Dare To Indulge | The Refinery
By SAMANTHA MARSHALL | Photos by DANE STEPHENSON
Owner and medical director of The Refinery Medical Aesthetics, Sarah Jepson MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, is on a mission to help the Topeka community ditch the stigma around cosmetic procedures and embrace the feeling of being confident in their own skin.
“One of my goals is to normalize aesthetics,” Jepson said. “If you think about it, people get their nails done, hair colored and have surgical reconstruction. This is just another way to feel better about yourself.”
The Refinery specializes in non-surgical and anti-aging cosmetic services, including neurotoxin injections, dermal fillers and skin rejuvenation treatments. Unsurprisingly, Botox is their most popular service. Jepson believes what sets The Refinery apart is the medical background and safety standards she and Aesthetic Injector Robyn Gorrell BSN, RN, bring to their craft.
FROM MEDICAL CARE TO SELF-CARE
Jepson started her career as a trauma nurse who handled medical procedures that would make most people wince, yet which she happened to enjoy.
“I love doing procedures and doing things with my hands,” Jepson said. “I like that it uses critical skills.”
Jepson shifted to pediatric nursing after she became a mom. Although the change gave her the normal daytime schedule she wanted, she missed doing procedures. To scratch the itch, she began doing cosmetic procedures on the side. It didn’t take long before she had enough clients to move her operations to a rented room in a downtown salon.
By the end of the year, she was making enough income to leave her nursing career behind. Jepson leased her own building in October 2023 to give herself the square footage she needed to care for returning customers.
SAFETY OVER SWIFTNESS
Jepson’s nursing background influences her standard of care. Each room of The Refinery is outfitted with a medical kit and EpiPen in case a patient has an allergic reaction. Fortunately, they’ve never been used.
Jepson and Gorrell ensure they educate every patient they see. They spend every first appointment walking the patient through what they can expect, what the results will be and how long it can take to see a difference.
“The first time I got Botox, I was put in a room, someone came in and injected my face, then I went out and paid, and I didn’t know what happened,” Jepson said. “I want everyone to feel informed and comfortable.”
REFINED, NOT TRANSFORMED
The Refinery’s most prominent customer segment is women between the ages of 30 and 60 who want to ease the effects of aging without looking fake.
With fillers, people can be timid, thinking they’re going to look like people they see on TV,” Jepson said. “I don’t want people to look frozen or plastic. Robyn and I have an eye for natural beauty.”
The idea of refining, rather than completely transforming one’s appearance, influenced the name of the business.
“I was trying to think of a word that would represent, not a complete change, but something subtle,” Jepson said. “You’re not doing a complete remodel, just a refinement.”
For many of Jepson’s patients, their first visit to The Refinery is a step toward finally investing in themselves. She often sees women after their youngest child has left for college.
“A lot of times, women spend most of their money on their families,” Jepson said. “I’ve had women break down in tears when we show them their after photos.”
REDUCING STIGMA WHILE INCREASING BUSINESS
In the past two years, The Refinery has accumulated about 500 patients.
“I have people all of the time tell me their friend told her she had to call me,” Jepson said.
In a business that’s built on putting your face into someone else’s hands, that kind of personal endorsement is priceless. In fact, it is the connection she builds with her patients that Jepson said makes her new career even more rewarding than her last.
“When I saw patients as a trauma nurse, they didn’t feel good. They just wanted to go home,” Jepson said. “The whole environment at The Refinery is much more fulfilling. I feel like I’m doing something to make people feel better about themselves.”
