BEAUTY BIZ
Two years ago, dermatologist Eliot Battle Jr. and Monte Harris, a plastic surgeon, floated an idea at an industry conference: What if we offered products, aesthetic services, and medical treatment for all skin types and colors, all under one roof? Just a few months later the two doctors opened CULTURA COSMETIC, a “medi-spa” in Washington, D.C., that does just that. Business is booming, and they’re now scouting additional locations in D.C., New York, Atlanta, and Chicago.

But their ultimate goal is to change the way skin is treated all over the United States. They want to teach other doctors their mindset and methods, and use Starbucks as a business model for duplicating Culturas all over the country. “We created this with a brand concept in mind,” says Harris. “There was always the idea of a bigger entity — a comprehensive, true medical spa.”