Moonflower Spa

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Visitors entering this Midtown building’s nondescript lobby could be en route to a romantic assignation or deep-talk psychotherapy. Lucky Moonflower patrons get to sample both realms—sensual pleasure and meditative reflection—while indulging in a little pore cleansing, fine line erasing, and aroma-scented body wrapping. An urban shrine to Japanese-inspired balance and beauty, Moonflower’s rock-garden reception area leads to a hallway lit by tiny, opaque votives; delicate Eastern muzak floats into the intimate, dim rooms via invisible speakers. Treatments range from teen and sensitive-skin facials and regimens designed for men to services for jet-lagged travelers (about half of Moonflower’s clients are visitors from Japan) and mothers-to-be. Most people come for microdermabrasion and the extraction-heavy facials, during which estheticians use their clean, gloved, and very strong hands to pop pimples and blackheads. Moonflower doesn’t concoct its own products, instead relying on proven compounds from companies like Dermatologica, Esthederm, Pevonia, Aromatherapy Associates, Valmont, and SkinCeuticals. Owner Yuko Funaki and her staff of four also offer anti-aging treatments for the eyes, back, and skin that’s seen too much sun. Their high-end C & Sea and Caviar facials target brown spots and boost collagen production—although, Funaki is quick to add, no actual caviar is used in the treatment. Masks—mud, paraffin, collagen, and those designed for the décolletage—are popular add-ons. — Helen Zelon