Wall inside the Tuxedo Club med spa
The local- and Latinx-owned Tuxedo Club at the corner of Jefferson and Bishop is a medical spa — that is, a salon specializing in high-quality beauty treatments, sometimes requiring a syringe and a nurse — but, bet, botox lovers and lip-plumping loyalists have not seen a med spa quite like this one.
From the mega-watt theater marquee out front to the red Studio 54-inspired bathroom in back — also, the lobby’s Phantom of the Opera chandelier, the black-and-white Dolly Parton mural (which shares a wall with the exterior Selena mural), vintage Playboy magazine-stocked waiting room complete with 70s-era Charlie’s Angels speaker box for communicating with the front desk — the site offers a peek inside the dazzling brain of Gino Iallonardo, who masterminded the design and co-founded Tuxedo Club with his partner Justin Cavazos.
Front of the Tuxedo Club
Gino has a stellar reputation in the cosmetics industry — he’s been VP at Laura Mercier Cosmetics and a makeup artist for Yves Saint Laurent, to name but a couple previous roles.
Gino and Justin are longtime Oak Cliff residents who share a home in Kessler Park, says Justin, who answers calls or greets incoming visitors from his Don Draper-worthy front desk.
“You know, most med spas are very clinical, lab coats, sterile. (Definitely a good thing, we agree, however) we wanted to cater to and draw a new kind of audience,” Justin says. “We wanted everybody to come in and see not only the latest technology, the best [injectors, aestheticians], but also feel this sense of ease, confidence, good taste.”
The glamorous, trendy, ostentatious Playboy clubs of the 1970s inspired the decor, Justin tells us.
When he delivers a soda to the waiting room, it comes in crystal on a cocktail tray with a mint. No bunny ears, but the vibe’s on point.
Since opening about one month ago, business has been good and steadily building, according to Justin. (Google and Facebook reviews to date reflect unanimously positive buzz.)
The most popular service is lip plumping, which runs about $750 for one syringe of filler.
Depending on existing fullness and desired effect, the “signature lip” (see Katerina Storm, a registered nurse and deliverer of naturally impactful results, per promos) can require 1-3 syringes.
Fillers used on kissers can also be used in the cheeks or jawline and to smooth lines. Botox, also widely requested, is a shallow injection that freezes muscles, erases certain wrinkles. They also offer hair restoration services.
Follow Tuxedo Club on Instagram and sign up for emails in order to keep up with specials, which they will run regularly, nurse Via Villa says.
Via, who works both as an emergency room nurse and as a Tuxedo Club cosmetic injector, shot me up with a complimentary B12 compound (it comes free, weekly, for TC members), which is supposed to ward off illness and boost energy. While I cannot vouch for the energy shot’s effectiveness, I assuredly bear witness to the gorgeous, friendly and experienced staff and the appeal of being in their capable company.
Justin says the business has benefitted from a number of walk-in clients. He guesses the location (at the edge of the Bishop Arts District, sharing the Selena wall, in close proximity to numerous quinceañera boutiques), appearance and Tuxedo Club name encourage curiosity.
Justin says that people wander in thinking it’s a formal wear or clothing shop, “then we get talking about what we do, and then they say, like, can I get in [a] botox [treatment] before my daughter’s quince?” Botox — a 30 minute or less process (and, sure, walk-ins are usually welcome) — can make the recipient look more awake, refreshed, but in a subtle way, not in a “had-work-done” obvious way, he explains. It just takes a few days to kick in after the treatment.
Justin says services at Tuxedo Club are for both men and women, and the staff is especially proud to cater to Oak Cliff’s Spanish-speaking community.
