My story has a picturesque beginning likened to a Great American novel. I was born in London to a loving family of five, led by my two hard-working immigrant parents who were relentless in their pursuit of the good life. Mine was a beautiful, educational childhood—and one that instilled in me the values of stoicism, practicality, and perfection at a young age and on through my adolescent years.

It was those values that gave me the courage, at the height of the 90s economic boom, to pack up my belongings and journey to the United States in search of the American Dream—and I found it. Everything I accomplished was the fruit of hard work and my ability to overcome any obstacle. I mastered all the milestones - getting married, climbing the corporate ladder, raising a child. I relied heavily on my innate ability to maintain a stiff upper lip (as the British say), and in many ways, it served me well...for a time.

But as life became busier, the list of responsibilities became longer, and the overwhelm of expectation grew greater, the stresses of modern life became a slow, silent disease that seeped into every crack of my being. Small signs and symptoms I ignored were left to brew into bigger, chronic problems that desperately needed my attention. But I powered through because that's what I had learned to do. Isn’t it what we all do?

It took not one, but three health crises before I finally said my truth out loud—I had let stress run my life, and it consumed every part of me.

My story is far from unique. In reality, it’s the all-too-common consequence of achieving the American dream. The striving led to overwhelming stress. 

Success in my professional life meant physical, emotional, and spiritual burnout. The enduring lack of self-care over the years left me feeling bone-weary and utterly drained. Looking back now, I know that I had to break down before I could break through... and this is where my story becomes about you.

In the aftermath of that third and final breakdown, I, at long last, took some time to heal. Sitting on a hotel balcony, feeling the trade winds on my skin with renewed gratitude, I heard the very faint voice of my intuition telling me that aromatherapy was the medicine I needed. This one spark of inspiration revealed a latent passion I didn’t know I had. It stirred my soul and piqued my intellect so thoroughly, I enrolled in the NY Institute of Aromatherapy, became certified, and began making my own blends to support stress and sleep. I found this ‘medicine’ to work so effectively for me and my family, I knew I had to share this wellness wisdom with anyone and everyone who wants to redefine their relationship with stress. This is the raison d’etre for L’Beauxtique.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. And while we can’t avoid it, we can choose the ways we respond and react to it—ultimately determining our relationship to it, to ourselves, and to life itself.

My intention is that L’Beauxtique is not just a luxurious ritual, but a partner in your quest for balance, and the answer to your call to calm. Rewriting your narrative begins now.

With gratitude,

Denise LaPalm

Robert Byrne