Stepping into Divine Elysian Wellness, the outside world melts away. The sound of music replaces the din of traffic, and concrete buildings give way to lush plants set against cream-colored walls. Nancy Skoblar, the owner of the practice, intends for it to be a refuge among the bustle of daily life. “I want people to feel like coming here is an experience,” says Skoblar, a busy mother of three. “I want them to say, ‘I’m happy. I feel good here.’”

The spa’s treatment room. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

Divine Elysian Wellness is a naturopathic medical spa offering services ranging from facials to oxygen treatments. Skoblar, a registered nurse, was inspired to start the practice after assisting a close friend in his battle with Parkinson’s disease. The pair felt that standard medical treatments were effective but insufficient in combating his illness, and she began to take him to naturopathic practices across Los Angeles. The visits were revelatory.

“He was still on meds from Kaiser,” she explains, “but I saw how everything changed after we visited a naturopathic doctor.” After months of going to appointments, her friend suggested that she open a clinic of her own. “He got tired of me driving him everywhere, and he asked, ‘Why don’t you open a place of your own?’”

Skoblar was well prepared to branch out. A graduate of El Camino College’s nursing program, she had worked for years as a trauma surgery and ICU nurse at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center before taking on a second job at a wellness clinic in Beverly Hills. There, she trained in medical aesthetics and gained insight into the workings of a naturopathic clinic. Skoblar had the knowledge, and the encouragement from her friend was the stimulus she needed to set out on her own. In October 2021, she launched Divine Elysian Wellness with two coworkers from the Beverly Hills clinic.

Skoblar (center) with members of the Divine Elysian Wellness staff. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

The practice itself is a blend of traditional and innovative naturopathic services. Clients can pop in for classic treatments — such as facials, acupuncture, and massages — or they can try novel vitamin IV drips. The clinic also offers cosmetic services, like Botox and laser tattoo removal. Though Skoblar is fond of all the spa’s offerings, she’s especially proud of radiofrequency microneedling, an acupuncture-like process that uses radio waves to stimulate collagen growth in the skin. “It does wonders you’d never imagine,” she says. “It’s really effective, it doesn’t hurt, and it makes everyone feel good.”

Her patients agree. One client who recently went in for a microneedling before her wedding was so thrilled with the results that she sent Skoblar a card in thanks. “She said, ‘I’ve never looked better; I feel so good,’” Skoblar recalls. Another woman came to the clinic for help managing her pregnancy symptoms, reporting that acupuncture and other treatments mitigated her discomfort. “She had a really difficult pregnancy,” says Skoblar. “She was so ill, and she hated being pregnant, but after treatments, she told me that we really changed her whole experience.” To Skoblar, that’s what the clinic is all about. “I just love helping people,” she says. “To think that I can genuinely help others with the information I’ve learned — it’s exhilarating.”

The spa’s massage room. (photo: John Mattera Photography)

Despite Divine Elysian’s success, Skoblar admits that running the practice is far from easy. Her daily schedule is jam-packed — to kick off her morning, she takes her three young children to daycare and school before heading to the clinic. Once there, she puts on the music — each room has a different playlist — and slices fruit for the waiting room water cooler, in addition to prepping her staff. For Skoblar, the extra effort is necessary. “When clients come in, I want them to really enjoy it,” she explains. “I tell my staff to make it feel like clients are walking into your home.” Upon opening, she manages the practice, greeting clients, supervising treatments, and keeping the schedule until the center closes at 6 p.m. Then, she tidies and deep cleans the practice before closing shop around 8 p.m. There’s hardly a weekend — Divine Elysian is open six days a week.

“It’s definitely challenging,” she reflects. “I didn’t start with a big financial cushion since I made sure that I had the best staff and the best technology. And it’s hard having three kids — I miss them a lot. But my family has been phenomenal.” She’s especially grateful for her husband, who helped her choose the clinic’s name. “My husband is awesome. We’ve always felt like us getting together was divine intervention, so I wanted something that was spiritual. Elysian in Greek means ‘happiness,’ and divine means ‘heavenly.’ So it’s a happy, faithful place.”

Challenges aside, Skoblar can’t imagine doing anything else. “It’s a small price to pay to make someone feel happy,” she says. “Sometimes there’s nowhere else to turn — maybe you’ve maxed out on the amount of meds you can take — but here you have options. You can have a better quality of life, and you don’t have to suffer so much.” She’s especially proud that she can help her hometown. “I could have gone to Orange County or Beverly Hills,” she says. “But I wanted to bring it here because I’m from San Pedro. I think we really needed this.” spt

Divine Elysian Wellness is located at 28901 S. Western Ave. #225, Rancho Palos Verdes (in The Terraces). For more info, call (424) 267-6251 or visit divineelysianwellness.com.