I walked into the spa at the storied Peninsula Hotel, tucked away on 55th Street off Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, fully expecting to emerge looking like Miranda Kerr.
For $3,000, I was about to undergo 90 minutes of age reversal and cell transformation with the spa’s new Medical Beauty Research facial that would, with the help of its medical-grade active ingredients, leave me looking "exceptionally smooth, flawless and youthful"—aka the skin of a supermodel.
After I sank into a heated bed that automatically propped my knees up for comfort, my facialist, Lucy, offered me a choice of music: "Classical, new age, Asian-inspired, or Ayurvedic?” she asked softly, while peering at my skin under a bright light to determine how best to customize my facial.
Known for its innovative treatments—like the new Vedic Aromatherapy designed by Australia’s Subtle Energies—the Peninsula's spa prides itself on combining traditional therapies with the latest technologies. For its 30th anniversary this year, the spa introduced several new, extremely indulgent treatments—the most extravagant (and results-driven, they tell me) being this $3,000 facial by German skincare brand, Medical Beauty Research (MBR).
Created in 2001 by a group of dermatologists and plastic surgeons, MBR promises revolutionary ingredients in concentrated formulations. “Their products work on a cellular level down to the dermal layer of the skin,” explains Lucy, who quickly establishes that my skin is sensitive to touch (I suffer from rosacea), so she forgoes extractions and instead focuses on cooling my skin with an algae mask.
Each MBR product (free of mineral oil, parabens, phthalates and artificial fragrances) is manufactured in small and exclusive batches, which is reflected in its prices. As Lucy slathers the brand’s Liquid Surgery Serum ($1,730), Bust Up Concentrate ($250), and Executive Gel Mask ($380) onto my skin through Ayurvedic massage, with an added hand and foot massage to relieve hyper-pigmentation and swollen joints, the cost of the facial starts to make more sense.
The facials are best suited to those looking to reduce wrinkles, sun damage and sagging skin
Building on MBR’s $500 Age-Defying Customized Facial, the $3,000 treatment includes an four added enhancements that deliver deeper, instant results. The Liquid Surgery Serum is touted as a revolutionary product “for a complete rejuvenation of the cell metabolism, revealing an exceptionally perfect complexion,” states the website. Meanwhile the Bust Up Concentrate "stimulates the microcirculation, rejuvenates the cell structure and promotes the skin's elasticity," and the Executive Gel Mask aims to "improve the lipid barrier on the skin and smooth its surface". To ensure the facial’s results continue outside the spa, I’m given a complimentary bottle of Liquid Surgery Serum to take home.
For those who don’t have a spare $3,000 to blow on a facial, the spa also offers MBR's Age-Defying Customized Facial which promises to "revive and hydrate the skin’s natural cell functions, restore firmness and elasticity and regenerate collagen and elastin fibers". Your face, neck and décolleté receive equal love, with an enzyme peel and a final moisturizing seal to "maximize your skin's resiliency". Both the $3,000 and the $500 options are extolled as an excellent accompaniment to pre- and post-surgical procedures—and both are best suited to those looking to reduce wrinkles, sun damage and sagging skin.
After my own 90-minute experience, Lucy explained that through MBR's products, my cells were left with increased levels of oxygen, and the skin creases on my décolleté were reduced through microcontractions. Collagen was stimulated and fibroblastic structures (used in wound healing) were strengthened in my face. Essentially, my skin was plumped from the inside out.
But as a 30-year-old woman with only the beginning stages of surface wrinkles, Lucy admitted that I'm not really the prime customer for such a collagen-focused facial. Women in their 40's and 50's who receive this treatment monthly, she said, will see lasting, drastic results.
As for my transformation into Miranda Kerr? I certainly left the spa feeling more relaxed and refreshed than I had in months. My skin looked dewy and replenished—like I had just spent a week in the Bahamas—and was smooth to touch. But unfortunately, not even a $3,000 facial can turn you into a supermodel.
Olivia Fleming is the former Features Director at HarpersBAZAAR.com. Born in New Zealand, Olivia was raised with two basic beliefs: That deep respect for the earth is a given, and women are imperative to leading a successful, progressive country (two female prime ministers took office during her childhood). But after moving to New York in 2008, she quickly realized that her status quo was at odds with the rest of the world. In an effort to change that—and to legitimize women's duel interest in fashion, politics, and human rights—Olivia focuses on female storytelling. From long-form features and ambitious packages, to new podcast initiatives that elevate the magazine's content mix across platforms, she champions the stories no-one else is telling.
