Meet Paisley Pahlmann: Holistic Esthetician, Reiki Master & Brand Educator

We’re honored to share a special conversation between Trish Alkaitis, our CEO, and the radiant Paisley Pahlmann, Licensed Holistic Esthetician, Certified Reiki Master, and our beloved Brand Educator at Dr. Alkaitis Organics. With over 25 years of experience in holistic skincare and energy healing, Paisley brings a deeply intuitive, soulful presence to everything she does. As the co-founder of the Sacred Being Wellness Studio in Black Mountain, NC, nestled in the heart of the Seven Sisters mountain range, she offers transformative treatments that nurture both skin and spirit. In this Q&A, Trish invites Paisley to share her wisdom, rituals, and personal journey with Dr. Alkaitis, offering inspiration for anyone seeking deeper connection through sacred self-care.

Every esthetician has their own unique style and often incorporates different techniques or modalities into their treatments. How would you describe your personal approach?

It is my philosophy that a facial session should not only nourish the skin, but also bring balance and peace to the nervous system. Massage is a central part of my treatments, along with energy work that incorporates Reiki, vibrational tuning forks on energy centers and acupressure points, and sound therapy using crystal singing bowls. The feedback I most often receive from clients is that their skin feels like it can breathe again, thanks to Dr. Alkaitis’s deeply nourishing products, and that my sessions transport them into a dream-like state of relaxation.

Where are you currently based? Can you share a bit about your background, your current work, and how long you've been practicing as an esthetician?

I have been an esthetician for over 25 years. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and went into skincare right after high school (after a short stint in college for acting). I had been a receptionist at a large day spa in Ohio throughout my late teens, and that’s how I was first introduced to esthetics and where I practiced skincare for the first couple of years in my career.

It was always my dream to move to NYC, and after I saved up enough money, I moved to Brooklyn. It was a dream come true, and after many years of working at holistic celebrity spas throughout the city, I landed at Great Jones Spa, which is where I met Trish Alkaitis and learned about the Dr. Alkaitis brand. I simply fell in love with how nourishing and calming the line is.

When I had my son in 2013, I moved to the Asheville, NC area and eventually settled in a sweet little mountain town right outside Asheville called Black Mountain. In 2016, I co-founded a holistic wellness space called Sacred Being Wellness Studio with a dear friend of mine, where we offered our community holistic Dr. Alkaitis Organics facials, massage, and wellness workshops.

All these years later, that dream has manifested into a beautiful new wellness collective called Be Well Black Mountain where I have my studio. Myself and other talented practitioners offer holistic treatments for mind, body, and spirit: wellness rituals and clean beauty. Our mission statement is: It is our goal to foster a safe and inclusive community while supporting personal balance, growth, holistic health, and positive transformation. We believe that wellness stems from authentic connection while nourishing the mind, body, and spirit.

I have loved being able to support my community with wellness-based healing, especially after Hurricane Helene came through and devastated parts of our area in late 2024.



I know we share the experience of having and suffering with problematic skin. What advice can you give to both aspiring estheticians and to customers looking for relief?

My teenage acne is a huge part of what called me to skincare. Upon advice from our doctor, I was put on a very strong medication to try to cure my acne at age 16. It stripped my skin of all moisture and contributed to years of suffering from severe depression and anxiety. 

A few years later, when I started working at a local day spa in my area, I learned about facials, and realized that if we had known to look, there was relief beyond the toxic medicine I had been on. The facials helped to calm some of the scarring I had been left with, and I fell in love with the idea of esthetics.

Once I moved to NYC, I was introduced to a more holistic approach to skincare and learned about internal cleanses and external holistic products that could support my skin. That’s when my passion shifted into a calling. Once I began incorporating the energy work component into my holistic treatments, it all fell into place for me, and I truly believe I am doing my life’s soul work.

For anyone suffering with acne, I want them to know that there is nourishing help out there. Stripping your skin is not going to be supportive long term. Find a holistic esthetician you trust to give you skin-soothing treatments. Don’t pick at your skin (it’s only going to cause more issues), and take a look at your diet and any external influences that could be contributing to breakouts.

Also, our Dr. Alkaitis Soothing Gel, Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil, and Organic Universal Mask (used weekly as a treatment mask and spot treatment) are wonderful products to support acne-prone skin. I wish I had them all those years ago.



Was there a specific moment or experience that inspired you to start educating others about skincare?

Honestly, becoming an educator was never something I intended to do. Inherently, I tend to be very shy. However, I have a dear friend who was my supervisor at one of the holistic spas I worked at that carried Dr. Alkaitis, and she recommended me for this position as the Dr. Alkaitis Brand Educator.

It took some coaxing from her and a few lengthy conversations, but she shared with me that she saw something in me that aligned deeply with this path. In the end, it’s been a beautiful decision, and I owe her so much gratitude for seeing me when I couldn’t see myself.

I’ve felt truly honored to share my past experiences and current knowledge with our wholesale accounts and clients. I’m especially looking forward to offering these 1:1 consultations with our customers.

Over the past few years as the Brand Educator, I’ve really loved the connections I’ve made, and supporting others in this way feels like a perfectly aligned opportunity to share my years of knowledge.

What are some of your favorite Dr. Alkaitis products, and what would you like to share about your experience with the brand?

My all-time favorite product is the Organic Soothing Gel. Every day, I mix two pumps of the Soothing Gel with one pump of the Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil to create a beautiful, calming elixir for my skin. My super sensitive, perimenopausal skin loves it! On days when I need a little extra moisture, I layer two pumps of the Organic Day Crème or Organic Night Crème over the top for added nourishment.

I also love using the Soothing Gel under my LED light and as a spot treatment for the occasional blemish that pops up, on myself and my 12-year-old son. It helps calm inflammation quickly. I always recommend this to my teen clients to help prevent them from picking at their skin.

I recently had the amazing opportunity to visit our lab in California, and something I always try to convey to our accounts is that not only do we use the highest-quality, ethically sourced ingredients and formulate everything in an intentionally clean facility, but also that the women creating and bottling the products have such deep integrity and love for what they do. The environment is filled with music and art. I truly believe all of that energy can be felt in those beautiful green bottles.

Our line really is a cult favorite. If you know, you know. I’ve never come across another skincare line with this much integrity and such pure ingredients. The fact that we never use any chemicals is huge. Unfortunately, so many seemingly organic skincare lines are still filled with unsafe ingredients.

When my clients say their skin can finally breathe again after a facial session, it’s because it literally can. We never heat anything above body temperature, which means the products are alive, enzymatic, and adaptogenic. I love that our line can meet our clients’ skin exactly where it’s at. No matter what’s going on, internally or environmentally, it helps bring the skin back to balance. It’s a joy to work with something I truly believe in.

SACRED BEING
WELLNESS STUDIO
at BE WELL BLACK MOUNTAIN

Village of Cheshire
10 E Market Street, Suite D
Black Mountain, NC 28711

sacredbeingwellness@gmail.com
(347) 731-8284