Klara Beauty Lab—A Boutique Clinical Spa for Serious Skin Care

We New Yorkers are known for our ability to make the most of small spaces. Given the Big Apple’s sky-high real estate prices, it’s not uncommon for families of four, and even unrelated young professionals, to squeeze into a one-bedroom apartment in a desirable neighborhood. Last summer, a new building of micro-apartments luxuriously appointed with custom-designed furniture sealed the small-is-beautiful trend.

IMG_7965Spa owners seem to be catching on. KLARA Beauty Lab, which occupies a prime position just off Madison Avenue on the affluent Upper East Side, is around 1,000 square feet, little more than the average one-bedroom apartment. Yet the diminutive space exudes big-league luxury and serenity. The boutique clinical spa is helmed by its namesake owner Klara Chrzuszcz, a bubbly Polish skin therapist and medical esthetician with a high-profile following, who was recently named the city’s brand ambassador for SkinCeuticals.

First Impressions: The bijou retail/waiting area is decorated in white and pale Tiffany-box turquoise, with slick seating, a contemporary chandelier and marble reception desk. Flickering candles and minimalist orchid arrangements help create an atmosphere of polished calm, while clever use of branding contributes to the sleek vibe. Even the bottled water, set out on a table with tempting-looking Polish chocolate cookies and Lindt bonbons, bears the name of the business. One wall is devoted to a display of the entire SkinCeuticals range, as well as the company’s space age-looking SkinScope, which allows staff to see a client’s skin under LED-UV or daylight to aid product prescription. On arrival, I was offered a glass of wine or champagne. Let the pampering begin!

As petite and chic as her surroundings, Klara appeared in a brightly patterned sleeveless dress and sandals despite frigid winter temperatures. “It’s always summer in here!” she smiled. The three small treatment rooms also accommodate a permanent-makeup artist, a cosmetic surgeon and a physician offering dermal fillers and Botox. I was led to a compact but comfortable space with soothing blue accent lighting and thoughtful touches including a selection of pretty pastel hair ties.

The Service: Klara’s 21-step Signature Facial (90-120 min./$275) is tailored to the client, and Klara stresses that appointments are never tied to the clock. Analyzing my complexion, she emphasized the importance of vitamin C, both orally and topically, to help strengthen my sensitive skin. (SkinCeuticals is known as an innovator in antioxidant-based products such as its popular C E Ferulic.)

As I reclined on the well-padded Equipro treatment lounger, luxed up with a super-soft white faux-fur blanket, I was treated to a succession of holistic and high-tech treatments, which were often combined. KLARA Beauty Lab is positioned as a results-driven clinical spa, but there were plenty of relaxing elements, including warm towels infused with lavender, ylang ylang and orange zest during the cleansing process, and a neck and shoulder massage while a triple whammy of a calming botanical mask, biocellulose mask plus LED light therapy did its job.

Even the inevitable pain of the extraction process was reduced thanks to a pretreatment ultrasound in conjunction with an alkaline solution to loosen sebum. Afterward, a high-frequency, oxygen-infusing wand zapped bacteria. Oxygen was also used to aid absorption of a wild rose-scented, collagen-boosting ampoule containing stem cells and vitamin C.

At the end of nearly two hours, my skin had a luminous clarity and I felt uplifted—which may have had something to do with the tuning fork, set to the “ohm” frequency, that Klara held to my chest and head.

Noteworthy: For the past half-dozen years, Klara has been at the forefront of the keratin lash lift trend, offering both treatments and training. According to the spa pro, interest in this “Viagra for lashes,” as she dubs it, has exploded on the East Coast in the past year or so. She also revealed that she is poised to sell the SkinCeuticals line on her website.—Lisa Ritchie

 

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