Meet Meadow Tarves, the owner and founder of Youth Bar, offering a full spectrum of medspa beauty services.  She is a busy mother of five who finds self-care essential. Meadow is a Medical Aesthetician, Beauty Coach, and Injectable Trainer, and holds advanced certifications in electrology, advanced lasers, and clinical skincare. She is passionate about her service to the community, offering an inviting atmosphere for clients to have services performed in a relaxed and fun environment.

Thank you Meadow for your entrepreneurial spirit and passion toward the services you provide your clients.  You’re an incredible example of a wife and mother driven to achieve her goals.

 

Q: What inspired you or led you to your current career?

A: I think it was in search of feeling and looking my best.  I’m a mom of 5, ages 8 through 19 years old.  I was a young mom and a college athlete. I noticed facial aging and asked myself what options I had because I was so good about working on my body and trying to be healthy for my kids.  I had always been in aesthetics and had experienced these treatments in my mid 30’s.  I saw a gap between being approachable, and being scared, making them accessible, and being transparent. I felt like there was so much shame and secretive-ness in this industry about whether you are doing something for vanity or anti-aging, that I thought it could be more presentable and accessible, and a little fun. This concept came to me after working in the industry for a few years and I saw how much fear there was around non-invasive aesthetic treatments. They get categorized as plastic surgery with so much myth that I wanted to deconstruct all the fear around botox, laser treatments, to doing something that makes you feel better.

Also, Youth Bar was in fact created out of tragedy when my husband had a stroke.  Jason is fine now, but it has been a journey.  When you’re going through something like that, and your husband is in the ICU, you find out that we are all stronger than we think we are, and it gave me the drive to find a way.

Q: Did you start Youth Bar?

A: I did.  I had opened my own medical spa 3 ½ years ago (under a different name). On the entrepreneurial journey, I think you are always learning to see where the gaps are. I started doing events trying to promote our business and I noticed that people wanted a community and enjoyed coming in. There was just this disconnect between that connection. When you are touching someone’s face and you are doing facials you are connecting with them and you develop this relationship. As people start to talk, you realize that, “I’m not the only one that is worried about my aging, sunspots, or even about life itself.” That’s when Youth Bar came in to my head. I need to create something where people could connect. We took these treatments and put them into a social scene. I want these treatments to be accessible, social, and take that fear out of it, and bringing people together organically.

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Louisville and Lafayette, and what do you love there?

A: We really like The Post Brewing Co. and Lulu’s BBQ.  We tend to eat at home a lot with 5 kids.

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Louisville and Lafayette?

A:   My husband and our five kids moved here in 2014, from North Carolina.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?  And why?

A: I would go to Costa Rica.  I need a break from our winter.

Q: What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?

A: I think the first movie I remember seeing in theater was Dances with Wolves, kind of intense!  My favorite movie is Forrest Gump and I love Dumb and Dumber.

Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?

A: Everyone is capable of so much more than what we can give ourselves credit for. Question fear. Question the voices. There is not day that goes by that I don’t still have that voice of fear, that I think or realize more and more, it’s just a voice and it’s not real.

Q: What is something on your bucket list?

A: I would love to travel with my kids to Europe.  I feel like there’s so much that we don’t know as Americans and I feel like we aren’t diverse enough.  It doesn’t have to be Europe, but I would want to travel anywhere in the world and gain a wider view.

Q: What is your favorite music/ 3 bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?

A: The Beatles for sure.  Elvis Presley, he was such a performer.

Q: What is one of your favorite things about the Louisville/Lafayette area?

A: I think the way that the communities have built the infrastructure.  It’s such a difference for me from the east coast and what I really love about living here with our kids is the trails. Everything is built around the open space and the trails. My kids can ride their bikes everywhere.

Q: What current / former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Louisville and Lafayette?

A:  We love Sweet Cow, my kids beg to go there.

Q: Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch?  Why?  Where in Louisville and Lafayette would you have lunch?

A: Joan Replogle because she has been such a mentor to me. She just always calms me and reassures me. I would take her to Parma Trattoria.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

A: My goal is to have more Youth Bars, more than just here in Louisville. In ten years, traveling a lot and more freedom.

Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?

A: Most people presume I was a hippie because my name is Meadow, but I grew up very religious. I did home school because of religion until 9th grade.

Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?

A: Safe, Fun, and Easy.

Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?

A: Brad Pitt – he looks like my husband!

Q: If you had a full time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose?

Chef, Housekeeper, Driver, Coach, Physical Fitness Trainer, or Nanny?

A: Chef, all day long! I think it is the most import thing.  What you put in your body affects everything you do and it’s hard to find time for cooking.

Q: Is there something that you felt would benefit the community?

A:  A place that kids can go and hang out with their friends.  I also feel like we could use some more food and shopping options.