Glo With A Pro

For my birthday this year, I got a facial from Christine Chin. True, I had “mentioned” wanting one, but I was still really happy and surprised when I opened my gift card.

Christine’s new spa is on the lower east side of Manhattan, a block or so away from where her spa used to be. It’s a much nicer space, but not terribly fancy or stuffy. I used to see Christine monthly for my eyebrows, before she jacked up her prices and before I moved out of the neighborhood. I also saw her for a few facials before my wedding, and my skin never looked better. It helped that I was barely 30 then, but still. She does good work, evidenced by clients such as Gisele, Padma, Kimora, Mary J, etc. People who could go anywhere!

It had been a long time, and I felt like I needed a really good facial. Despite all my effort and exfoliation, I still had a few millia and felt that my skin seemed congested in general. I knew that the best person for a deep cleaning was Christine. Christine’s facials are not like other facials. They are intense. They are thorough and they hurt. Like REALLY hurt. She’s tough, and she will, literally, cut you. She is the only person I have found that will remove millia, aside from a dermatologist. You might have a few small scabs and some redness afterward, but you won’t have breakouts. And then, in a few days, your skin will be perfectly clear.

So I show up in her spa again, seven years later, and she remembered me. I told her a facial hadn’t been in my budget for awhile, but I had requested it as a birthday gift, and she told me she was honored. She also complimented my eyebrows, which I do myself these days. She is tough, but she is still really nice.

She worked on me for a really long time, I don’t even remember how long I was in there. Maybe an hour and a half? She upsold me on microdermabrasion, so she could get deeper into my skin, so that added about half an hour. I knew I needed it though, so I agreed.

When I left, I looked like I had been in a fight with a bee and a mosquito, but I healed in about three days. My skin has been looking great ever since, and it’s been almost three months. She didn’t try to push a bunch of her products on me, which was nice (though I do like her products), but she did tell me I needed to use an alcohol free toner. She told me my skin is very dry, and that’s why I get millia. All this time I thought it was because I had been using products that were too heavy!

Whether or not you subject yourself to this specific type of torture, (I assure you, most other facials are actually quite relaxing) I think we can all benefit from a consultation with a pro now and again to keep us on track. Even if you don’t want to spend money on a treatment, you can get great info from a dermatologist for the cost of a co-pay. I mean, you probably see a doctor, a dentist, and a gynecologist regularly. Why do we all just wing it when it comes to our largest and most visible organ?