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As I’m standing outside Rescue Spa in the Union Square area, I can already tell I’m in for a treat.
Just by looking at the lobby, I have no doubt that this gorgeous place of relaxation, renewal, and care will do my skin good. It’s a Thursday afternoon, and I’m more than ready to let this day — and the rest of 2017, to be honest — wash off my face and start fresh.
Now, I’ve never had a facial before. I have sensitive skin, and anything that might upset it, I always try to stay clear of. Plus, I’ve heard that for facials, it sometimes gets worse before it gets better. However, my skin has been acting up lately, and since it’s winter, I figure now is as good a time as any to get over my fear.
Entering the spa is a pretty good beginning, I must admit. It’s bright, modern and big; everywhere I look, something new catches my eye. Behind the lobby is a beverage bar, a nail salon for perfect mani-pedis — with a fireplace to complete the coziness — a hair salon, and rooms for massages and facials.
The spa only recently opened in October of this year, but already has a great reputation, as does its founder and owner, Danuta Mieloch. With award-winning facials, body treatments and more, Rescue Spa opened its first location in Philadelphia 13 years ago, and now — in a perfect setting — it’s also in NYC.
I’m here for one of the signature facials, the Bio-Lift Facial which promises to “leave you with a just-back-from-vacation glow.” And I’m excited, although still a bit scared, as I lay wrapped up in cozy sheets, and Danuta begins the treatment.
She starts with an examination of my face, and can quickly tell that I’m very careful with my skin. Maybe a little too careful.
“Skin is a living organ that constantly changes,” she explains. “It changes throughout the day depending on the climate we live in, stress levels, hormones, and how we take care of it.”
“Proper skin analysis is a huge part of our facial treatments. We take into consideration all the factors that may occur. Is it too many products? Not enough cleansing? Not enough products? And determining why a person is breaking out. Are they dehydrated?” Danuta tells me.
As she looks at my skin, she can tell that I don’t do a lot to it. But that has created buildup, she reveals, and hands me a mirror so I can see and understand.
“If you have a lot of buildup, you might have a little bit of downtime. Sometimes it needs to be a ‘no pain, no gain’ approach,” Danuta explains.
“The entire revolution in anti-aging and promoting healthy good skin is that most things, in order to work, need to be quite intense,” she adds. “This is not to say that our skin is not a delicate organ, it needs to be handled carefully and in the right hands. This way we can promote skin regeneration in a controlled way.”
I feel very safe and in the right hands as she cleanses, steams, exfoliates, tones, massages — and a few other steps that include LED lights and a microderm device.
At the end of the facial, I ask Danuta exactly what the benefits of a facial are.
“I can’t speak for all facials, but our Rescue facial treatments are like a personal training session for your face. It produces results and sets you on the right path of how to take care of your skin. It’s like a jumpstart for how to look after your skin.”
While I’m a little red-faced, my skin is softer than it’s been in a while, and I must admit I do feel like I’ve gotten a jumpstart on my skincare routine. With a carefully prescribed cleansing-toning-moisturizing regimen with Biologique Recherche products and a mask, I’m excited to have a routine and stick with it to see the results.
“And now you can’t say you’ve never had a facial,” says Danuta as I head on out. Which is true, and I’m happy I had it at Rescue Spa.
You can find out more about the spa, treatments and how to book on rescuespa.net. You can also purchase the effective Biologique Recherche products through Rescue Spa’s online shop.
Rescue Spa
29 East 19th St
New York, NY 10003