I opened The Skin Lounge in 2019 because I believed women deserved something better than fast fixes and fear-based beauty. I didn’t want to build a business that revolved around “anti-aging,” pressure, or perfection. I wanted to build a place where skin could be understood, protected, and strengthened for the long run and where women could feel respected, not marketed to.
That belief started long before I ever held an esthetics license. I grew up in Pakistan, where beauty lived in the rhythm of daily life, oils warmed by hand, herbs crushed into pastes, masks mixed in bowls that also held family recipes. There was no urgency, no miracle product, no step that felt disposable. Only care. Only time. Only rituals.
Years later, when I trained in Western clinical skincare, I learned the science behind what I’d always felt intuitively: the skin wants to heal when we stop assaulting it. Barrier-first, not product-first. Long-term strength, not surface-level glow. Precision, not panic. That became the philosophy of The Skin Lounge and I’ve never wavered from it.
We built a studio where skin is treated like a living system, not a trend. Where “pro-age” replaces “anti-age.” Where education matters as much as results. I’ve watched hundreds of women learn to trust their skin again, and that more than any before-and-after photo is what I consider success.
What I didn’t expect was that the same philosophy would one day grow beyond skincare.
How Skincare Sparked Something Bigger
Over time, clients began asking bigger questions not just about serums, but about lifestyle, nervous system health, hormones, rituals, energy, and even clothing. Paper-thin fabrics, tight cuts, synthetic blends started to feel like another form of stress on the body.
That’s when the idea behind KORA formed. If we honor what goes on our skin, shouldn’t we also honor what rests against it?
KORA is a slow-luxury loungewear line I co-created with my sister, Hania. She’s a designer and is based in Lahore, Pakistan. I’m a skin therapist. We’ve always shared the same values: fewer, better, slower just expressed through different mediums.
She designs with shape and drape.
I design with structure and breath.
Together, we created pieces that feel like the clothing version of The Skin Lounge: intentional, calm, seasonless, built to last.
KORA was proudly and intentionally launched on September 9, 2025 at The Neighbor in Fort Collins, during The Skin lounge’s six-year anniversary. Instead of a runway, we created a storytelling experience — Morning, Midday, Evening — a reminder that the body has a rhythm, and clothing should respect it. It was a true community driven event.
We also made a choice that mattered deeply to us: we partnered with CASA of Larimer County and donated $10,000 from our launch event. CASA advocates for children in foster care children who deserve safety, dignity, and the kind of care that goes beyond the surface. Supporting them aligned with the exact reason I got into this work in the first place: because care is not cosmetic. It's foundational.
What Comes Next
I am not trying to build an empire. I am trying to build something that endures.
The Skin Lounge will continue to focus on intelligent, non-invasive skin health — rooted in science, grounded in ritual, respectful of biology.
KORA will grow slowly, through capsule releases, artisan partnerships in Pakistan, and garments meant to be worn, washed, softened, and loved — not treated like disposable trends.
And in between both worlds, I’ll keep asking the same question:
Does this allow us to breathe — and will it last?
I don’t want to be the loudest brand in the room. I want to be the one that feels like an exhale on the skin, on the body, and in the life of the woman who chooses it.
That, to me, is luxury.
And it’s the only kind worth making.
If this philosophy resonates with you and if you’re ready for skincare that respects your biology, ritual that grounds your day, and a space where “care” is more than a word — I’d love to welcome you in person.
You’ll find us in the heart of Fort Collins, at The Skin Lounge, where everything we do begins the same way:
Slow. Intentional. Rooted in respect.
Just the way skin — and life — deserves to be treated.
“If it doesn’t honor your body or your peace, it can’t be luxury — no matter how beautiful it looks.”- Amna Rafiq
“Good skin and good design follow the same rule: respect the structure, honor the body, and let time do the rest.”Amna Rafiq