I have terrible skin. Left to its own devices, it would be an oily yet dry, pimply, scarred hellscape. However, after a decade of facials and all natural products, I have beat it into submission. Mostly. I still breakout. And now that I am getting older, I want to make sure what I do have does not droop and wrinkle.
Which is why I walked into the AMEŌN salon. They use the science behind cryotherapy with natural ingredients to lift and brighten the skin.
The salon is located in the Equinox in Rockefeller Center. April came out first to say hello and share their origin story. The founder, Alina Mehrle, suffered from fragile and severely dehydrated skin after 8 rounds of chemotherapy, which inspired her to develop skincare products that nourish and heal damaged skin. AMEŌN facials and products promise to tighten and enhance the radiance of your skin, giving it a healthy, younger glow while improving tone, reducing puffy eyes and tightening pores. I was all ready for my all natural, surgery-free facelift.
My facialist Shay brought me back into the spa room and explained how my facial would target my specific skin issues because she was going to examine my skin under a special light. Turns out, I have hyperpigmentation on my forehead and chin, along with dryness. She started off with AMEŌN’s signature Ice Cubes—frozen cubes chock full of powerful ingredients that absorb deep into your skin. They have two versions. For me, Supreme Energy Frozen Essence™ would work best as they cause blood vessels to constrict and then dilate, pulsing oxygen and nutrients into my skin cells. Basically, they really hydrate, totally detoxify and make my skin really firm. Shay warned me the cubes were cold and that she was going to start at my jawline. Even with the heads up notice, the cold still surprised me. But after a few seconds, I really enjoyed the sensation, especially as I was overheated from the NYC heatwave. The treatment also covered my neck and decolletage which I really appreciated. Not all facials work on the neck which I think ages you more than your face.
Next, Shay massaged my face with a frozen steel face roller to help with lymphatic drainage. She honestly could have done that for an hour and I would have been so happy. Shay also answered all my questions at each step of the facial, making me feel informed and more intelligent about what is happening with my skin.
After, lots of goodies were massaged into my skin, from their Baby Buddha Calming Serum, which reduces redness and protects against all the bad critters like bacteria, free radicals and pollution, to their Holy Cream Diamond Moisturizer, which nourishes deep into all the layers of the skin. Shay also gave me a face massage using her fingers to improve the connectivity of my facial tissues, making sure everything stays up instead of sagging. At one point of the massage, she said I sleep on my right side which is not good for me. Surprised, I asked how she knew I was a right-side sleeper. She said she could feel it in the tightening of my jaw tissue—which she helped release for me.
Here is the thing…after my facial, even in the dimly lit room, I could tell I had a new face. My skin tone was even for the first time in decades. I was blemish free. I seriously glowed. Or as AMEŌN calls it, I “ice glowed.” After staring at my face in the mirror some more, I left with a hug, a free headband, a bottle of their Baby Buddha serum and a promise to come back in a month.
And now for the proof. The next night at dinner with friends – who did not know about my visit to AMEŌN – all raved about my skin. They never saw me glow so much and wanted to know how I could look younger than I did a week previous. And three days later, I look better today than I did right after my facial. Just as Shay promised I would.
If you live in NYC, book an appointment at their salon. If you live further away, buy a set of their products online and give your skin a natural facelift at home.
-Babita Patel
