- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Lia Crowe

A tranquil, high-end medical spa and a chaotic, bustling emergency room couldn91裸聊视频檛 be more different, but Dr. Matt Carere and Dr. Bri Budlovsky are equally at home in both settings.

91裸聊视频淓mergency medicine is a passion for both of us and it addresses an immediate need, fixing things that need to be fixed. But with this clinic we wanted to create something beautiful where patients feel pampered and cared-for and staff feel nurtured,91裸聊视频� says Matt of their new in James Bay91裸聊视频檚 Capital Park.

The luxurious medical spa, which opened at the end of May, provides personalized cosmetic treatments including injectables, complexion and skin tightening treatments, facials and peels, and hair restoration.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 confidence-boosting and it91裸聊视频檚 all about self-care,91裸聊视频� Bri explains. 91裸聊视频淔or my patients, it91裸聊视频檚 time they take away to do something nice for themselves. We wanted to be able to provide a more wholistic environment that made it feel very special for them. Unlike the ER, we have a longitudinal relationship with our patients here and we really get to know them.91裸聊视频�

The doctors, who both have training in cosmetic medicine, met in 2017 while working in the Victoria General Hospital and Royal Jubilee Hospital emergency rooms, where Matt still works full-time.

91裸聊视频淚 was driven by the ability to solve problems for patients and I remember exactly when I decided I wanted to do it,91裸聊视频� the 38-year-old father of two says of his decision to become a doctor. 91裸聊视频淚 was in a chemistry class and I was able to get through these complex problems by thinking really clearly and methodically about them. I thought if I can do that for patients on a daily basis, what a wonderful thing!91裸聊视频�

For Bri, who also has two small children and is an artist and musician was well, the decision to become a physician was a very personal one.

91裸聊视频淲hen I was a teenager, my dad was in a cycling accident and he was quite injured,91裸聊视频� the 35-year-old single mom explains. 91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 fine now, thankfully, but he was in hospital for a number of months and being there through his surgeries and recovery, there were a few physicians and nurses who stood out. One in particular91裸聊视频攈is spinal surgeon91裸聊视频攔eally treated our family as a whole and recognized the impact on my mom and my sister and really included us in a really meaningful way.91裸聊视频�

Bri and Matt were both born in Victoria but moved away for university and medical school. Matt played varsity volleyball at the University of Hawaii and then professional volleyball in Europe before going to medical school in Ireland. Bri did her undergrad at McGill and medical school at UBC, and she couldn91裸聊视频檛 wait to come back home to Victoria.

91裸聊视频淰ictoria91裸聊视频檚 amazing and my family91裸聊视频檚 all here, which was a huge part of the decision,91裸聊视频� the former ER doctor says. 91裸聊视频淏ut it91裸聊视频檚 such a wonderful community. We have that small-town community type of attitude and feel, but then you have so many of the perks of a city with great businesses and lots of things to do.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 think it was only a matter of time before we came back with small kids,91裸聊视频� Matt adds. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e lucky to have roots here and I think that91裸聊视频檚 why Bri and I have felt so passionate about building something here and creating a space where people from Victoria can come and feel cared for and looked after.91裸聊视频�

Unlike most construction projects during wide-spread COVID-19 labour shortages and supply-chain issues, Matt and Bri say the creation of their calming Philosophy MD space has been surprisingly smooth.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e so lucky we haven91裸聊视频檛 really had major issues,91裸聊视频� Bri says. 91裸聊视频淐ascadia Architects did the design and totally elevated our vision. We91裸聊视频檝e had the most incredible team with the builders (Jawl) and subcontractors, so that when some supply-chain issues did come up, they were all solvable and we91裸聊视频檙e really close to being on time, which is unheard of these days.91裸聊视频�

Part of that was due to Jawl predicting shortages and the partners heeding advice to order everything as soon as possible.

91裸聊视频淥ur builder said that with certain items if we91裸聊视频檇 ordered them three months later, we would have been delayed in opening six to 12 months, so we just decided, let91裸聊视频檚 get it all here and we had it stored and ready to go,91裸聊视频� Matt explains.

Being used to making decisions quickly has definitely helped the pair, but becoming entrepreneurs and starting a business has certainly posed a new challenge for the doctors, who are in partnership with Matt91裸聊视频檚 wife, Tara Carere, who runs Victory Media and specializes in marketing aesthetic medicine, and CFO Carla Matheson, who has a business background and experience with start-ups.

91裸聊视频淭here aren91裸聊视频檛 a lot of models doing what we91裸聊视频檙e doing, so learning to run a new business has been really different,91裸聊视频� Bri says. 91裸聊视频淲e did it all from the ground up and it was a steep learning curve.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e really had to learn how to work within a budget and we91裸聊视频檝e had to be smart with money and plan things appropriately,91裸聊视频� adds Matt. 91裸聊视频淚 think the biggest lesson so far is the need to be in constant communication. There are so many moving parts and so many things that need to happen in concert that we91裸聊视频檝e learned that we always have to be communicating with the entire team all the time.91裸聊视频�

As for deciding to open a new business during the pandemic, the partners say it was definitely a calculated risk. But the medical spa industry is growing and demand actually went up during the pandemic.

91裸聊视频淲hen you91裸聊视频檙e opening a business at this time in the world, there are a lot of unknowns,91裸聊视频� Matt says. 91裸聊视频淏ut we felt like, if not now, when? We knew we wanted to do something together so we just put one foot in front of the other.91裸聊视频�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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