The Best Facialists in New York

Vicki Morav, 19 E. 71st St., ground fl.; 212-744-4753; vickimorav.com

From a crystal-filled, airy UES townhouse, Vicki Morav tends to New Yorkers determined to look younger and those who play them on TV (Kelly Rutherford, best known as Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl, has been reported to be a client). Although many of her treatments, including Morpheus8 ($800) and microneedling ($590), are painful, the Reiki and energy-healing techniques Morav practices alongside them help clients relax. Record executive and songwriter Tamar Kaprelian has been seeing Morav for microdermabrasion and microneedling once a quarter for six years to correct sun damage, breakouts, and uneven skin tone. “The texture of my skin is totally different thanks to Vicki,” Kaprelian says. “It’s smooth, even, and glowing.” Growth investor Alexandra Moosally sees Morav every four to six weeks and lets the facialist do whatever she deems necessary: “She has done Clear + Brilliant lasers on me and microneedling. There’s less discoloration and sun spots now.”

Samantha Mims, 115 Prospect Park W., Park Slope; 718-965-1150; brooklynfaceandeye.com

Patients see plastic surgeon Chaneve Jeanniton for cosmetic procedures ranging from fillers to eyelid-lifts, but post-surgery, they turn to her skin therapist, Samantha Mims, to maintain the results. Their office is in a brownstone facing Prospect Park that designer Christopher John Rogers describes as “a super-chic doctor’s office you’d imagine a cool person going to in the ’90s” with accents like vintage Italian glass and a life-size ceramic black panther. Mims’s facials include microinfusions ($300) and microdermabrasion ($240) and often incorporate Jeanniton’s skin-care line, Epi.logic. For the past two years, stylist Matthew Henson has been seeing Mims once a month for facials that include laser treatments and chemical peels, which he says have cleared his skin completely and given him the glow he was after. “People sometimes ask me if I wear makeup. I was offended at first before realizing it’s actually the biggest compliment,” he says. Henson schedules his facials two weeks before any event because “I don’t know what witchcraft she’s doing, but my face really transforms the second week.”

Shyou Hung, 225 W. 35th St., second fl.; 718-730-5861; shyouhung.com

Shyou Hung’s facials start at $200. “The location is how she keeps her prices low,” says author Becky Cooper, who started seeing Hung last year in her nondescript office near Penn Station. Cooper wanted glowing skin ahead of her wedding, so she signed on for regular deep-cleansing treatments that include a firm massage and extractions to reduce the chance of a breakout. “Now, I see her every quarter at the change of season. Her extractions are so good that my father, who doesn’t notice anything, can tell after I’ve gone without me mentioning it,” Cooper says. Liz Livingstone, who told Cooper about Hung, has been seeing the aesthetician for six years. “First to deal with acne problems, then, after I had kids, to work on texture and anti-aging,” Livingstone explains. Hung uses radio frequency and facial massage on her during remodeling treatments ($290), which come with a face mask for hydration.

Sandra Velandia, 107-06 71st Rd., Ste. 302, Forest Hills; 718-487-3400; sandravelandia.com

Ahead of fashion weeks and photo shoots, models like Kaia Gerber and Adriana Lima go to Sandra Velandia in Queens for clearer skin and smoother texture. Celebrity talent producer Marigo Mihalos Sfaelos sees Velandia every couple months for a range of services, including microneedling, dermaplaning ($305), and facials ($280). Mihalos Sfaelos has been a loyal client for 15 years because Velandia has put an end to her breakouts entirely. “She is all about healing from the inside out,” Mihalos Sfaelos says. “During the treatments, we talk about what’s causing the breakout.” Makeup artist ​​Misha Shahzada is also a fan. Over the years, she has added on à la carte treatments to Velandia’s signature facial, including red-light ($80) and vitamin therapy ($330), which rejuvenate her skin and help her makeup go on smoothly.

Monica David, private studio in Glendale; monicadavidny.com

After working at Joanna Czech, Georgia Louise, Joanna Vargas, and the now-closed Shen Beauty, aesthetician Monica David opened her own business in 2023. She now operates out of a studio under her apartment in Queens, where SEEN Group’s U.S. managing director, Melissa Sansone, goes for David’s signature customized facial, which can include extractions, LED-light therapy, and microcurrent therapy (from $300). Musician and Carriage House Birth co-founder Domino Kirke-Badgley says David has helped her skin stay hydrated: “I have hypothyroidism. It’s great to have an aesthetician who knows how to hydrate because I spend a lot of time trying to keep my skin feeling not like sandpaper.” David gives her a deep-tissue massage with a cleansing oil, lightly exfoliates her skin, then applies a biocellulose mask. For those who don’t want to schlep out to Queens, David works at Tribeca’s Raquel New York two days a week.

Kristen May Lee, 117 W. Broadway; 646-870-9490; ondabeauty.com

Though several aestheticians work at Tribeca clean-beauty boutique Onda, Kristen May Lee is particularly sought after. She’s known for intraoral massage, which delivers tension release and a sculpted jawline. As Goop beauty editor Brianna Peters notes, a lot of facials rely on high-tech bells and whistles, but Lee’s best tool is her hands. “The massage is magic. As her hands touch you, you can feel any tension melt away,” says Peters. During the intraoral portion of her massage, Lee wears gloves to depuff and reshape the face from inside the mouth ($280 for 60 minutes), which initially caught French Farmacie founder Tricia Marlowe off guard. “When she warned me, I was like, ‘Your fingers are going in my mouth? Like a dentist?’ But I had a noticeable lift after one treatment,” she says. The facial included electric muscle stimulation and LED technology, which Marlowe said made her face feel firmer. And while the process sounds a little awkward, Marlowe found the environment relaxing. The treatment space resembles a dimly lit bedroom with a single bed and a heavy duvet; Marlowe was almost lulled to sleep.

Cynthia Rivas, 161 Water St., Apt. 1906; cynthiarivas.nyc

Rivas is a Chanel beauty partner, which means she tests out products and works on celebrities affiliated with the house, as well as other models like Olivia Palermo. “I get a treatment every week,” Palermo says. She often opts for extractions or high-tech add-ons like a massage with microcurrent-conductive gloves, radiofrequency, and oxygen therapy, depending on what her skin needs. Treatments start at $550 for a basic facial and go up from there, but Zoe Report editor-in-chief Kathy Lee says the cost is well worth it. She visits Rivas, who recently opened her own studio in the WSA building, during the summer to unclog her pores that tend to worsen from repeated sunscreen application. She says her face looks rejuvenated as soon as she leaves the studio. “There is no downtime after extractions, and my glow lasts for the week,” Lee says.