From hiding acne to healing others

Apr 21, 2026
Desde esconder el acné hasta sanar a otros
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She knows exactly what it feels like not to want to be seen. And that changed the way she sees every person who enters her spa.

@malvaespacioCosmetologist · Founder of MALVA ESPACIO SPA

Who she is and what she does

She is a cosmetologist and owner of MALVA ESPACIO SPA, a space she founded with her team where they specialize in facial and body treatments. Every person who comes in has a different need — pregnancy spots, post-acne marks, excessive hair — and she makes sure to address it with discernment, with care, and when necessary, with the honesty to tell them: "First, see a specialist."

Because her job, she says, is not just to treat the skin. It is to contribute to the well-being of the whole person.

Why she chose this path

Few would guess that behind a cosmetologist is a chemical engineer. But it's true: her first career was chemical engineering, specializing in industrial processes. She studied it, loved it, and doesn't regret a single day she spent in those classrooms.

"Chemistry is seen in everything, in everything in our lives."

But life had another plan. Something inside her kept pointing her in another direction, towards the dreams she had put on hold. She listened to that voice, made the difficult decision not to pursue her first career, and gambled on cosmetology.

Today, these two worlds coexist within her. The rigor of engineering and the sensitivity of aesthetic care complement each other in every treatment she designs. No path was in vain.

What she believes about her work

For her, cosmetology is not about skin in the abstract. It's about the person who lives within that skin.

She knows this because she lived it. In adolescence, she had severe acne — intense breakouts that affected her self-esteem, her way of relating, her way of moving through the world. There was a time when she decided to cut her bangs to cover the most affected area. She thought that way people would stop looking at her, commenting, pointing her out at school or family gatherings. The acne worsened. But what hurt most was not the skin — it was feeling invisible in the worst possible way: seen for what you wanted to hide.

That experience lives in her every time she receives a patient with acne. She recognizes the look. She knows what is behind that insecurity that is not always expressed in words.

"I see their faces when they arrive, and the truth is it's a tremendous insecurity. Not wanting to be seen, not wanting people to comment on what you have."

That's why she accompanies the process with such care. She doesn't just apply the treatment — she watches how she speaks, how she looks, how she makes every person who sits in front of her feel. Because she knows how important it is for them how they feel. And what it means to see themselves differently in the mirror after weeks of working together.

The moment she values most

There isn't just one moment. There are many, and they repeat themselves.

There are acne patients who arrive with their heads down and, over time, come in with a different attitude, a different face, a different energy. There are women who come asking about excessive hair without knowing that it can be a sign of a hormonal imbalance — and whom she, instead of just offering an aesthetic solution, first directs to the correct doctor. And who then return, grateful, because someone finally explained what was happening in their own body.

"Thank you so much because you were the first one to help me understand what I had, because I truly didn't understand what was happening to me."

That's what she values most: not just being a service, but being the person who helps someone understand themselves better.

Where she's going and what she tells those starting out

In ten years, she sees herself at the head of a chain of spas under the MALVA ESPACIO SPA brand. She also sees herself giving entrepreneurship conferences to women — sharing what she will have learned with those who are where she once was: with a clear dream but present fear. And she sees herself on social media, stronger than ever, because she knows that community and trust are also built there.

To her future self, she would say that every firm step was worth it. That the difficult decision to leave engineering to pursue cosmetology was exactly what laid the foundation for everything that came afterward.

And for anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps, the advice is simple:

"Don't be afraid to change your mind. If you are sure you are making the best decision, do it."

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