Body contouring practice The CoolSuite’s growth leads to expansion in downtown Spokane’s Cutter Tower

When Gina Timmerman founded The CoolSuite, she aimed to create a nonsurgical body contouring practice that made clients feel comfortable.

Her approach to helping clients build confidence and achieve wellness goals has spread through word-of-mouth and social media, and her business has grown to the point that expansion was unavoidable.

Timmerman, who launched The CoolSuite as a mobile medical spa during the pandemic, recently expanded into a new brick-and-mortar space on the ground floor of the Cutter Tower at 510 W. Riverside Ave., Suite 104 in downtown Spokane.

“We’re the new kid on the block, and I think we’re sparking a lot of interest,” Timmerman said. “A lot of people go to Crafted next door, but then they come back over here because they want to know what we’re doing.”

The CoolSuite offers various noninvasive treatments using CoolSculpting Elite, Emsculpt NEO, Emsculpt Classic, Emtone and Emsella machines that eliminate fat cells and tone muscle, according to the company’s website.

Emsculpt uses electromagnetic technology to create high-tension muscle contractions equivalent to 20,000 crunches in 30 minutes, Timmerman said.

CoolSculpting, a body contouring treatment, uses cryolipolysis to freeze fat cells, which the body naturally eliminates through its lymphatic system, reducing fat by 20%-25% per treatment area.

“With all of our machines – whether it’s cryolipolysis or electromagnetic energy, you’re looking at about a month out to start seeing some results,” Timmerman said.

Costs vary depending on a client’s treatment plan. Each session can take from 35 minutes to more than an hour, depending on the type of machine and treatment areas, Timmerman said.

Timmerman meets with clients to discuss their medical history and determine whether they are a candidate for CoolSculpting, Emsculpt, Emtone or Emsella.

From there, she works with clients to create a personalized treatment plan and budget. The CoolSuite offers new clients $250 off any treatment and a membership to maintain their results, Timmerman said.

“Then, we’re always really up-to-date on any promotions that corporate companies are putting forth to give to our patients,” she said.

While CoolSculpting is FDA-approved for use on several areas of the body and a relatively safe procedure with no downtime, there are rare complications, such as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, a condition in which fat tissue grows and hardens, requiring surgery to remove it.

Timmerman said, however, her patients haven’t had an adverse reaction to CoolSculpting or other treatments.

“I believe the biggest part of that is being able to assess and understand that person’s body and to know that this is something I can do, or this is something not within my realm,” she said. “It’s all about the assessment. It really is. And the medical history.”

The CoolSuite’s treatment rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi and televisions with Netflix and other streaming services. The medical spa also provides clients with snacks and drinks.

“If you’re going to come spend time and money, I want to respect that,” Timmerman said. “I’m not the most expensive. I’m definitely not the cheapest, but I’m right there in the middle, and I want people to be happy. What I’m striving for is that it’s a great experience and that you want to come back.”

In addition to The CoolSuite, Timmerman and her husband, Steven, also own Paramour Brewing Co. and Spokane-based food brokerage Intermountain Sales & Marketing.

Timmerman, a graduate of California State University, Chico, has more than 30 years of experience in the medical industry, working for board-certified plastic surgeons in California and Washington. In 2009, she became interested in noninvasive body procedures as CoolSculpting gained FDA clearance.

Timmerman’s education, training and treatments in CoolSculpting span across Nevada, California, Idaho and Washington. She holds accreditation from CoolSculpting University, a Pleasanton, California-based training program designed by the creators and scientists of CoolSculpting.

Timmerman moved from California to Spokane more than five years ago. Prior to founding The CoolSuite, she was a patient care coordinator at Plastic Surgery Northwest in Spokane.

“I was involved in the assessment, the consultation, sometimes even the surgery, which is one of my favorites, and I just love taking care of people,” she said. “With that said, over the decades though, nonsurgical procedures have really become prevalent and we can do so much more without having to risk injury, incisions, anesthesia or complications, and I love that.”

Timmerman launched The CoolSuite as a mobile business in March 2020, right before the pandemic, she said.

She operated a brick-and-mortar location on Monroe Street prior to moving into a space on the second floor of the Cutter Tower in November to accommodate the growing business.

As The CoolSuite’s client base expanded, so did the need for even more space.

Renovations began earlier this year on The CoolSuite’s existing location on the ground floor of the Cutter Tower.

“I was just outgrowing what I originally thought that I could have, and technology has changed even since I started,” Timmerman said. “I went from two machines and, today, there’s eight sitting in here.”

The most rewarding aspect of operating The CoolSuite is helping clients achieve their health and wellness goals, Timmerman said.

“It’s not about being skinny and this and that. But how about, ‘Let’s be strong. Let’s be healthy.’ And we get to have longevity,” she said. “My world has moved from aesthetic to health and wellness, and I’m so happy that’s where I’m at.”