Meet Liana Mollo | Licensed Aesthetician & Acne Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liana Mollo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liana, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I became licensed in aesthetics back in 2015. When I started in the industry I knew I had a passion for working directly with the skin and seeing results. Although, I noticed a huge gap in the industry between a relaxing facial and corrective med spa services. I did my case study in school focusing on acne and immediately fell in love with how life changing it was for the client to feel good in their skin again without the use of harsh medication and the impact it had on their mental health. I worked for other spas for several years and tried different avenues in the industry and could not find my home. I wanted to give relaxing and transformative treatments while being able to educate my clients as well. Later, I went back to school for Social Work. While still in school and before the pandemic, I decided to take a leap and start offering my own services. Soon after, Covid was here and I was forced to shut down.
I continued promoting on social media and doing my best to sell “stay at home facial kits” online and home care to keep afloat. I would use almost every penny made to put back into my business for reopening.
I knew I wanted to try to bridge the gap between mental health and beauty. How we look on the outside can greatly affect how we feel on the inside. Acne can affect one’s self esteem, anxiety, social levels, depression and more. I have now been able to help 250+ clients love their skin and more importantly themselves again and I am so grateful for the experience. As an acne specialist, I hope to continue closing the gap between physical and mental health and having a safe space for my clients to heal & glow.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What I believe sets my business apart from others is my passion for mental health and the beauty industry. I am a licensed esthetician but I also hold a social work degree from ASU. It is important to me that each client feels seen, heard and valued. Making sure all of their skin care concerns are addressed ethically and thoughtfully and being sure they know I am with them every step on their journey. Carefully creating treatment plans and skin care regimens that will best benefit their goals is a focus in my studio. Acne affects thousands of people every day and I wanted to offer a different solution for those who do not have access or cannot or do not want to take harsh medications for their skin. I have learned along the way that each and every person is different. Every treatment plan will look different for each client and learning to adjust or offer support when needed is a constant process. Referring to a
dermatologist is sometimes necessary and staying honest and ethical with each client is also important in my practice.

I have learned to take risks when necessary to invest in my business and to push through for growth. Being here has not been an easy journey and has had plenty of ups and downs especially trying to grow during a pandemic. If it were not for the support of my clients, friends and family when needed, my business would not have grown to the level of success it’s at today. I want others to know that if you have a vision and enough passion to see it through, your dreams can and will become reality.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend coming to town and I wanted to show them everything I love about Arizona I would start with breakfast at Ollie Vaughn’s- a local cafe in central Phoenix that offers a delicious breakfast and lunch menu with fresh pastries, desserts and coffee. I’d take them out to Old Town Scottsdale for a day to see the town and shops in the area. I'd show them the beautiful Spa at The Sanctuary on Camelback for a relaxing massage while relaxing in their beautiful infinity pools. For lunch I’d love to show them one of the many local breweries in town, OHSO being top pick. I would take them to other local spots like the historic district downtown and the Japanese friendship garden.
Later we would check out some local restaurants and speakeasy bars. Wren & Wolf, The Trophy Room, 36 Below to name a few.
I’d take them to a yoga class at Desert Movement studio and a walk through the Botanical Gardens in Tempe. I’d drive up to Sedona for a day to hike and take them on a few favorite trails like Devils Bridge and Bell Rock. We would end the day with dinner at Oak Creek
Brewing Company. Back in town I would show them a few other of my favorite local spots like farmers markets all over the valley and the plant store Jade & Clover in Arcadia.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to give a shout out to all of my friends and family that have supported my business from day 1. Thank you for believing in my vision and helping me perfect my craft by being some of my first paying clients. To my business advisor Tricia Bryski- thank you for holding my hand through the process of getting started and helping me with all the ins & outs to business when I had no idea what I was doing. To the Face Reality Skincare team- for being the best mentors for acne specialists in the industry and paving the way for result driven skincare. I have grown tremendously as a business owner and acne specialist because of this brand. To my Aesthetics instructor Stephanie Locklear for setting the standard for solo estheticians, supporting my vision and offering support well after receiving my license.
To all of my wonderful clients, this wouldn’t be possible without you. When you show up for yourself, you allow me to show up for myself too and for that I will forever be so grateful. Thank you for all of your referrals and wonderful reviews. To all of my fellow small business owners and solo estheticians that offer encouragement and support when needed, I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you!

Website: Www.MolloGlow.com

Instagram: Molloglow_aesthetics

Other: Www.Vagaro.com/molloglow

Image Credits
Photography by: Emily Em Photography