A new lease of life for La Berbère Ink Studio 🌬️💨

My name is Laila, I am 33 years old.

Four years ago, I opened the first tattoo parlour in Essaouira

The first 100% Moroccan parlour, with no European partners, opened by a woman.

At the time, there were only eight tattoo parlours in the whole of Morocco.

I designed and built it all myself.

Through sheer determination, overcoming both administrative and ideological obstacles.

And as a woman, it was a real challenge.

La Berbère Ink Studio is not just a parlour.

It is an intimate space, a place where people come to ink a message that is close to their hearts. They come here and leave feeling a little stronger.

Women covering up scars.

Men marking a new beginning.

Young people who are regaining their confidence.

Heavy stories. Silences. Rebirths.

I don't just ink the skin.

I help it heal.

💥 And then I cracked.

Burnout.

12 months at a standstill.

While I was trying to stay afloat,

the rent bills kept coming.

The bills. The checks. The debts.

I held on.

But I couldn't pay everything.

Today I'm back.

More lucid. Stronger. More determined.

And I'm overcoming a new taboo. I, who have always done everything on my own, today I dare to ask for help. Because La Berbère Ink Studio could be breathing its last breath.

I need to refinance the studio to give it a future. Beyond the money, I'm also going to develop the concept to offer new services.

To be able to pursue this dream, I need to raise €15,000.

This will allow me to free myself from the past, while breathing new life into the studio, for example by:

- welcoming guest tattoo artists.

- Offering therapeutic tattoos.

- Providing a space for creators to showcase their art.

- Ensuring the salon's long-term future by becoming the owner and making this ink project a permanent fixture. So that this place can live, grow... and no longer depend on anyone else.

It's not ‘just’ about money.

It's also about me, my mental health, the survival of an independent Moroccan project run by a woman.

I want this space, which helps people rebuild their lives, to continue to exist.

🤍 Even €10 is a huge amount.

If you're reading this, it's no coincidence.

Maybe you got tattooed here.

Or maybe you just believe in meaningful projects.

Because if 1,500 people donate £10,

the salon will be saved.

And in exchange, you choose:

✨ A tattoo

✨ A ‘lifetime’ tattoo if your donation exceeds a certain amount

✨ A holiday in Essaouira (depending on your contribution)

✨ Your first name on the ‘Saviours’ wall

✨ A postcard-style tattoo

And above all, you're helping to save a place that heals people's souls in a different way

I didn't give up when I was exhausted.

I won't give up now.

I just need a helping hand to finish the fight.

Thank you.

Truly.

Laila

La Berbère Ink Studio