The Fastest Way to Your Freshest Face
With spring in the air and scarves and hats being packed away, remove winter’s chill from your complexion, too. Julie Knapp found the best facials in town to banish dull, dry skin and reveal a youthful, refreshed glow.
Organic Facial
Fabulous Facials by Annie Delouya
When you go for a facial at Annie Delouya, you’ll receive one-on-one customized attention. France native Delouya performs her French facials herself and says building a relationship with every client is a top priority in her business. A fixture in town since 1995, Delouya has built a long list of regular clients. At the end of March, she moved to a new, quiet location downtown that she shares with a massage therapist.
The details: From her menu of options, Delouya says her Organic Facial, which features products from Émminence Organics, delivers the most wonderful results. The facial begins with an application of organic alpha hydroxy acid followed by a hot paprika mask to provide deep exfoliation, removing dead skin cells and stimulating skin cell renewal. To combat under-eye bags and dark circles, Delouya lightly massages the face to help drain and detox lymph nodes and encourage blood flow (making you look more awake, healthier and well-rested). To finish, she uses a double layer of masks and a moisturizer. Throughout the treatment, when Delouya’s hands aren’t on your face, she massages key body parts such as your feet, shoulders, hands and neckline.
Best for: If you’re looking for an aesthetician you can return to again and again Delouya is a great choice. She’ll address your skin’s needs specifically, analyzing what you need right from the start and constantly tweaking anything from mask to moisturizer over the course of your visits until she hits the perfect combo for you.
Try it: $135; 100 Melrose Ave., # 107, Greenwich, 203-861-1884; fabulousfacials.net.
Blueberry Smoothie Peel
Celia B. Skin Care
Celia Statler, owner and aesthetician at Celia B., immigrated to the United States from Brazil in 1998 and quickly gained impressive experience studying at Atelier Esthétique Institute of Esthetics in Manhattan and managing skin care services at Warren-Tricomi in Greenwich. She opened Celia B. in 2004 and just relocated to a bigger and better space that she now shares with hairstylist and fellow Brazilian José Henrique. Many of her treatments reflect her Brazilian heritage and techniques.
The details: The 60-minute Blueberry Smoothie Peel calls on organic blueberry extract, a source of many antioxidants, which helps to prevent free radicals from damaging skin through sun exposure. You will find this peel is much more gentle and pleasing than your average peel, featuring a low level of lactic acid to help shed away the dead skin.
Best for: Celia Statler recommends this treatment for first-time peelers who want to find a less-harsh approach and are looking for gentle exfoliation and softer, smoother, refreshed skin. She finishes it off with a mask matched to your skin type to hydrate, draw out impurities or reduce hyper-pigmentation.
Try it: $135; 24 Greenwich Ave., 2nd Floor, Greenwich, 203-861-6850; celiabskincare.com.
Four-Layer Facial
Serenity Health & Wellness Center
Serenity has been a Greenwich fixture for nearly 10 years and offers all the benefits of a full-service spa from aromatherapy massages to bikini waxes, plus 12 different facial options. Besides the typical treatments, you’ll find an impressive menu of unique ayurvedic massages and therapies.
The details: You’ll spend 75 minutes with an aesthetician for the Four-Layer Facial. Each of the four steps — a seaweed serum, seaweed cream, seaweed mask and clay mask — in this treatment will help rebalance and rehydrate your skin using ingredients from the sea and earth that are all organic. Because the 15-minute clay mask heats up, it’ll help open up your pores to allow all of the ingredients of the facial to sink into and tighten your skin.
Best for: If your complexion is feeling extra dry and lackluster, this is the treatment for you. The moment you walk out the door, Serenity staffers say, your skin will feel super-moisturized, rejuvenated and lifted.
Try it: $140; 116 East Putnam Ave., Greenwich, 203-629-9000; serenityspanow.com.
Cellular Renewal Facial
Kimara Ahnert
Owner Kimara Ahnert has had a successful Manhattan spa since 1997, but in May she’ll open her second location on Greenwich Avenue. The 3,000-square-foot space (previously held by interiors shop Shabby Chic) embodies the same lavish homelike appearance of her Madison Avenue outpost featuring the French décor of Aubusson rugs and Louis XVI settees. After your facial, take advantage of the generous selection of Kimara’s custom-designed line of professional makeup.
The details: The Cellular Renewal Facial is all about relaxation with a stimulating facial massage and a cleansing 10-minute steam to start. Next comes a silver ion mask (silver has amazing healing properties and soothes inflammation). To remove dead skin cells, the folks at Kimara Ahnert use a soy-based protein placenta serum (it’s not as scary as it sounds), which works to replenish new skin cells and add moisture to your skin. In addition, the aesthetician will include some extractions to help ease any adult acne breakouts.
Best for: This 75-minute-long facial promises to deliver results comparable to that of Botox and Restylyne. Even though a facial can’t match the same long-lasting tightening effects, it is a less invasive and more relaxing approach to skin care if you don’t want to face the needle.
Try it: $205; 88 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, 212-452-4252; kimara.com.
Decléor Excellence Facial
Nöelle Spa for Beauty & Wellness
Nöelle Spa for Beauty & Wellness was originally created by Noel de Caprio, who helped create the day spa industry in the 1970s. While she lost her battle to cancer 12 years ago, her husband and son created the NOEL Foundation, which helps cancer survivors with quality-of-life issues. They also manage and run the spa in her honor. Located in a two-story postwar building, the space is luxurious and soothing. After you pass through the high-energy hair salon at Nöelle, you’ll pass a waterfall and slip into a tranquil and peaceful spa space for your facial. Plan ahead — you’ll want to stick around to enjoy the amenities, since beyond salon and spa specialties, Nöelle offers healing therapies like Reiki and Kundalini yoga classes.
The details: The Decléor Excellence Facial includes a mask and serum with moisturizing and elasticity-boosting corn extract, brightening daisy, collagen-stimulating chamomile and omega-3-rich sunflower. The aesthetician uses a qi booster, an acupuncture tool to promote blood flow and help open up pores, so all of the products applied during the facial can penetrate deep into the skin.
Best for: This is a great pick for those who prefer to use natural and organic skin care, since this 90-minute treatment exclusively uses the brand Decléor, a leader in natural beauty products. All the creams and serums in the line are filled with plant-based ingredients and essential oils. This treatment is also geared toward mature skin in need of an extra antiaging boost.
Try it: Price ranges from $170 to $190; depending on the aesthetician; 1100 High Ridge Rd., Stamford, 203-322-3445; noelle.com.
European Facial
Julia’s Facials
If you have heard about Julia’s Facials, the recommendation probably came through a friend. In her 18 years in Greenwich, owner Julia Musayev has never felt the need to advertise. Julia performs all of the facials herself and has a steady following of women who visit every three to four weeks. With a doctorate of cosmetology from Russia, she specializes in European facials. When it comes to chemical treatments and injections, Julia is simply old fashioned and shies away from those types of treatments.
The details: Julia’s facials focus is on deep pore cleansing and are tailored to each client’s personal needs. Parisian beauty brand Yon-ka has always been her product line of choice. Everything is organic and natural, made from herbs and fruits. Her hourlong treatments include the typical exfoliation, steam, upper-body massage and masks, but it is her focus on killing the bacteria that creates blemishes, which sets her apart from other facial experts. After performing extractions to clean out any whiteheads or blackheads, she uses an antiseptic cream and a high-frequency electronic tool to sterilize and kill any lurking bacteria, which can cause pesky acne breakouts down the line.
Best for: Fifty percent of Julia’s business comes from acne-prone teens — she says her treatment is a more natural alternative to the typical dermatologist approach of prescribing harsh antibiotics. Adult acne sufferers alike will see big benefits. This is also a good option for women who prefer a private location rather than a bustling spa. Julia’s studio is small and the service is one-on-one and by appointment allowing you to slip in and out from your day at the spa without seeing anyone who might disturb your make-up free, post-facial state.
Try it: $150 for adult treatment, $80 for teenager treatment; One West Elm St., Greenwich, 203-661-3399.
