During her graduate school internship in plastic surgery, Henry shadowed a very knowledgeable nurse practitioner who specialized in injectables and a whole new world opened up. Henry quickly noted that the clientele wasn’t exactly diverse. “Do you treat any women of color—Black, Asian, or Latin?” Their answer? “We would, but we don’t typically see those clients coming in.” Due to lack of marketing and education, most providers operated on the false assumptions that women of color didn’t need these treatments or didn’t typically want them.
It bothered Henry, though she wasn’t surprised. As a professional woman of color from Jamaica who desired to invest in luxury aesthetic treatments, Henry had difficulty in finding a provider who would understand her aesthetic goals.
It was during a trip that Henry found what she had been looking for—a spa that specialized in treating skin of color. One visit and she knew immediately that she wanted to bring that kind of facility to Florida. This is where Bioluxe Aesthetic and Wellness was born. She started by providing skincare to loved ones in her home and eventually opened her first location in a 100 square-foot studio—all while working full time in the hospital setting. Eventually she left her hospital job and grew her practice into a 2,200 square foot, state-of-the art facility, offering a variety of treatments.
Though her clientele comes in all shades, Henry is particularly proud to know that her customers of color don’t have to search high and low to find someone who knows their skin. “I found that women who look like me had a hard time feeling comfortable in the space of aesthetics and plastic surgery, and it was a little heartbreaking,” says Henry. “Today, my clients bring in their mothers and their grandmothers—who wouldn’t always feel comfortable having discussions about their deepest insecurities with someone who can’t relate to them.”
Henry relates. She wants everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. “Our mission is inclusion and diversity. That is what we aim for,” says Henry. “I wanted to create a space where anyone, regardless of gender, background, or ethnicity—can come and feel comfortable.”