The transformation of licensing in the world of esthetics in the United States owes its thanks, in part, to Mirjam (Anneli) Johnson. When Anneli first came to the U.S. from Finland in 1963, there was no independent licensing for estheticians. At that time, esthetics training, for all intents and purposes, consisted of a short facial seminar as part of cosmetology license. Anneli, at that point, she had studied esthetics for over 15 years, obtaining the European CIDESCO diploma, the world standard for esthetics and spa therapy.

In addition, she had studied lymphatic drainage massage with Dr. Emil Vodder, founder of lymph drainage massage, obtaining the highest certification from the Institut Fur Lymph Drainage Massage in Copenhagen, Denmark. Now, years later, and after her tireless lobbying efforts, several states have looked to the two-level licensure requirements promoted by Anneli Johnson for the development of their own licensure requirements in esthetics.

Coming from Finland, where Anneli had already mastered courses in spa therapies, massage therapy, physiology, biology, anatomy, immunology and skin care, she was shocked to find that there was no work for her in the State of Utah as an esthetician in 1963. She was able to set up work as a massage therapist in a gym setting, but it wasn’t anything like the European spa experience she was used to and no one she met knew the significance of her training in lymph drainage massage, balneotherapy, and thalassotherapy.

She was a single mother of three young daughters attempting to escape the threats to Finland by cold war Russian policy. She was sponsored by a family from Salt Lake City, Utah who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, her chosen faith, but in effect, her story is one of many immigrants to the United States. She came with a dream and drive to make a new life for herself and her children.

Her resilience was reminiscent of her teenage years in the 1940’s in Finland, when she insisted on playing on an all-boys hockey team and later served in the Finnish military during the Winter War with Russia. Whether promoting the creation of bomb shelters, narrowly escaping enemy attacks, working on the front lines of Finland's defense, or moving her family to the U.S. as a single mother, Anneli never wavered. She consistently found ways to overcome obstacles, create change, and forge a better future wherever it was needed.

Her vast education in esthetics and massage therapy from Finland and Denmark was all but useless when she first immigrated to the U.S., but instead of diverting her goals and her dedication to these fields, she became a lobbyist, promoting legislative de-regulation and then years later the creation of a two-level licensure program for a new field of study in the United States, that of esthetics and associated lymphatic and therapeutic massage. This included advanced medical esthetics for post-operative care. Her service to the industry didn’t stop at Esthetics. She served for years on the state’s Massage Board to tighten requirements and professionalize this important field so it could gain the respect it deserved.

Anneli Johnson’s day spa, Aqua Vie, celebrated its 50th anniversary last year in 2024. It was one of the first European day spas of its kind in Salt Lake City, and one of very few in the United States at the time of its inception in 1974. Anneli’s burgeoning clientele expanded over the years to the point at which she began to train other estheticians in the art, and finally complying with the newly formed licensure requirements legislated in the State of Utah. Lenette Casper, Anneli’s daughter, a second-generation Master Esthetician, continues to speak with esthetic professionals around the country who have found interest in the two-level licensure standards adopted by Utah along with a handful of other states.

Growing up, I saw how deeply (my grandmother, Anneli) cared for others, always offering a helping hand and making friends everywhere she went. She built a successful business from the ground up, showing me the fruits of dedication and perseverance. I am grateful for her sacrifices, for both myself and my family, as she bravely followed her heart and moved her family across the world as a single mother, battling through adversity but never surrendering.

Anneli’s grandson, Jackson

Anneli’s training and promotion of medical esthetics continued over the years as she came and went to Europe from her home in the U.S. She often attended international esthetics conferences and continued her education over the course of her entire life. She then developed training courses to share that information in the U.S. Over her 70+ year career as an esthetician and massage therapist, she has watched the fledging field become a dynamic, respected course of study that includes instruction for post-operative and post burn care, as well as a field which now requires advanced education courses that previously were limited to the field of dermatology. She has thus helped bring U.S. standards closer to those which have been embraced in Europe since the mid-20th century. It’s a far cry from the short facial seminar that comprised the field of esthetics in the early 1960’s!

It might be said of Anneli that she is full of “sisu.” Sisu is a Finnish word that describes determination, stamina and grit. Those with sisu do not cease to do, just as Anneli did not cease her efforts, step-by-step and one painstaking adjustment after another, to assist the field of esthetics in the U.S. to come into alignment with European standards. It has gone from a barely recognized field of study to a trusted and professional esthetics program similar to what Anneli participated in when she was a young professional in Finland. More to the point, Anneli did all this while raising five children, running a European day spa and participating in a joint venture with the French spa product line, Phytomer, creating Phytomer Corporation U.S.A. with her husband in 1986, who sadly died shortly thereafter.

I was fortunate enough to be molded by her as a professional and I can’t even begin to comprehend how big of an impact her training and influence has had on me throughout my life. By watching her work over the years, she taught me that nothing is impossible if you have a good work ethic and dedication to the goals you are working toward. She has shared her amazing talents with others within the esthetics and wellness industry and teaches others (whether it’s esthetics, massage or a wellplaced life lesson) in a straightforward way that is direct, full of kindness and empathy and a surprise dose of humor.

Anneli’s granddaughter, Angela Eriksen - Director of Education at Phytomer Corporation

FAMILY Run Business

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Phytomer is a family run business based in Saint-Malo, France. 100% owned by an independent family group, specializing in top-of-the-range skincare products. The brand benefits from an exceptional capacity for innovation, thanks to a world-renowned laboratory that is a pioneer in marine biotechnology.

Phytomer is both an innovative partner, at the forefront of ecological and digital transitions, and a benchmark player in the world of holistic manual treatments.

Phytomer’s commitment to sustainability and environmental care aligns with Anneli’s values of protecting the skin using the best possible products and manufacturing practices. With a passionate love for the sea and an appreciation for its immense benefits to the skin, Phytomer has developed sustainable, high-performance products that respect both the ocean and its biodiversity. Phytomer Corporation, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah provides national training on professional treatments for both face and body, serving spas nationwide.

We often joke that the meaning of the word “retirement” was lost in translation from Finnish to English when (my grandmother, Anneli) immigrated to the United States. Well into her 90’s she was still working part-time and doing treatments for her clientele.

Anneli’s grandson, Brady

Two of Anneli’s daughters and several grandchildren have worked beside their mother or grandmother either in her day spa or in the Joint Venture with France’s famed skin care line, Phytomer, which Anneli and her new husband established in 1986. “She was patient, kind and always loving, but she required us to work,” says her daughter Lenette Casper, who now serves as President of Phytomer U.S.A. Anneli didn’t go home until the work was done. And then when she was home, she was first and foremost a mother. Her dedication to her religion and family was never tainted by excessive worry about the success of Phytomer Corporation U.S.A., which is now a recognized leading brand in the spa industry.

As one of Anneli’s long time clients gushed, “Always, in all ways, Anneli brings the best in relationships; she lifts the larger community and raises the services of her long-time profession.” Now as we celebrate the commencement of her 100th on January 26, 2025, we who are fortunate to live in her sphere, and the world of esthetics at large, want to remind her of her life’s vast accomplishments and wish her a fabulous birthday as a living embodiment of “sisu.”

I learned sisu from Anneli and other expressions I treasure during the time I spent in her tutelage. “To make a difference, you have to keep at it.” She would have me practice a specific massage movement over and over until my “hands obeyed”. When she observed other’s versions of lymphatic massage she would give gentle correction, “There are no shortcuts, finish what you start.”

Educator at Phytomer Corporation, Angela McElroy

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