Stuntwoman-turned-skin-care-guru Gina Marí is no stranger to navigating obstacles. “I’m a scrapper,” says Marí, who got her start working alongside Madonna’s legendary facialist, Dangene, before setting up in LA where she soon built a devoted following thanks to her meticulous attention to detail and immediate results. For eight years, Mari’s large suite of offices in Beverly Hills was a revolving door of entertainment industry executives and red carpet regulars. She would hopscotch between rooms while a multitude of assistants prepped and finished clients. By June, however, it became clear that her MO was no longer going to work. “I could see that even when we did finally reopen, we were going to have to move to one-on-one services,” she says. Mari had already pivoted to virtual consults and facials for existing clients back in April. “I would basically go through their bathroom cabinets, talking about each product and their skin-care routine, but honestly 50 percent of it was dermatologic therapy,” she says. “Between stress, depression, Zoom-triggered body dysmorphic disorder and maskne, skin disorders were just blowing up.” Last month, at a private studio in her garden, she also started seeing clients in person again. Known for her arsenal of cutting-edge aesthetic machines and treatments that include Exilis, Vanquish, Z Wave and LED lights, Mari moved everything into the new space. “As aestheticians, we are going back to our roots,” she says. “Skin care is always about the relationship, and now I have more quality time with my clients. Clients can bring their dogs, and we hang out in the yard and compare gardening tips.” Going forward, Mari plans to split her time working out of a medical doctor’s office and the studio, although she is already thinking about finding a larger space. “I’m an extrovert,” she says. “I miss it all.”

Article by Rachel Marlowe for LALA Mag
Photos by Morgan Pansing