More Than Skin Deep: Dr. Lori Aliksanian’s Investment in South Park

Dr. Lori Aliksanian outside MedBeautyLA, the South Park med spa she opened on Hope Street in 2019.

‍ ‍When Dr. Lori Aliksanian moved to South Park nearly 12 years ago, opening a business here wasn’t part of the plan. She was already traveling to downtown almost every week from the South Bay and was drawn to a clean, walkable, and vibrant neighborhood, with plenty of restaurants, entertainment, and things to do. As a young woman and dog owner, South Park offered the kind of urban lifestyle she was looking for.

MedBeautyLA’s Hope Street storefront, complete with its infamous “Brotox” sign and a container of treats for neighborhood dogs.

After moving here she realized the neighborhood might also be the perfect place for her work.

At the time, Dr. Lori worked part time as a physician in a surgical and wound care practice while also providing mobile Botox and fillers. She saw a market of young professionals interested in the natural, subtle results that she specialized in.

The clean, modern reception area at MedBeautyLA, where most of the staff and about 80% of its clients live Downtown.

Finding a space wasn’t easy. As a first-time business owner, she struggled to find a landlord willing to take a chance on her. Eventually, she found her space at 1100 S. Hope Street and put together an all-female, downtown-based team for the architecture, project management, and as much of the buildout as possible. MedBeautyLA officially opened in July 2019.

Then, just as the business was beginning to ramp up, COVID hit.

Dr. Lori credits her loyal employees with helping MedBeautyLA through those early years, finding odd jobs to keep the team together until they could see patients again. She also had to board up the storefront three times amid unrest downtown, which was expensive for a new business.

A hand-painted mural inside MedBeautyLA maps the human face against a backdrop of South Park buildings, including a cameo from Dr. Lori’s dog in one of the windows.

Today, MedBeautyLA is very much a neighborhood business. Approximately 80% of its clients live downtown, and most of the employees do too. Dr. Lori didn’t expect how many of her patients would be men. Men make up about half of their clientele, and the practice has added and tailored services with them in mind.

Dr. Lori describes MedBeautyLA as a different kind of med spa because everything they do is data-driven. They focus on treatments with science-backed results, specializing in non-invasive anti-aging treatments and “Transformation Bootcamp” programs designed to address concerns like acne, scarring, and hyperpigmentation.

For those looking for pampering to complement their clinical treatments, MedBeautyLA just launched a new 90-minute Supreme Youth Lymphatic Relaxation Ritual using products from French skincare brand, Phytomer. The treatment combines a facial with lymphatic massage of the face, neck, and chest; pressure-point work; and a warming, bubbling charcoal mask applied along the spine.

MedBeautyLA’s new 90-minute Supreme Youth Lymphatic Relaxation Ritual combines skincare with massage, lymphatic drainage and plenty of relaxation.

I got to try the treatment with Joanna ahead of its launch, and it was definitely the more indulgent side of MedBeautyLA—from the low lighting, chill music, and fresh eucalyptus to the extensive massage. The team added the treatment in response to growing interest in lymphatic drainage, and for patients looking for relaxation. And, after all, what’s more rejuvenating and anti-aging than 90 minutes to relax and de-stress?

One of the treatment rooms at MedBeautyLA, used for consultations and treatments.

Dr. Lori’s investment in South Park also extends beyond her own business. In 2023, she was nominated to run for the South Park business seat on the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC). She saw it as a way to bring the concerns of downtown stakeholders directly to the city and is now serving her second and final term as South Park Business Director.

Earlier this year, her DLANC work included advocating for a downtown vacancy tax targeting large landlords who leave ground-floor retail spaces vacant. The proposal didn’t move forward this time, but Dr. Lori sees high rents, vacant storefronts, and difficulty accessing financing as barriers to bringing more businesses downtown.

Meanwhile, she’s already thinking about what’s next for MedBeautyLA. Dr. Lori recently completed training in hair restoration surgery, building on her background in burn and wound surgery and the practice’s existing hair restoration treatments. She’s now looking for the right space to expand into surgical hair restoration for both men and women.

Nearly 12 years after she first decided to call South Park home, Dr. Lori is still a believer in downtown. She told me one of the things she appreciates most about the neighborhood is how invested the people who live and work here are in its success—and in making downtown the walkable, urban neighborhood they want it to be.

By Michelle Morehead