Profile

Hidden inside a Soho office building, SkinCareLab was founded by Dr. Brad Katchen, a dermatologist whose medical practice a couple of floors down attends to clients like Sarah Jessica Parker and Sofia Coppola. His spa offers treatments that focus on skin—highlighting prevention along with damage control—and offers access to some harder-to-find skin-care lines. More than 150 products are available for sale from brands like REN, Valmont, Epicuren, and Carita; many are used in facials, depending on what the treatment is addressing. The AromaRelax facial incorporates Decléor products and massage to help clients chill out; the Urban Detox facial cleanses and purifies with marine extracts. Because of the spa’s affiliation with Dr. Katchen, more intense services like O2 Intraceutical Oxygen Treatments (which use hyperbaric technology to saturate skin with oxygen) are also administered. Body treatments focus on the skin, too, and full-body massage, waxing, and standard mani-pedis round out the menu. In keeping with the “lab” idea, the spa’s décor is crisp and stark, with white walls, floor-to-ceiling metal paneling, and blonde wood floors. There’s no lounge or locker room, but each of the five treatment rooms is equipped with a private shower. Men especially love the non-frilly vibe, as well as guys-only services like the Men's Cleanse facial and Back Buff treatment. — Sandra Ramani and Alix Strauss

Related Stories

Best of New York Awards

• The Real Rub (2005)

Featured In

• Makeovers for men (2/5/01)