How to Find an Esthetician

a lesson in Internet sleuthing + vibes

Mar 21, 2024

Hello hello!

I’ve spent the past few days throwing out/donating/preparing to giveaway as much as I possibly can before I move in a few weeks. I’m not going far, still in Brooklyn, but I own too many things that have only been touched the past 3 times I’ve moved and there will not be a 4th.

Importantly for you, this means lots of beauty and skincare stuff. I picked TEN paid subscribers to win a box of goodies, but only six have replied. Check your emails and get back to me asap with your addresses or I’ll be moving on! But I have more than 10 boxes worth of stuff to get rid of, so I’m opening this giveaway up to the rest of you! To enter, like this post and I’ll pick 3 winners on Tuesday. Just please be sure to check your email so I can get your addresses and get this stuff outta my sight.

I would like to find an esthetician in my area. Besides looking at reviews, are there certain certifications I should look for? How do I know the esthetician knows their stuff?

There are things you can look for and vibes you should feel. Some of those things are only possible to do at the establishment/during an appointment, but plenty you can suss out beforehand with some strategic sleuthing.

In terms of qualifications and certifications, your esthetician should have a current and valid license. Licenses are granted and overseen by states, which each have their own training and board examination requirements. Simply having a license doesn’t mean someone is a “good” esthetician just like having a driver’s license doesn’t mean you are a good driver, but it is the basic requirement to practice. Beyond that, there are some advanced diplomas and certifications, like CIDESCO, that I would consider bonus points if someone has, but it’s not a bad sign if they don’t. I don’t (yet, at least). Estheticians may also have advanced certifications or specialize in treating certain conditions or modalities, like acne, lymphatic massage or microcurrent. Again, not required or necessarily a bad sign if they don’t, but something that can aid your decision making. This type of information you can usually find in their website bio. If you ever need to, you can also look up someone’s license status in their state. In NY you can check here, but otherwise Google your state + esthetics license lookup.

Word of mouth is honestly the best way to start your search. Ask your friends and coworkers for recs! Put up a story on Instagram. Any employees of local businesses that always seem to have good skin? Find out where they go. From there, take your search to good ol’ Google and start with a simple search like “best facials in XXX.” Especially in a smaller city, I think casting a wide net at first can be helpful, but you can also add in a relevant keyword, like “best facials for rosacea in XXX” or “acne specialists in XXX.” Look at a few of these roundups and lists to see what names keep coming up. Is there a spa that’s mentioned on every list? Any names you recognize that you keep hearing about? Did a local blogger write a review that resonates with your concerns/goals?

Starting with those, look at their websites, reviews and social media profiles. How do they describe their services? How do others describe their experience? Look at before and after photos if they have. Take note of the skin you see, does it look like yours? Does it seem like they have experience working with people with your skin tone/concerns? Is it a large day spa that also offers massages/other services or a boutique facial studio? What’s their social media presence like? Fun? Serious? Do they engage with their followers? For true unfiltered thoughts, you can look to Reddit. The skincare community there is extremely active and helpful. If you can’t find an existing post about esthetician recs in your area, you can post your own question. You can also always give a place a call or send an email asking about any specific concerns you have.

On their website, it should clearly state their services, prices and providers. Look at the range of services they offer and the different types of facials. Do they sound like what you’re looking for? Is the website easy to navigate and informative? What products do they use/sell? Some spas only use one product line, which isn’t always a bad thing, but using multiple lines is definitely a good thing as it allows for more personalization and customization. Plus, your esthetician will be familiar with more than one brand and able to make better recommendations. Read bios and stories. Learn about backgrounds, experience, inspiration, philosophies. How did they get started? Do they seem passionate about their work?

Probably the biggest red flag would be the lack of a consult/analysis prior to beginning treatment. An esthetician should never just start doing something on your face. Some places offer consults prior to making an appointment, otherwise it will happen at your initial appointment. You should always be asked to fill out some sort of questionnaire. Be detailed and honest about your routine, products, goals, allergies, medications, medical conditions, lifestyle considerations and any other relevant info. Are you getting married soon? Do you travel by plane a lot? Your esthetician should start off your appointment by going over these answers and asking follow-up questions. Lots of questions = good sign. During this, your esthetician should be analyzing your skin. Looking under a light, touching it with their hands, asking more questions based on what they see. Feel empowered to ask your own questions, too. Do they answer in a way that’s easy to understand? Do they seem judgmental or are they meeting you where you’re at? Are they giving you feasible recommendations? Are they making you feel bad about your skin? You can sense someone’s vibe pretty quickly by the way they are interacting with you and your skin. Your esthetician should be making you feel comfortable and listened to.

Make sure they go over aftercare (what to do that night, the next few days etc.) and homecare (what to be doing/using long term, suggestions for follow-up treatments, when to come in for another appointment etc.) and possible side-effects and how to reach them with questions. You should leave feeling like you have a game plan for your skincare goals.

Submit a Question

Now let’s do something different & fun! The person who asked this question actually submitted a similar one a while back (sorry!) but with some added specificity: I live in Indiana. How can I find an esthetician like you? Specific qualifications or experience I should look for?

I’m flattered! Come to NYC! But in my absence, using my own suggestions, let’s see what I came up with. For this exercise, I went ahead and assumed you live in or near Indianapolis and Googled “best facial in Indianapolis.” I skimmed through the first page of results and saw an aggregated roundup from Yelp, a few websites (at the very least these places have good SEO), top results from Google Maps/reviews and links to 2 relevant Reddit forums. I started with this Reddit forum. Right off the bat, someone mentions Hand & Stone (the top Google Maps result) specifically looking to “upgrade to something nicer.” Another person mentions that their experience with Hand & Stone is hit or miss. Can’t say I’m impressed so far and the website seems a little bland and broad. There are a lot of offerings and deals, I’m not getting the sense it’s the type of place you go for a long term relationship with an esthetician. The top recommendation I’m seeing is Woodhouse Bottleneck (one of the top website results), which also has a lot of offerings and some promotions, but the website is a little more tailored and descriptive. If you scroll down, they have detailed descriptions of their facials, along with suggested add-ons. Still, this isn’t the vibe I’m looking for and I realize that the Reddit forum is about “spas” and not specifically estheticians or facials.

I revised my search in r/indianapolis and searched for “facials” and “estheticians.” I also changed my Google search to “top custom facials in Indianapolis” and “top estheticians in Indianapolis” because I’m noticing that many of these places are day spas or med spas, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I want the place to at least showcase facials as one of their signature offerings. And now we’re talking! We have some specific names, places and even Instagrams to look up. Interestingly, most places still seem to be med spas, though these give off very different (better) impressions. Knowing nothing about Indianapolis or your specific skincare concerns/goals, here are the ones that stood out to me.

Phases Skincare: This spot was mentioned by 2 people on Reddit (which holds a decent amount of weight in my book). It is a med spa with a lot of offerings, but has a well-designed and user-friendly website that highlights their facials in a few notable ways. They have a full page about their personalized facials, along with information about the consultation process, FAQs and more. It seems a little high tech? Totally fine, but I could see wanting something more low key. There’s even a dedicated page about what to expect when you go to their center. There are a lot of estheticians there, so my main concern would be getting paired with the right one, but Redditors seem happy with everyone they’ve seen, especially Paula.

Beauty & Grace Aesthetics: Super nice website with clear information about their facials specifically, along with how to book a free consultation beforehand. They have a small team of providers who look well-qualified and have pictures/reviews on Instagram. The founder’s philosophy and techniques sound comforting and personable, I really like that their consultations are an hour long! They seem a liiiittle more injections focused than facials focused, but appear to take equal pride in both.

Kurr Aesthetics and Med Spa: The most robust of the facial offerings, but again a med spa so they have other focuses. The founder’s story is in depth and made me feel trusting. She also used to give Oprah facials. Idk I just got good vibes! A little frustrating that they don’t have bios of the other practitioners, but they do have 37 very helpful and name-dropping Yelp reviews.

Morgan Braun Esthetics: This specific person was mentioned by 2 people on Reddit. I wasn’t able to find much info on her website, but her Instagram has lots of before & afters and reviews. I like the services she offers and she’s also a Face Reality Acne Specialist, so if acne is your major concern I would inquire about her acne bootcamp.

Three Other Things

Crown Affair, makers of the world’s best dry shampoo with the world’s worst packaging, UPGRADED THEIR PACKAGING! I haven’t tried it yet or seen it in person, but this is excellent news for your hair. It’s also now refillable and may become the 3rd product I’ve actually ever used refills for (the first, the second).
Yet another truly unexpected Sephora launch: Dr. Idriss! The namesake brand of Instagram-and-NYC-famous dermatologist Dr. Shereene Idriss, formerly called Pillowtalk Derm. I love love love the moisturizer and her depuffer tool is genius. Use it post-treatment or post-night out to reduce swelling and redness.
Speaking of Sephora, I read today that they are closing down all physical and onlines stores in Korea. This article cited competition from local retailers like Olive Young and department stores, which is fascinating to me and very telling. The skincare capital of the world knows what they want and what they want is excellent K-Beauty. Sephora couldn’t penetrate that!

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xx,

Jolie