Behind the Look: How Shelby Miller Became an Aesthetics All-Star

Turning a passion for rejuvenation into a thriving career

In the medspa world, Shelby Miller is kind of a big deal. As a nurse practitioner with a passion for aesthetics and rejuvenation, she’s earned a reputation for being one of the nation’s top medical aesthetic injectors and trainers. Meanwhile, her expertise has made her an in-demand speaker in the self-care conference circuit.

In 2018, Miller founded RUMA Aesthetics, a modern medspa with a focus on aesthetics, wellness, and personalized service. In just a few years, RUMA Aesthetics has gone from a tiny startup to a 16-room business that continues to grow at an accelerated pace. How did Miller make her way from nursing school to becoming the head of a thriving self-care business in just a decade? It all began when she discovered her passion for facial aesthetics.

Finding her niche

When Shelby Miller graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s in Nursing a decade ago, she found herself working in the thoracic ICU and operating room at Salt Lake City healthcare organization Intermountain Health. There, she provided pre- and post-operative nursing care as she worked towards her Doctorate of Nursing Practice.

While at Intermountain Health, Miller worked with plastic surgeons and assisted in procedures like facelifts, tummy tucks, rhinoplasties, and liposuction. She realized that she had a natural skill for facial injections and a passion for rejuvenation, which led her to focus on observing, assisting, and circulating in the operating room during facial surgeries.

From there, she went on to work at three different medspas, developing a further appreciation for the world of aesthetics. By the time she completed her DND/FNP program at Gonzaga University, she knew what she wanted to do next: take everything she had learned and open her own medspa.

Founding RUMA Aesthetics

When Miller opened RUMA Aesthetics in 2018, her goal was to create “a modern, innovative medical spa space” specializing in anti-aging treatments. According to its website, RUMA provides a “balanced functional medical health” that keeps clients’ overall wellness in mind. Each client journey begins with a thorough consultation; from there, providers build a plan made with the client’s individual needs in mind.

This personalized approach quickly became a hit among RUMA’s clientele. Client testimonials praise the team’s “full and very detailed” assessments, as well as their “communication and professionalism.” As one client put it, “I always leave feeling rejuvenated physically and mentally.”

By 2021, RUMA Aesthetics had scaled to over five million dollars in annual sales. In fact, Miller and her team ended up switching to Boulevard just to have a medspa platform that could keep up with the company’s growth. 

As RUMA grew, Miller attended numerous trainings, seminars, and conferences to continue to expand her knowledge. But before long, she was the one doing the teaching. 

The student becomes the master

Miller describes herself as “constantly trying to learn, grow, and improve her aesthetic skills.” In her quest for knowledge, she discovered that her expertise was a valuable asset. Before long, she was speaking at conferences around the world and consulting with companies like Allergan Aesthetics, Aesthetics Biomedical, and Sciton.

To bring it full circle, Miller created RUMA Academy, the training wing of RUMA Aesthetics. Created to provide aesthetic providers of all experience levels with “the necessary tools, techniques, and skills in order to create natural, proportionate, and safe results,” RUMA Academy offers numerous in-demand courses, some of which are led by Miller herself. She even offers “Shadowing Shelby” opportunities for those who learn better by observing.

Miller has left an indelible mark on the aesthetics industry across the United States, and she’s just getting started. As RUMA Aesthetics continues to grow, so does Miller’s passion for aesthetics. If she can become one of the leading voices in the industry in just a few years, who knows what the future holds?