NuNu, Irv and Bambi Nfocus • December 2009

Nfocus • December 2009
The triple threat of
health and beauty
NuNu, Irv and Bambi
I
magine three people who have
collectively spent 55 years making Nashvillians happier, healthier
and more beautiful. Through
their separate ventures, they’ve
touched the lives of countless
Nashvillians, inspiring us to live better lives and be better people. As
we approach the time to make New
Year’s resolutions, it’s only appropriate to salute our triple threat of
health and beauty, each of whom has
celebrated a significant anniversary
in 2009.
78
Nuhad Khoury
Tiba Nu • 25th Anniversary
J
ust mention the name Nuhad
Khoury to most Nashvillians
and images of luxury and pampering come to mind. Nuhad, or NuNu
as she is known to many, has spent
the last 25 years cultivating a loyal
following among an amazingly
diverse group of men and women
who’ve come to rely on her for fine
European, Middle Eastern and Asian
spa treatments, as well as the newest
scientific developments in beauty
regimes. And, as her friends and customers will attest, what she offers is
Better You.indd 78
highly addictive.
So how did this Nashville empire
come to be? According to NuNu,
it was never even a dream of hers
as a child.“Growing up in the Arab
world, women were not given many
choices,” she explains. But, after
she relocated in 1965 to Nashville
where her brothers were attending
Vanderbilt University, she started to
dream.“When I arrived in America,
I worked in retail at Rich Schwartz,”
she says.“I knew—at 19 years of
age—I wanted some sort of beauty
store.” And with that dream, Nuhad
Khoury opened its doors in June of
1984 in a tiny space adjacent to Gus Mayer at The
Mall at Green Hills.
“I wanted a high-end,
European beauty institute
with a boutique of the
finest skin care, perfumes
and accessories,” she says.
Nashville liked what it
saw in Nuhad Khoury’s
and the store and concept grew as NuNu
listened to the desires of
her clients and tirelessly
researched the best in
health and beauty. In
1987, the store expanded,
offering accessories and
jewelry, and again in
1994, when the Tiba concept was born. The stateof-the-art spa at Tiba was
unlike anything Nashville
had seen before.
While the store had
a healthy clientele and
benefited from foot traffic at The Mall at Green
Hills, NuNu continued to
evolve her business. In
2008, she relocated and rebranded
her store as Tiba Nu, on Glen Echo
in a free-standing building. There,
she has created an incredibly private, quiet oasis for those looking to
escape.
Her exacting high standards can
be seen in every element of the
space that she describes as a “beautiful, tiny jewel box.” There’s no sound
of closing doors, as they all roll
silently on tracks. The pristine white
walls don’t allow for one speck of
dust, and they somehow manage to
appear soothing and clean rather
than clinical due to superior lighting.
And the treatments. NuNu has
traveled the world unearthing beauty
regimes that marry ancient practices
with latest technology. She has also
looked for other ways to better
the community, such as partnering with Columbia HCA to deliver
in-store mammograms, introducing
The Traditional Chinese Medicine
Institute at Tiba and expanding
her services to men. And lest she
becomes bored, she even designs
her own one-of-a-kind jewelry that is
sold in the store.
So how does this busy, accomplished lady stay so young and
vibrant, herself? Aside from partaking in Tiba’s treatments, she offers
this:“Do not smoke! Rest. Eat healthy.
Enjoy your food. Stay positive. Love
and laugh with your close friends.
Practice good self-care habits, such
as regular massages, exercise, facials
and good eating habits. Take vitamin
supplements. I guarantee you will
stay healthy and younger looking.”
Irv Rubenstein
S.T.E.P.S. • 20th Anniversary
I
rv Rubenstein is a visionary. He saw
a need and he filled it. While Irv
was finishing his Ph.D in exercise science at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College,
he and colleague Kathy Alexander
took a trip to New York City where
they checked out some of the first
and few personal training studios.
They knew Nashville needed one—a
place where professional personal
trainers could bring their clients in
on an appointment-only, no-member-
ship basis. The trainers would pay
rent on a per-session basis. And so
S.T.E.P.S.—Scientific Training and
Exercise Prescription Specialists—
was born.
In a 2,000-square-foot space, Irv
and his crew of trainers doled out
scientific exercise prescriptions
for their clients after putting them
through extensive evaluations. Then,
they worked with those clients and
showed them how to exercise correctly and live healthier lives. Irv’s
first client was referred by an orthopedist. The gentleman had never
exercised and needed to lose weight.
Today, Irv says,“he is still leaner and
fitter than when I met him in 1986.”
That’s the case with most
S.T.E.P.S. followers. They stick with
it. Even today, Irv has clients who
started with him that first year, with
whom he continues to work with
twice a week. While their issues have
changed from “minimizing lowerback pain to dealing with middle-age
spread,” they continue to improve
their health with Irv’s help.
And it’s not just the clients’ challenges that have changed over the
years. While the people he and his
crew train seem to shrink, his building grows. Today, S.T.E.P.S. boasts
8,000-square-feet of space and stateof-the-art equipment. Irv insists on
maintaining a “clean” space that
is pleasant and comfortable but
not fancy.“People are there to get
a workout, not lollygag and drink
smoothies or coffee.”
More than 30 trainers work
from the facility, and each must go
photos by eric england
By Ellen Nelson
11/18/09 5:38:45 PM