The age and historic charm of the inner south has found its way into the hearts of residents and businesses alike. “CityNews” speaks to the business owners passionate about the area.

Located just south of the city centre, the inner south is one of the x parts of Canberra. 

Body contouring experts offer more services

Total Body Contouring, in Franklin Street, Griffith, is expanding to the building next door, says owner Christy Christensen. 

Through this expansion, Christy says Total Body Contouring will soon be welcoming a qualified and experienced doctor, who will be available for botox and other injectable treatments.

Injectable treatments will include Bio-Regenerator (Rejuran) for face and neck, scar treatment, and periorbital rejuvenation, masseter reduction and facial slimming injections, and thread lift, a non-surgical procedure that uses threads under the skin to create a smoother appearance, says Christy.

Christy says dermal filler injections, anti-wrinkle injections and collagen stimulators will also be on offer, done by the new in-house doctor.

However, Christy says some new devices and services are already available, including the Venus Viva, a non-surgical, skin resurfacing device that utilises NanoFractional radio frequency technology, and facial lymphatic drainage massages.

“We have so much to offer for the next phase of growth and service offerings,” she says.

But, regular services are still available, says Christy, “and fat freezing is still only $320.”

Christy says Total Body Contouring is about building body confidence.

“We give a personalised experience and journey, everyone is different,” she says.

“First, we set up a consultation to make sure you get the right specialisation for your needs and wants.

“With industry certification for all our services, your safety comes first.

Total Body Contouring, Shop 3/22 Franklin Street, Griffith. Call 6239 7347, or visit totalbodycontouring.com.au 

General, preventative and holistic dentistry

Symmetry Dental was established in Kingston in 2010, but founder, Dr Michael Ryan, has been working in the Canberra region for his whole life, says his son and fellow dentist Dr Matthew Ryan.

“This isn’t a dental practice where you just go to the dentist and get a clean and a filling,” says Matthew. 

“We have a team that has very specific and individual specialisations.”

Dr Robert Waites covers general dentistry, but Matthew says his services go above and beyond.

“My whole family are dentists, both of my brothers and my dad are dentists but we don’t do any dentistry on each other, we go to him, he’s that good,” says Matthew.

Dr Michael Ryan is a chronic pain specialist and Dr Joseph Ryan is one of six oral medicine specialists in Australia, says Matthew. 

Then, Matthew says he and his other brother, Dr Patrick Ryan, work in early intervention orthopedic orthodontics.

Matthew says this involves providing early treatment to children whose jaws and faces and airways aren’t growing correctly.

“We retrain the way they breathe, the way they sit, the way their tongue sits in their mouth, the way they swallow, the way they chew, all these little factors that drive the growth of the face and the airway,” says Matthew. 

Matthew says Symmetry Dental goes beyond what people would think of as dentistry, looking at the root causes of problems and providing a holistic approach to dental services.

Symmetry Dental, 27 Jardine Street, Kingston. Call 6295 3006 or visit symmetrydental.com.au

Gems and jewellery with an Australian focus

Diamonds Manuka co-owner and gemologist Robert Hunt has been in the jewellery business for more than 30 years, says his partner and store co-owner, Elaine Hunt.

Robert was formerly part of Briolette, Elaine says, and when it closed they founded Diamonds Manuka. 

It has been almost five years now, she says, with Diamonds Manuka opening in 2019.

Elaine says she and Robert love working in the jewellery business because “it’s always interesting,” and there are always beautiful stones.

“When you’ve got a lovely product, that’s just a pleasurable experience,” she says. 

Elaine says they love serving the Manuka community.

“It’s a great location,” she says. 

“It’s sort of unique, because it’s not like a big plaza, it’s just a friendly little shopping centre.”

Elaine says they always have a range of items and can make anything custom to what the customer wants, with a particular focus on Australian stones.

“Robert loves Australian things, so we deal with the pink diamonds and we do the opals and we do the Australian sapphires,” she says.

Elaine says the Diamonds Manuka team are friendly and are always happy to help.

Diamonds Manuka, Manuka Arcade, Shop 4/22 Franklin Street, Griffith. Call 6295 6448 or visit diamondsmanuka.com.au

Supportive shoes that look good and feel good

“Your feet are your foundation,” says Happy Fit Footwear founder Jane Earl.

“If your feet aren’t right, it can upset your knees, your hips, your back, everything.

“I’m a podiatrist, and we specialise in good-quality, supportive footwear that also looks good and feels good straight out of the box.”

Happy Fit Footwear has recently opened a second location in the heart of the Manuka shopping district. 

“The whole reason I set the business up was because I was getting patients who needed to have supportive footwear that they could put their orthotics in, but there was a limited choice, particularly in the southside, that was giving people access to good-fitting footwear,” she says.

Jane says Happy Fit Footwear caters to people who wear orthotics as well as those with tricky-to-find shoe sizes.

“Shoes make people happy, and it’s a shame that people with difficult feet aren’t able to enjoy it,” she says

Jane says the Happy Fit Footwear team gets a tremendous sense of joy from finding people shoes that look good and feel good. 

But, Jane says they are a shoe shop for regular feet, too.

“Everybody can benefit from good, supportive shoes, everybody should be wearing good, supportive shoes rather than cheap, flimsy shoes that don’t do anything for your feet,” she says.

Happy Fit Footwear, Shop 11, 11 Bougainville Street, Griffith. Call 6176 3422 or visit happyfitfootwear.com.au

New location, same expert endermologie clinician

After spending 15 years in Manuka, owner and clinician Jayne Armstrong says Contours de Femme has moved to a “new, beautiful and spacious location” in Kingston. 

Specialising in LPG endermologie treatments, and using Jan Marini Skin Research, Jayne says Contours de Femme leaves its clients feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

There is also a range of spa services, run by manager Sharon McGladdery.

“She does all things to do with spa, so she has a lovely spa room, and she specialises in all the LVL, which is lash volume lift, all the waxing, all the beauty side stuff, she takes care of all of that,” says Jayne.

Jayne says her client-base is what gets her up every morning, and that she simply loves what she does.

“I have a very loyal client base, they just love what I offer, and I still personally do the treatment, so I think that’s what gives me purpose every day to get up. It’s what I look forward to,” she says.

“I’ve been very fortunate, even going through lockdown and so forth, when I wasn’t sure which way my business was going to go.

“I still love coming to work every day, and I have so much energy.”

Contours de Femme, 25 Kennedy Street, Kingston. Call 6295 8848 or visit contoursdefemme.com.au