A Brush with Facial Greatness at Soie Aroma Skin

Remember my first facial, way back in October? I had a lovely experience at the Joanna Vargas Spa, indulging in her Signature Triple Crown Facial. Post facial, I was left feeling renewed, refreshed, and with glowing skin to boot. All that aside, now is the time for me to come out and say it. Beauties, I have another confession to make...

I see... clogged pores

Yes dear readers, my pores were in fact shamefully clogged, due to the fact that I have never had a proper cleansing facial, complete with extractions. I passed on a true cleansing facial with Joanna Vargas, only because I had no idea of what to expect, and was afraid of the pain associated with the process. However, becoming hyper-aware of the clogged pores and blackheads my skin was housing, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I had to put my fears aside and get it done. Given the opportunity, I put my skin into the very skilled, very capable hands of Cecilia Wang, aesthetician and owner of Soie Aroma Skin in Union Square.

Soie Aroma Skin is a newcomer to the spa world, and is nestled in a building right off of Union Square. The space is modest and warm, and a welcome departure from the frigid cold we are experiencing in early winter. I was immediately greeted by Cecilia upon entering, and felt instantly at ease thanks to her professional demeanor meets warms personality. We immediately got started in the treatment room, as I changed and hopped into the bed, psyching myself up for another one of my skincare firsts.

I spent some time talking to Cecilia as she prepped my skin for the full facial, and she filled me in on her organic skincare approach and philosophy. Using all organic products, products are applied in such a way as to ensure maximum benefits and optimum skin health. Cecilia explained to me that no two facials that she gives are alike, since no two client's needs are alike. Each and every person that walks through her doors is given a custom treatment, using the best ingredients, tailored to suit his/her own needs.

The process began with cleansing followed by an exfoliation. I couldn't help but relax as Cecilia gently applied her organic skin products using a fan brush, while walking me through the process and telling me what each product does. I quickly relaxed under her careful ministrations, but I knew the worst was coming when my eyes were covered and the bright light went on.

The extraction itelf lasted about 10 minutes, and involved targeting individual pores, deep cleansing through a process that involved squeezing the pores with an extraction tool. Cecilia explained that a lot of the pain people report during the extraction process comes from aestheticians who either don't use precision instruments, or take an over-aggressive approach to deep pore cleansing. I can't lie and say there was no pain, but it definitely wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Cecilia really tried to make the process as painless as possible, and all I really felt were a series of soft pinches. After seeing the junk that came out of my pores, I was definitely convinced that extractions are a good thing. Yes, there is a bit of pain, but I felt the process well worth it.

Post extraction, Cecilia used a micro-current apparatus, which she explained is designed to kill blemish causing bacteria. With a gentle massage of serum and moisturizer with aloe vera into my skin to calm the redness and cool the heat generated by the extraction process, my cleansing facial was complete. The immediate appearance of my skin had me a bit worried, as I had red patches at the sites of extraction. There was no pain, but it was slightly unsightly as I am very pale, so the redness was obvious on my milky white complexion. Cecilia assured me that the redness would go away, and that it did after a few hours. That evening, all I could see when I looked in the mirror was a fresh, glowing, bump and blackhead free visage. Once my skin had properly rested, I could not get over how smooth my skin was, and how radiant my complexion looked.

Cecilia recommends a facial once a month, and now I see why. I absolutely love the results I got, and highly recommend that my fellow New Yorkers give Soie Aroma Skin a try. Cecilia is knowledgeable, gentle, and an absolute doll. I completely credit my relatively pain-free extraction, and my beautiful skin, all to her great skill.

*The service reviewed in this post was complimentary.