The Esthetician's Perspective: On Skin, Rituals, and the Relationship That Makes It All Work
Emily Sindlinger spent years behind the treatment bed as a licensed esthetician and spa owner, building a deep understanding of what skin truly needs. Danielle Munley came from the world of entertainment and marketing, with a passion for skincare products and a relentless curiosity about what is inside them. Together, that combination shaped everything about how Sorella thinks about skin.
Today, Danielle sat down with Emily to talk about what her years in the treatment room taught her, why she believes the esthetician relationship is irreplaceable, and what she wishes every person knew before building their own skincare routine. At Sorella, we believe deeply in the work estheticians do and the impact they have on the people they serve. As Emily always reminds us, the hour a client books with their esthetician is very likely one of the most important hours of their week.
Danielle: Emily, you spent years working as an esthetician and running your own spa before we started Sorella. What did those years teach you that you could not have learned any other way?
Emily: Honestly, everything. You can study skin in a classroom, but when you are with someone, looking at their skin, asking about their life, watching how they respond to a treatment, that is where you learn what skin really needs. I had clients who came in week after week, and I could see their stress levels in their skin before they even told me what was going on. You cannot learn that from a textbook. You learn it from showing up, paying attention, and genuinely caring about the person in front of you.
Danielle: When a client sits down at the treatment bed, where do you start?
Emily: I always start with their skin. What are they seeing? What has changed? What have they already tried? I want to understand their skin on its own terms before I bring anything else into the conversation. And then once I have a sense of what is happening, I go deeper. How are they sleeping? What does their diet look like? How much stress are they carrying? Are they washing their pillowcase often enough? Those questions are not small talk. They are the whole picture. Skin does not exist in isolation from the rest of your life, and the sooner you understand that, the better results you are going to see.
Danielle: Why do you think people underestimate what an esthetician does?
Emily: I think people see a facial as a treat. A nice hour where someone takes care of you. And it is that, absolutely. But it is also so much more. A good esthetician is reading your skin, connecting the dots between your habits and what they see, and building a plan that accounts for it all. They are part educator, part advocate, part wellness partner. The best ones I know are genuine energy givers. Their clients leave feeling better not just in their skin but in themselves. That does not happen by accident. It happens because someone cared enough to ask the right questions and create a space where you could exhale for an hour.
Danielle: Skin barrier health is central to everything Sorella does. Where does that come from for you?
Emily: It comes from years of watching what happens when the barrier is compromised. Sensitivity, dehydration, breakouts, uneven tone, so many of the concerns clients would come to me with were connected to a barrier that was not functioning the way it should. And a lot of the time, the routines they were using at home were making it worse without them knowing. Too many actives, too much exfoliation, products that were not right for their skin type. Once you understand the barrier, everything else starts to make sense. It became the lens I looked through for everything.
Danielle: How does that translate into how we approach Sorella's formulations?
Emily: We formulate to support the barrier and address real skin concerns with ingredients that are precise and purposeful. But here is the thing, having a great formula is only part of it. Knowing which product is right for your skin, how to layer it, when to use it, and how it works alongside your other products is just as important as what is in the bottle. That is why we believe so strongly in the esthetician relationship. They are the ones who can take what we make and put it in the right hands at the right time. That is where the results happen.
Danielle: What do you wish every person knew before trying to build a skincare routine on their own?
Emily: That more is rarely more. People come in with ten products and they cannot understand why their skin is struggling. They found something on social media, they read an ingredient list, and they tried to piece it together themselves. And I get it, there is so much information out there. But an algorithm that has never seen your skin cannot tell you what your skin needs. Only someone who has looked at it can do that. Your esthetician will cut through all of it and give you a ritual that makes sense for your skin, your life, and your goals. That is something no amount of scrolling can replicate.
Danielle: Last question. If someone has never seen an esthetician before, what would you want them to know going in?
Emily: Go in open. Be honest about your skin, your routine, your habits. The more your esthetician knows, the more they can help you. And do not think of it as a one-time thing. The relationship builds over time. They get to know your skin through the seasons, through stressful periods, through changes in your life. That continuity is where the real value is. It is not a luxury. It is one of the best investments you can make in your long-term skin health. And honestly, in your overall sense of wellbeing, too.
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