ATHENA HEWETT, FOUNDER OF MONASTERY

Written by LENA RAFF

Image courtesy of Athena Hewett

The founder of the ultra-luxe, skin-nurturing line, Monastery—beloved by industry insiders like Melanie Grant—showed an aptitude for skin care from an early age. Athena Hewett became an aesthetician at 19, but was concocting in her kitchen and giving her parents facials well before then. Her Greek grandmother, or “yia yia,” was the source of Hewett’s education in herbalism, and the two took advantage of the vast array of trees and plants at their fingertips in California’s Central Valley. This love for nature is evident in Hewett’s formulas, which treat both the botanicals inside and the skin with an almost religious reverence.

VIOLET GREY: How did you come to be an aesthetician?

ATHENA HEWETT: I knew pretty early on that traditional school wasn't for me. I wanted to get out into the real world and start working. Art school was something I considered, but the practical side of me questioned whether I could make a living as an artist.

VG: What sort of clients do you work with?

AH: Cool ones. Truly.

I somehow ended up working with some of the most interesting, creative, and inspiring people on the planet. Some of them also happen to be very famous. I honestly don't know how I got so lucky, but I'm grateful for it every day.

VG: What is it about skin care?

AH: I love ritual. I love creating an experience that feels thoughtful, beautiful, and a little bit indulgent. I'm also incredibly picky, so I tend to use myself as the standard for what excellent service should feel like.

When I was a child, I was obsessed with makeovers. I was always making over a room in the house or trying to convince my friends to let me help them change something in some way or updating my mom’s closet. In a sense, I still approach my clients with that same curiosity—not changing who they are, but helping them become the most radiant version of themselves. The difference now is that it's paired with nurturing and creating a moment where someone feels deeply looked after.

VG: What are some moments that stick with you from your career?

AH: There are so many moments that, at the time, felt completely exhausting but have become some of my favorite memories.

Once, I became completely obsessed with reformulating Attar right before a trade show. I must have made close to a hundred variations in a single night. Around 5 a.m., I finally got it exactly right. I quickly filled the bottles, packed everything up, and went straight to the show, where I sold Attar all day until evening without having slept at all.

Now, whenever someone tells me how much they love Attar, I immediately think of that night. If I hadn't been willing to obsess over every detail, it wouldn't be the product it is today.

VG: What was the inspiration behind Monastery?

AH: Quite literally, a monastery in Greece. My mother and I visited monasteries often when I was growing up. I was captivated by the rituals, the slowness, the sense of devotion, and the incredible beauty of the architecture and surroundings. There was something deeply grounding about those spaces. Monastery was born from that feeling—the idea that caring for yourself can be both healing and sacred.

VG: What makes Monastery’s products special?

AH: We source the highest-quality ingredients possible and never compromise on that standard. When I formulate, I'm looking not only at the healing properties of plants, but also at their terpene profiles. I pay close attention to compounds like limonene and linalool and consider their percentages within each ingredient. The plants and flowers are selected very intentionally based on how they interact with the skin and the body.

Only after those decisions are made do I begin creating the fragrance accord. The scent is never the starting point, it is the result of a much deeper formulation philosophy. That's why our products deliver results while also offering a sensory experience that feels incredibly natural and sophisticated.

VG: Why do you formulate with oils, specifically?

AH: Oils are among the most potent, healing, and exquisite forms of natural ingredients. When you think about what it takes to press oil from a seed, nut, flower, fruit, or tree, it's remarkable. These oils contain an incredible concentration of the plant's beneficial compounds. I've always been fascinated by the medicine that nature creates, and oils allow me to work with those ingredients in their most elegant and effective form.

VG: How do your products work together and with other products?

AH: Our products are formulated without chemical emulsifiers, which means they tend to layer beautifully with other skin care. Because they don't contain many of the binders commonly found in conventional formulations, they don't fight with other products on the skin. You don't get pilling, separation, or that feeling that one product is sitting on top of another. They integrate seamlessly into existing routines while still delivering the performance people expect from Monastery.