The Islander: Joe Robert Mendez
Artistic Director, Stylist and General Manager of Elements Aqua Salon and Med Spa |
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Elements Aqua Salon. Courtesy of Joe Robert Mendez. |
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With over 30 years of experience, Joe Robert Mendez found his retirement paradise in South Padre Island in 2018. After working in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles with many celebrities and people from all walks of life, Mendez helped create a resort-style Med Spa in 2019 in Port Isabel. By 2020, Elements Aqua branched out to South Padre Island to offer salon-style luxury amenities. Port Isabel’s Elements Aqua Med Spa offers fillers, Botox, nutritional therapy, Tele-Med, and more medical spa luxuries. South Padre Island’s Elements Aqua Salon offers a variety of services including a dry bar, waxing, and nails. |
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Mendez exhibiting his art through paintings on models in Las Vegas for a fundraiser in Woman's Health. J.R. Mendez. (2015) |
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Early life
Mendez spent his early life in Lubbock before the passing of his parents. “We are a large family of 12, so one of my brothers took me in and we moved to San Francisco.”
Creativity started early for Mendez and led to several years of art classes and eventually into cosmetology. |
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Mendez worked in oil painting, ceramics, and photography. “I took every art class that I could take. I applied to the most prestigious salon and I went to school.” The salon offered him the Artistic Director position after seeing his work. Coming back to Texas
Working along the east and west coast, Mendez discovered middle ground in Texas after his brother moved to South Padre Island. “He’s been here for almost 30 years. It’s the same brother that took me in. We’ve always been close, and he said, ‘Let’s do something together.’”
“Well, it was kind of a mesh,” said Mendez on opening Elements Aqua Salon. Due to his brother’s involvement in medical clinics in the valley, it was a perfect partnership. The goal is to combine the two.
Currently, Mendez plans to go back to school for nursing to start working on the medical side. “I want to start training with our doctor and doing less of the hair as I retire because doing hair is hard on your body. You are constantly blow drying and shampooing.” |
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Since moving to the island in 2018, Mendez has been all work and no play, but he enjoys the beach. “I love the island. There’s nothing like it. San Francisco has beaches, but the beaches don’t compare to the island.”
In his free time, he works on photography and helps his brother with designing buildings. “I’m also going to school at night from 4 PM – 9 PM and then I go in between clients to work with contractors in Brownsville.” |
| Interior design by J.R. Mendez. |
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| Moving Forward
Mendez plans to branch out into other businesses that bring families. “The island is changing if I look at it from when I moved here. Different crowds are coming in from New York and California, and they’re looking for luxury.”
Mendez is thankful for his team and says he’s been lucky to find such incredible individuals. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without my team.” |
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Interior design by J.R Mendez. |
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