Photography by Lucas Purvis

In a very private setting on Shoal Creek Boulevard in Austin lies an extremely elegant medical spa that offers a vast array of services to enhance your appearance from head to toe.

As patients enter Serenity Creek Plastic Surgery & Med Spa, they are enveloped in a warm and cozy, yet exclusive world where they can get a mere laser hair removal treatment or opt for Botox®, laser skin therapy, facials, SmartLipo™, chemical peels, cosmetic surgery or something else from the never-ending menu of dermatology services for aesthetic improvement of the face, body and skin. 

In March 2010, Serenity Creek hosted its grand opening, which “was a huge success,” according to Haley Tidwell, marketing director of Serenity Creek.

Since then, the luxurious facility has grown rapidly. By observing the numbers, it is helping meet the ever-growing demands of the north and northwest areas in Austin.

Initially, Dr. Thomas Martens, medical director of both Serenity Creek and Union Treatment Centers (UTC), located in several cities throughout the state, brought in a host of clients. The plan is in the works that UTC – the parent company of Serenity Creek – will have 12 locations in the state within the next year or so.

Martens, an extremely personable physician with a magical touch, would like to see Serenity Creek expand “into other cities throughout Texas within the next five years. Our state-of-the-art technology, excellent patient care and our honesty are only a few of the reasons we are an exceptional medical spa. 

“In June of 2011, we hired a plastic surgeon, Dr. Ven Erella, who does mostly all of the procedures here.”

Martens, who did all of the procedures before Erella joined the team, admits he misses using his hands to help people look and feel better.

“If a patient specifically asks for me to do the procedure, I make sure I am available,” he says. “The patients are our No. 1 priority, and we work as a team to ensure that all the patients’ needs are met.”

Being both the medical director of UTC in the various locations throughout Texas and the medical director of Serenity Creek is an extremely demanding career, but Martens is an easygoing doctor who makes sure he has time to not only run the business sectors, but to be there for his staff and his patients. 

Having a wealth of knowledge and experience, he has performed more than 10,000 Botox cases and a heavy caseload in fillers, DOT Therapy, SmartLipo and bioidentical hormone replacement.

He emphasizes that what makes Serenity Creek unique “is that the patients always have a physician doing the procedure. In many plastic surgery centers/spas, the nurses will give the injections of Botox or fillers. We don’t believe in that. Our philosophy is hands-on from the start.” 

Adding in honesty and realistic expectations, the medical and marketing mix is close to perfect. And taking into account the rave reviews from patients brings Serenity Creek as close to perfect as possible. 

Celebrities such as Robert Duvall (“The Godfather,” “The Godfather: Part II”), Adrien Brody (“The Pianist,” “Predators”), Matt Sorum (the former drummer for Guns N Roses and Velvet Revolver), Greg Finley (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Hypothermia”) and Daveigh Chase (“The Ring,” “Lilo & Stitch”) have been extremely satisfied patients. 

When Sandra Bullock will become a regular seems to be the mystery question of the day. 

This list of stars at Serenity Creek seems to be just the beginning of a Hollywood-gone-Austin trend. As Tidwell details the aforementioned, she also explains that Dr. Garry Craighead (CEO of UTC) had the idea to create Serenity Creek and teamed up with Martens to make this ultra-exclusive medical spa. 

“Dr. Craighead is very involved with Hollywood and bringing the stars in,” she says. “We are waiting for one of  ‘The Real Housewives’ to make her initial consult.”

Even with this star-struck list, the atmosphere within Serenity Creek is like being in your beautiful home away from home. 

“We know all our patients by their first names,” Tidwell says. This adds that extra-special touch of care that makes all the difference in the world.

The menu of services is one-of-a-kind; this, too, adds to “making a difference.”

Choices include fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing (DOT Therapy), VASER™ liposelection, SmartLipo, VelaShape™, chemical peels, Botox, Juvederm®, tattoo removal, laser hair removal, medical-grade microdermabrasion, facials, massages, bioidentical hormone replacement, weight loss (physician supervised) and an infinite variety of plastic surgery options. 

If you were wondering whether you could order the entire menu, Martens reminds us of Serenity Creek’s value system of honesty.

“If you do not need that extra injection of Botox, we are not going to give it to you,” he says. “We are not here to make that extra money. We are here to help you feel good about yourself.”

Curious about the selection? At least once a month, Serenity Creek holds an open house where you can see for yourself the heavenly variety of products and services offered. 

If you decide to share your treasures, bringing a friend can be a bonus. You will get 50 percent off certain services such as laser hair removal and microdermabrasion.

Being a part of the Austin social scene certainly makes sense. These events are catered with delicious food and wines.

Noting that we are still in a recession, Tidwell says, “People still want to look and feel their best. The economy hasn’t turned a lot of patients away from us. At the same time, we know people are squeezing as much as they can into a penny. That is why our prices are reasonable, and we have great specials every month with amazing rates.”

Patients also have the option of using CareCredit, which is a medical credit card. They can pay off their procedures in up to 12 months with 0 percent interest.

Further elaborating on the wonder that is Serenity Creek, the doctors and staff are in harmony when emphasizing their mission statement: “At Serenity Creek, we really try to make each patient feel comfortable, and we want them to get the results they came in for. We cater to our patients as much as possible.” 

For instance, they will have a survey that asks what specials patients want to see that month, and they try to give everyone a free gift at the open houses. 

“We try to make our patients feel special for coming in and thank them with great results, as well as an occasional gift,” Tidwell says.

Vicki Hansen, the medical esthetician and office manager at Serenity Creek, is a major asset to the facility. As she has worked at a very successful med spa in this industry for more than eight years in Austin prior to coming on board, many of her patients followed her to Serenity Creek. It is obvious that actions speak louder than words.

Now with a plastic surgeon on board, “we are re-introducing Serenity Creek as a plastic surgery clinic, as well as a med spa,” Tidwell says. “Previously, we did not do much marketing.”

And now that Erella is an integral part of what was once known as Serenity Creek Med Spa, “we are focusing on branding with specials on plastic surgery. With all the great new procedures, we have to brand our name: Serenity Creek Plastic Surgery & Med Spa. 

“Patients can come in for an $8 brow wax, and then the next day, they could spend $5,000 on a surgery.”

Serenity Creek has infinite options for an ever-growing target market. With elegance, class and style, there is, indeed, an oasis of serenity to explore right here in our amazing city of Austin. 

Serenity Creek Plastic Surgery & Med Spa is located at 8900 Shoal Creek Blvd., Ste. 300-A, Austin, Texas 78757. For more information, call 512-419-0303, or visit www.serenitycreek.com. “Like” Serenity Creek on Facebook, and you will get $25 in credit toward any service, and you can see before-and-after pictures, patient testimonials and upcoming events. You may also follow Serenity Creek on Twitter (@serenity creek).