Hi community,

My name is Leola and I am the owner of Pansy Esthetics, a Queer and Black owned esthetics studio built to provide intentional, affirming skin and scar care for people who are often overlooked in traditional beauty and medical spaces.

For years Pansy Esthetics has been a place where people, especially Black, brown, and LGBTQIA+ folks, could feel safe, respected, and cared for while receiving high quality treatments. Much of my work focuses on scar care and supporting people through vulnerable healing experiences , including gender affirming procedures, cancer recovery, menopause, and other life changing transitions.

Creating and holding this space for my community has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

But like many small businesses right now, Pansy Esthetics is facing one of its most difficult seasons. This past year has been incredibly challenging in keeping the doors open.

Bookings have slowed significantly as the Black, queer, and trans communities I serve are facing hardships in this current climate. While the cost of running a studio continues to rise astronomically. Rent, supplies, treatment products, and everyday operational expenses have all increased, making it increasingly difficult to sustain the business while still keeping services accessible for the community I care so deeply about.

As a small, independently run business, these slower periods can quickly become overwhelming, and I am doing everything I can to keep this space open and available to the people who rely on it.

I am also preparing to move Pansy Esthetics into a new studio space at the end of the month. This move is necessary so I have a better chance at keeping the studio open.

and can continue providing the level of care my clients deserve.

transitions like this come with a lot of financial pressure. Between covering rent at two studios, deposits, moving costs, equipment transport, and covering business expenses during a slower season, the financial weight has become overwhelming.

That’s why I’m asking for help.

This fundraiser will help support the sustainability of Pansy Esthetics and help during this big transition so that I can continue thriving as a Black and woman owned small business with community care as my focus.

Pansy Esthetics has always been about more than skincare. It’s about healing, autonomy, and creating a space where people can feel truly cared for in their bodies.

If you are able to donate, share this fundraiser, or support in any way, it would mean so much. Every contribution helps keep this space alive.

Thank you for supporting this work and believing in the work I do here.

With deep gratitude,

Leola

Pansy Esthetics