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In the 1930s, a facial at Helena Rubinstein's New York City spa was described as "a deliciously tingling face bath, setting your skin aglow, awakening your eager tissues…for a lotion gentle as rain…."
Now, thanks to cutting-edge technology and a multitreatment approach, facials are about long-term skin health — delivering the transformative results of injectables and fillers without the jab. And when you want the best facial money can buy? It's time to book a visit to New York City. "We have so many new modalities, ingredients, and tools," says New York esthetician Sean Garrette. "When I was in school, we were taught three main facials: acne, aging, and dullness. Facials have really evolved." Adds New York facialist Jordana Mattioli, "I have maybe 30 different chemical peels and multiple types of microcurrents."
Ahead, state-of-the-art offerings that help the city that never sleeps look like it's getting a full eight hours.
The Collagen Generator
Not many facials require 24 to 48 hours of downtime, but then again, not many offer Epidermal Growth Factor serum sourced from a "secret box." Facialist Georgia Louise's epic two-hour EGF Facial includes an intensive TCA peel to banish melasma and an anti-inflammatory electrifying alginate mask. Then out comes the secret box of EGF serum, made from the progenitor cells of human fibroblasts and delivered via microneedles to generate collagen and elastin. (georgialouise.com, New York City, $650)
LED Light Saver
Skin legend Joanna Czech's custom 90-minute Enhanced LED Facial (joannaczech.com, New York and Dallas, $550) includes regenerative ultrasound vibration therapy, "and we have four different kinds of microcurrent, which stimulate collagen and elastin," says Czech. The big finish? An LED light infused with negative ions. The color, says Czech, varies depending on skin needs—red for firming, yellow for pigmentation.
Sean Garrette, New York Esthetician
We have so many new modalities, ingredients, and tools… Facials have really evolved.
— Sean Garrette, New York Esthetician
Get Red Carpet Ready
Rihanna calls Tracie Martyn "the best"—need we say more? Among the high-tech bells and whistles in Martyn's hour-long Red Carpet Facial (traciemartyn.com, New York City, $450) are retexturizing microdermabrasion delivered via a diamond-tipped handpiece and her trademarked Beyond Microcurrent therapy, which revs production of adenosine triphosphate, an energystoring molecule that speeds healing and collagen production. It's finished with a peptide-infused oxygen mist to lift.
Acid Trip
Mattioli's custom-tailored The Facial (jordanamattioli.com, New York City, starts at $225) may include the first-of-its-kind Ionzyme DF machine, which uses electrical currents and sound waves to transport large doses of vitamins into the skin, and CoolPeel from Environ, which can stay on the skin longer than traditional peels. "I keep the skin cool with a fan, so I'm able to get high amounts of acids in," says Mattioli. For acne, she's excited by a new bacteria-zapping device from South Korea called PlaSon. "We can get clear skin within days," she says.
For more stories like this, pick up the March 2022 issue of InStyle, available on newsstands, on Amazon, and for digital download Feb. 11.
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