Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karly O’Keefe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Karly, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

Back in May of 2023, I had to say goodbye to my dog whom I had by side for 14 years. She was special to me and anyone who knew me new that.

When she started to decline, my clients would ask me how she was doing (and how I was doing) every treatment.

When she passed, I was so afraid of not being able to show up for my clients emotionally the way I usually did. I feared that if I was sad, they wouldn’t want to come in an have to handle that conversation.

I was so wrong. So many of them showed up to they’re appointments, ready to help me heal.

They would bring cards, candles, flowers, hugs, and empathy.

They help space for me and truly helped my through a major loss.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through but when I look back at that time, I am mostly reminded of how much they rallied around me individually and piece by piece, helped me feel whole.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my journey into the world of esthetics in 2016. I had never had a facial before I started school. Back then, being an esthetician was considered taboo. The skincare industry was small, makeup was at the for front of the beauty industry.

I wasn’t even aware it was an actual job title, let alone a career I could go to school for, but I loved all things skin. Especially fixing it. It was like solving a puzzle to me. By 13 I was testing products on my acne prone skin and drawing lines between things what helped it and what made it worse. By the time I was in high school I had friends and family members asking me what I was using on my skin, and I always elated to share.

After a short career in the medical field and odd jobs here and there, I found myself in my mid 20’s, having moved to LA and thinking “whats next?”

I had just taken a class to get my bartending license and was working at a small cafe/bar in Burbank to make some money when a friend of mine suggested I go to esthetics school over lunch one day. I told her I wasn’t very good at doing nails, that’s how much I knew about the industry. She laughed and told me that that was a completely different career and we got to talking about facials.

I was enrolled in an esthetics program by the following week.

Now a days that word holds a lot more value and I’m so happy to see more and more people investing in their skin.

I started Skincraft about 2 years after graduating and its been a wild ride to say the least but I truly love it.

I have found myself as more of an “acne expert” though I don’t love that term. My clients tend to be people with more problematic skin or skin issues. It sort of just evolved like that, but everyone is welcome at my studio no matter the skin concern. I just want to help my clients feel they’re best.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Honesty and transparency with every single client.

I think about how I would want to be treated or spoken to during a treatment. You can tell when someone is doing this from the heart just by the way they speak to you and I have always treated my clients with respect and gratitude but never forgetting my main focus is their skin.

I talk to them, ask them questions, discussing options based on how much time and money they have to put into their treatment plan and I do it as a person to person evaluation, not a business transaction. I think that makes me come across as someone who is truly invested in helping them, because I am. I think people can sense that right away.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think one thing I learned pretty quickly was that some clients expect a different level of treatment based off a job tile, a salary or a name.

Luckily I was quick to see how dangerous this type of client was for me personally. It made me question my morals in a way I never experienced on that sort of personal level.

Now I stand firm with my personal modo which is : “Nobody receives special treatment because everybody receives special treatment.”

It has helped me remain true to myself and because of that, I am at ease with every client.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.skincraftla.com
• Instagram: skincraft LA

Image Credits

Sarah Partain