Thoughtful Care, Backed by Experience
A calm, clinical approach to skin grounded in observation, precision, and decades of hands-on practice.
About Cynthia
“I see your skin as an extension of your being as a whole. Treating skin for me is caring for the whole person. My approach to skin care is not just clinical, it’s intuitive. As a holistic esthetician with decades of hands-on clinical experience helping clients navigate complex, sensitive, and treatment-resistant skin conditions, it’s my passion to help you feel good in your skin.”
A career built on reading skin
Cynthia Sass came to skincare the long way, through the world of high fashion and beauty. She began doing professional makeup at fourteen, and one opportunity led to another until she was working on campaigns for Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Diane von Furstenberg, Lancôme, Chanel, and Bobbi Brown.
In the early 2000s she worked with Lancôme under Artistic Director Ross Burton, where she received the brand's Best Face Award. A meaningful recognition during that chapter of her career. Decades in beauty taught her something that still shapes every treatment she performs today: people are often trusting you with far more than their appearance. Touch, listening without judgment, helping someone feel seen, and meeting them where they are matter as much as technical skill.
Why skincare
The move from makeup to skincare wasn't a single decision so much as a gradual pull. Her daughter's severe skin issues opened Cynthia's eyes to how profoundly healthy skin can shape a person's life. Around the same time, navigating a divorce and looking for work with more flexibility, she began to fall in love with skincare for a simple reason: it let her help people in a deeper, more lasting way than makeup ever could.
She trained at Concentric Healing Institute in Boulder, a small holistic esthetics school whose philosophy aligned with the way she wanted to practice, graduating in 2009. She is licensed in both Colorado and California.
Putting down roots in Boulder
After her divorce, and with her daughter leaving for college, Cynthia wanted to be closer to family. Boulder felt like the right place to begin again, and she opened her studio here in 2010.
The first year was humble. A tiny office on Pearl Street and almost no advertising budget. An early feature in the Daily Camera helped introduce her to the community, and remarkably, she still cares for clients who first found her that very first year. Those long relationships are, in many ways, the truest measure of her work.
Over the years, Cynthia's reputation in Boulder's skin-health community has grown through trust rather than marketing. Her relationships with Ideal Dermatology and Kalgren Dermatology began the most organic way possible — she was their patient. Over time, that mutual trust evolved into a referral relationship, with both practices sending patients her way for the kind of attentive, restorative care that complements medical dermatology.
How she works
Cynthia's approach focuses on restoring balance, strengthening the skin barrier, and supporting long-term skin health through thoughtful, individualized care. Known for her calm presence and meticulous attention to detail, she approaches every treatment with careful observation and a deep understanding of how skin functions. Each plan is customized, refined over time, and designed to evolve alongside her clients' skin.
Her private Boulder studio offers a quiet, one-on-one environment where clients receive her full attention. The focus is never on trends or aggressive protocols, but on results that are sustainable, restorative, and deeply personal.
If you're ready to be seen, really seen, you can book a facial in Boulder with Cynthia, or start with a skin consultation to map out the right plan for your skin.
Cynthia Sass is a licensed holistic esthetician in Boulder, Colorado, and the founder of Tru Skincare Studio, 741 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302.
Book an Appointment.
Start with a consultation and we’ll determine the best approach for your skin.