After building her experience in skincare in Somerset West and Stellenbosch, Chanté Oberholster is set to open her own practice at 153 Main Road, with a focus on personalised treatments and helping clients feel more confident in their skin.
The new sign for Luxe Skin Institute is now up at 153 Main Road in Somerset West, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Chanté Oberholster. After several years working in the skincare industry, she is taking the step of opening her own business, bringing together the treatments she enjoys most and the kind of personal service she wants her clients to experience.
The practice will offer facials, chemical peels and microneedling, alongside beauty treatments such as brow waxing and shaping, brow lamination and lash lifts.
But for Chanté, the business is about more than putting a menu of treatments together. What drew her to skincare in the first place was the difference it could make to someone’s confidence, particularly when they are struggling with a skin condition.
When I visited, the space was still being finished. The reception counter was already in place, but paint touch-ups were underway and the rest of the furniture was due to arrive during the week. A soft opening for friends, family and some customers is planned for Friday, 30 October 2026, ahead of the official opening on Monday, 2 November 2026.
The personal side of skincare
Chanté finds it incredibly rewarding to see someone who has struggled with their skin begin to feel more confident and comfortable in it. Being able to make even a small difference in someone’s skin journey is, to her, truly meaningful.
That outlook also shapes how she wants to run Luxe Skin Institute. In an industry where clients have plenty of options, she believes the relationship between therapist and client matters as much as the treatment itself.
“I’m not the type of therapist that’s going to just come in, get on my bed, pay me money, and go. That’s not why I do this,” she said.
“I want to be able to walk a journey with someone.”
Rather than building a practice around the largest possible number of appointments, Chanté wants to develop lasting relationships with clients whose progress she can follow over time.
“I wouldn’t necessarily want 500 clients a month, but if I have my 50 good clients and they walk a journey with me, then I’m happy.”
It is a personal approach she hopes will distinguish her practice in Somerset West, where she acknowledges there is already considerable competition in the skincare and aesthetics market.
Experience behind the new business
Although Luxe Skin Institute is her first business, opening her own practice follows several years of training and working in the industry.
Chanté studied at Isa Carstens Academy, completing three years in Stellenbosch before continuing into a fourth year in dermal aesthetics. During her studies, she also worked for a dermatologist.
She subsequently worked for an aesthetic doctor in Somerset West, where her role focused on skincare treatments, before moving back to Stellenbosch to join a larger company. There, she became head somatologist, building further experience in the field.
The decision to start her own practice brings those experiences together. Having worked for other businesses, she now has the opportunity to establish her own way of working and build a client base around the approach she believes in.
The Main Road location was also a deliberate choice. Chanté lives in Somerset West and wanted to establish the business in the community where she lives, rather than continue travelling to work elsewhere. The visibility of the premises was another attraction, with the location offering exposure to people travelling along one of the town’s main routes.
Changing perceptions about skin treatments
Another aspect Chanté hopes to address is the perception that professional skin treatments are necessarily uncomfortable or leave clients with visibly irritated skin for days afterwards.
She explains that many people associate skin treatments with significant discomfort, prolonged redness and irritation, as well as extended downtime that may require them to avoid sun exposure and put their usual routines on hold.
While the experience and recovery period depend on the treatment being performed, Chanté believes clients should understand what to expect before they begin.
The technology and methods used in the industry have changed over the years, she noted, and she does not want people to avoid exploring their skincare options because they expect every treatment to involve significant downtime.
Explaining the process is therefore part of the service she wants to provide. Clients should know what a particular treatment involves, what results they might reasonably expect and whether any recovery period is necessary.
Her approach returns to the same principle that underpins the business: understanding the individual, rather than treating every client or skin concern as the same.
Room to grow
For now, Chanté will be working in the practice herself, with a receptionist also expected to join the business. The premises have a second treatment room, which she hopes to make available to another practitioner whose services complement her own.
She has considered possibilities such as a doctor, a lash extension specialist or a permanent makeup artist. The idea is to introduce services that add value for clients without directly duplicating her own offering.
Looking further ahead, she would also like to expand Luxe Skin Institute’s treatments, potentially moving into laser-based services. Laser hair removal is one area she believes could be developed further in Somerset West, although it is not part of the practice’s current offering.
Any expansion will take time. As a new business owner, Chanté is beginning with the services she is trained and ready to offer, while leaving room for the practice to develop as the business grows.
Finding the right fit
For Chanté, the existence of other skincare businesses in the area does not mean there is no room for another. She believes different therapists appeal to different people, and that finding the right practitioner can take time.
Her ambition is to build a practice where clients feel comfortable returning, where their concerns are heard and where she can offer personalised guidance as their skin changes.
Luxe Skin Institute is at 153 Main Road, Somerset West. The practice will operate from 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, and from 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays.
For people curious about their skin or unsure which treatments might be suitable for them, Chanté welcomes them to visit and have a conversation about their concerns and what she offers once the practice opens.
“If I can change their life in a little bit of a way, then yeah, I’m happy,” she said.
