Courtesy Photo
Owner of Zap Master, Stephanie Shields
By Sigourney Orstad
For the C-C Chamber of Commerce
Stephanie Shields, playfully nicknamed ‘The Zap Master,’ hasn’t been in the area long; however, she’s already making a lasting impact in Lewis County and beyond. Shields owns Zap Master Electrology in downtown Centralia, an electrolysis clinic with a focus on electrolysis training and education.
The daughter of an electrologist, Shields was raised in the hair removal industry. “My mother started electrology in 1982, I was born in 1985, and I was always brought up kind of playing underneath the treatment tables and just being kind of ever present, whether I was working the front desk in high school or helping with filing and admin stuff,” said Shields.
After high school, while Shields was getting her degree in education, she began doing electrolysis to help put herself through college. Shields quickly realized she could integrate her passions for education and electrolysis and close the gap in electrolysis education that exists in many parts of the United States.
Electrolysis is a hair removal method that targets a hair follicle through either an AC or DC current. “In layman’s terms, we take a filament and apply current to the hair using very fine dexterity to get into that follicle and cauterize the root so the hair doesn’t grow,” Shields explained.
Because of an oversight, Washington is currently an unlicensed state for electrolysis. The result is that there isn’t an official standard for those providing electrolysis services, allowing for those without proper training to practice electrology. Shields is an advocate for licensure in Washington and is passionate about providing safe access to electrolysis, which has become a keystone value she teaches through her Zap Master Electrology training program.
Shields educates the next generation of electrologists through a combination of theory and practical hands-on training. From Germany to Australia, Shields’ electrolysis training program attracts people from across the globe who want to get the proper training and certifications to perform electrolysis. Students, or “Zaplings,” as Shields likes to call them, train under Shields’ direction for between two hundred and six hundred hours. Through their training, students learn a high standard of care and safety for which to treat electrolysis patients.
Although Shields is passionate about her electrolysis training program, she still has a focus on the health care portion of her electrolysis business. Shields works alongside Schine Health, a primary care practice located in downtown Centralia, to provide a pathway for clients to get their electrolysis covered by insurance for conditions like Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or for gender-affirming care.
When Shields moved her business to Washington from Arizona in 2022, she convinced her business partner, Schine Health, to relocate to Centralia as well. Since moving to Centralia, Zap Master Electrology and Schine Health have embraced their place in the community and are excited to continue to offer valuable resources and support to Lewis County.
Zap Master Electrology and Schine Health are continuing to expand access to electrolysis and have begun their search for a master esthetician to go through the electrology training program.
For more information, contact The Zap Master at info@thezapmaster.com.
