Next Level Skin Care

Antigonish, I have some exciting news! 💚

On Saturday, September 26th, I'll be at Teasdale Apothecary Co. for my very first in-store Next Level Skincare demo!

I'll be there from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, and I'd love for you to come say hi, try the Next Level Face and Body Cream for yourself, and learn a little bit about why I created Next Level.

Come by, say hello, ask questions, and see what Next Level is all about. 💚

📍 Teasdale Apothecary, Antigonish
📅 Saturday, September 26th
⏰ 10:30 am to 1:30pm

Hope to see you there!

Before I was a skincare founder, I was a massage therapist.

Honestly, I still am.

I've been a Registered Massage Therapist since 2018, and I still work full-time as an RMT while building Next Level Skincare.

But completing my final level of Manual Lymphatic Drainage training in 2022 changed the way I looked at skin.

MLD is specialized work. I work with people whose bodies and skin have experienced surgery, cancer treatment, swelling, scarring, and other challenges.

When you work that closely with people, you start to notice things differently.

You notice how much skin can change.

How it can become dry, sensitive, reactive, uncomfortable, or just different than it used to be.

And you start to understand that skincare isn't just about how skin looks.

Sometimes, it's about how skin feels.

It's about comfort. It's about supporting the skin when it's asking for a little more care.

That perspective stayed with me.

I kept seeing a need for something I couldn't confidently recommend.

And eventually, that need became Next Level Skincare.

Not because I had a business plan.

Not because I set out to become a skincare founder.

Because I kept seeing the same need in the treatment room.

I'm still a therapist. I'm still in the treatment room every week.

And I think that's important, because Next Level Skincare didn't come from stepping away from that work.

It came from being in it.

I had no idea what I was actually getting myself into.

It wasn't until I completed my final level of Manual Lymphatic Drainage training that something clicked. That training taught me how to really understand the skin needs of someone living with lymphedema — clients whose bodies had been through surgery, treatment, swelling, scarring. That understanding is what Next Level Skincare grew out of.

What I didn't know how to do was run a skincare business.

Bookkeeping. Wholesale accounts. Inventory management. Promotional material design. Building a website by trial and error. Doing in-store demos. Educating retail store staff about the product.

All things I didn't learn in massage therapy school.

There have been a lot of moments where I've wondered if I actually know what I'm doing. The self-doubt can be very real.

And then I get a message like this from someone who used the cream:

"The results have been remarkable. For the first time in six months, the skin on my feet is back to normal — soft, smooth, and, most importantly, no longer itchy."

Six months of dealing with that. And now, this person is experiencing something different.

That's why I started this.

I'm learning as I go. I'm doing so much of it myself while still working full-time as an RMT.

And I wouldn't trade it.

Let me reintroduce myself. 💚

I’m Melissa, the founder of Next Level Skincare.

If you’ve been following Next Level for a while, you may know the product. You may have seen me at a market, stopped by one of my demos, or heard me talk about why I created it.

But maybe you don’t really know me.

I’m a Registered Massage Therapist and Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist, and caring for people whose bodies have been through a lot has become a huge part of my life and my work.

I’m also a childhood leukemia survivor.

That experience is a big part of why I see care differently. It’s also a big part of why I created Next Level—but the story of Next Level didn’t start and end with my own experience.

It grew from years of working with people whose skin had experienced surgery, treatment, chronic conditions, dryness, sensitivity and so much more.

I kept seeing a need for something I couldn’t confidently recommend.

So I made it myself.

I researched. I formulated. I tested. I learned as I went. And eventually, I found a Nova Scotia manufacturer who could bring my formula to life.

Today, Next Level is still very much a founder-led business. I’m the person behind the product, the emails, the wholesale accounts, the demos, the orders, the education—and most of the things that happen behind the scenes.

It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve built.

And I’m even more excited about where it’s going.

So, if we haven’t officially met yet…

Hi. I’m Melissa. 👋

I’m the founder of Next Level Skincare, and I’m really glad you’re here. 💚

Why Next Level Skincare Exists

Some skin needs more than moisture — it needs care.

As a Registered Massage Therapist and Manual Lymphatic Drainage therapist, I have worked with people living with dry, sensitive, reactive skin, as well as skin affected by surgery, treatment, lymphedema, and other life experiences.

Over time, I saw a need for a product that felt gentle, comforting, and supportive for skin that has been through something.

That is why I created Next Level Skincare.

Therapist-formulated and made in Nova Scotia, Next Level Skincare was created to care for dry, sensitive, and reactive skin with simple, nourishing ingredients.

Thank you for being here and for supporting a small Canadian business. 💚

I wanted to share this beautiful review a client sent me. She originally picked up her jar at Luminate Co Wellness Market for dry skin — and found it helped with something she never expected. 💚

Next Level Skincare is now on shelves at Teasdale Apothecary Co. in Antigonish — the town I grew up in. Built for skin that's been through something, and now sitting in a shop that gets it.

If your skin's been dry, reactive, or just needs some extra care, ask the team about Next Level — they can walk you through it. 💚

📍 65 Beech Hill Road, Antigonish

It's been a while! I've been busy behind the scenes — relaunching the website and working on getting Next Level Skincare into more retail locations. I'm back, and I wanted to start with a reminder of why I made this cream in the first place: for people whose skin has been through something. Lymphedema. Surgery. Cancer treatment. Chronic sensitivity. And for anyone with dry, reactive, or sensitive skin.

Check out our redesigned website — link in bio. 🌿