is the last thing you need.
So the clinic was designed to feel like a Scandinavian home, to reduce cortisol levels and in turn help reduce inflammation.
Majority of the team have also struggled with various skin disorders themselves so have a real understanding and empathy for their clients.
Tell us about your career and background.
I actually started in this industry late in life.
I went to the University of Oslo, where I studied weird and wonderful things like Social Anthropology, Middle Eastern and North African studies, Criminology and Sociology. Not exactly what you’d expect hey?
It wasn’t until I later in life developed inflamed acne that I embarked on this path. My husband and I were living in Canada for 3 years and during this time I was seeing an esthetician, as they’re called there, and she suggested my interest in skin was something I could take further.
So I did a one year traineeship with her…
My very first job after qualifying was doing waxing. I had a super bad experience with a Brazilian wax (say no more!!) and then went on to do full time brow shaping. Thank goodness! My perfectionism streak finally came to good use…
When we later moved back to Australia, I worked in a nail salon for 3 years, but was constantly begging my boss to send me to skin training. She never did, so I started to do any courses I possibly could on my own time.
After 3 years I decided to start my own business from home, and opened Beautique St Kilda. I quickly grew a strong clientele and my passion for skin and my own experiences with acne meant I naturally attracted clients with the same issues.
After 5 years it was time to expand. I had no idea about business or how to lead a team – of what a P&L was for that matter! But I knew I wanted more – and that I wanted to change more lives.
So I found a run down old building in the worst area in St Kilda, and for some reason thought “perfect!”…
So my husband and I borrowed a lot of money from very good friends – and the bank, who kindly let us have a 13% interest loan! It was definitely a tough time. And due to a VCAT objection it took one year of hearings to finally get the permits we needed to open.
But 5 years on, it’s definitely my proudest achievement!
Describe a typical work day for you.
I tried to think about the best way to answer this. The truth is, there is no typical day in my life! I tend to start my days with a few moments of gratitude journalling (although this doesn’t always happen!) and maybe a podcast before I get up and look at my phone.
This is not something that comes naturally to me – and I think that goes for a lot of high achievers in business. But I’m working on showing myself some more self care.
After breakfast I’ll work on projects. This might be running performance reports form the week before, prepping for each of my 14 team members’ 1-1’s or prepping for our weekly team meetings. I also look at my instagram planning/ posting for the day (I know it should be pre planned – but I just never seem to be able to do it as I like the spontaneous side of our stories..)
Twice a week I also have meetings with my business mentor and also with my Team Leader.
Then I usually head into the clinic to catch up with my beautiful team one on one – and just generally be around for anything they might need help with.
It’s one of those types of businesses where 4 hours can easily turn into 6 as there’s a great energy, which means lots of collaboration, chats and impromptu catch ups.
I also often see clients who I’ve been fortunate to see for years who now see my team – but it’s always so awesome to have a little chat and keep in touch with the clients who are such loyal supporters of what we do.
I also try and get any planning and ordering done in the early afternoon.
In the late afternoon I will go for a walk with my husband and dogs (we have two cheeky white huskies), have dinner together – and then I tend to do the visionary stuff and passion projects.
I use Trello to keep me on track with my tasks – because I always receive ton of emails, slacks and dm’s that the days can quickly get too messy otherwise.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
I speak about this a lot – and its something I am passionate about teaching other business owners. And it’s finding your purpose.
To have a real authentic connection to your purpose should always be the first step in business. I know there are lots of successful people who just do it for the investment opportunities, but I think for you to find fulfilment and happiness along the way, it must be something you’re passionate about.
My second tip would be to invest in you and invest in your team.
I had zero business acumen when I started my business and so I kew I had to surround myself with people who could make up for my shortcomings.
So I invested in a business coach from day dot. I have since evolved and now I work with a leadership mentor to further develop myself and my team as leaders.
My third tip would be to look after your mental health.
Business is tough every day, and if you don’t cultivate a growth mindset and allow yourself to make mistakes and celebrating the lessons in them – rather than beating yourself up every time you “fail” – it will be a lot harder than it needs to be. Trust me, I know by experience!
What’s next for you, and HÜD Skin & Body?
Personally, I am developing a series of workshops for business owners in our industry that deals with leadership and finding purpose in business. It’s so rewarding to me and I can see there’s a need for change in our industry, which can often be driven by profit and to people. I see so many exceptional therapists out there who are ready to leave the industry simply because of their work experiences.
As to HÜD – there are some really exciting things in the works for this year. We’re in the midst of a brand uplift, taking on another team member, leadership development and also some passion projects and collabs with some awesome people in and outside our industry.
A big year ahead!
