Welcome to ON BEAUTY, a monthly feature highlighting creative, like-minded people who inspire us.

A facial with Crystal Greene is a spiritual experience. Not in the literal religious sense, but the energy behind it is second to none. The New York City-based aesthetician has an aura that exudes comfort and healing and we can say the exact same for her facials. Her magic hands never leave your face for the entirety of the treatment and it’s no wonder beauty editors flock to her safe space in Soho for a lifting effect and cheekbones you never knew you had. 

Here, Crystal shares what sets her apart from other aestheticians, why she doesn’t use machines and lets her hands do all the work, and the importance of energy in her treatments.

Did you always want to be an aesthetician?

To be quite honest, no. I started getting facials around age 20 because I had problematic skin. I suffered from severe acne in my teenage years and even into my early adulthood. I always looked at it as an act of self-care. But working with the skin didn’t come to me until I was working in retail and had enough of that environment.

At my core, I’m a really creative person. My first love is dance. Expression through movement and through using my hands as an art form is really important to me. While working in retail, I started thinking about what was next, so I visited the spa that I was going to and spoke with one of the aestheticians and asked her about her path and how she got started. She ended up recommending a few schools in New York City.

So I signed up and did it part-time in the evenings. I didn’t enjoy the school process, but I pushed through because I knew that I wanted to be in a treatment room, and I knew that I would find the right space that I aligned with.  

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I like to show up for every client.

What would you say is unique to you and your technique?

My approach makes me unique and the fact that I use very few machines with the exception of the Lyma device. I use my hands mostly. It's my greatest tool and device.

The core of my practice is massage and it’s important for me to do things that feel authentic and that resonate with me. I want people to come in and have an experience. But what sets me apart is the energy behind it. Attention to detail and creating an experience is really important to me. A mentor taught me when I started that before you touch someone, what is your intention? And so that leads me and guides me and my practice. 

Another thing that sets me apart is that people often say how amazing they feel after. I really think about the energy behind the facial. I only see four people a day. There is obviously space to do more, but I don’t like to push myself, and I like to show up for every client. A client mentioned to me a few weeks ago that they never see anyone else leaving and that’s intentional. I like to give time before I use the space between each client. I don’t want people to ever feel rushed in their experience.

You have the magic touch with your hands and really know how to manipulate the skin with massage. What is the significance of massage in your practice and why don’t you utilize facial devices?

Massage is at the core of my treatment. It’s the only way that I learned. I truly believe in the power of my hands—it gives me something deeper. It’s more intimate, it’s where I can feel the client’s tension, the temperature of their skin, and connect with the rise and fall of their breath. When I massage the skin, this is usually where I start to piece together the puzzle of a client’s skin—I can feel if they are dehydrated, congested, and feel the elasticity of their complexion.

Sometimes we equate a facial to the more devices you have, the more effective it is and it’s quite the opposite. In an hour treatment, my hands never leave you even if you have a facial mask on my hands are massaging the decolletage. 

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Our skin is a whole system. We can’t look at someone’s skin without having a conversation about your stress or your sleep or your diet or thinking about your caffeine intake.

 

You ask questions that dig deeper into the whole person versus just looking at the skin. Why are these questions important for you to understand your client’s complexion?  

We obviously need products to support our skin, but I don’t look at the skin as being isolated to topically what we’re using. Our skin is a whole system. We can’t look at someone’s skin without having a conversation about your stress or your sleep or your diet or thinking about your caffeine intake. One system impacts the other. We can’t have a conversation about the long-term health of your skin by having a conversation about the products that we apply topically to it. It’s not enough, in my opinion.

Walk me through a custom facial. How do you begin your sessions and what questions do you ask?

La Sculpture, which is a massage-based treatment, focuses on increasing circulation in the skin. It is a rhythmic massage for a large portion of the facial. It starts out with a double cleanse and it goes right into the massage aspect. For someone to have this treatment, you have to have more or less a robust skin type. I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who’s highly inflamed or sensitive or someone who’s maybe using a lot of actives in their routine like vitamin A or goes heavy on exfoliants. But it is to create circulation in the skin and to work with the contours of the face to lift the muscles and release tension. After the cleansing phase, we go into the massage phase, and after that, there may be an enzyme exfoliation, depending on the needs of your skin. 

Barrier health is also a very big part of my approach. If I don’t finish off with an enzyme exfoliation, there might be a vitamin mask and then there are customized serums that I’ll apply. Then I’ll use cryo sticks to bring down any inflammation in the skin, but also increase circulation and tone the skin. 

Vitality, which is a facial that I just launched, is a true customized facial. There’s a double cleanse, there’s enzyme exfoliation, there are extractions, there is an cold algae mask, and then there’s customized serums. It’s less focused on massage. This one is really great for anyone who is sensitive, someone with barrier dysfunction, someone who travels a lot, or anyone who has depleted skin. It’s more about nourishment with customized botanicals and actives. The Lyma Laser will be in the new Vitality facial, too. 

You make your clients feel very comfortable. What’s important to you when working with a client?

Small details are important to me. Outside of just your treatment, the space and having an environment that feels comfortable and soothing are really important—from the bed that you’re going to be tucked into for an hour to how the sheets feel against your skin. Also, the aromatics. I don’t use a lot of scented products in my facial, but people always comment on the scent. For example, I incorporate In Fiore into my decolletage massage. I find that it’s all these details that add to the experience and adds to the client’s sense of comfort. It’s all those details that are equally important to me as the treatment itself.

Favorite scent?

In Fiore Calendula. I love Calendula. I love Fleur Vibrante as well. I also always burn argo wood in my home, which is a wood that I burn on charcoal. It’s very grounding after a long day of treatments at my studio. 

Favorite beauty food?

I’m always talking about omegas, so sardines, and any wild fish. But I particularly love sardines with some olive oil on top. Also, oolong tea. I can’t drink as much caffeine as I used to, but I love oolong tea for all the great benefits of polyphenols, which are incredibly beneficial for your skin.

Do you have any tips for long-haul flights? 

I would say definitely clean skin. I would certainly avoid makeup if you’re on a flight for an extended period of time. Any sort of humectant or hydrating toner is great. The plane is incredibly dry, so keeping your skin hydrated is important for a long-haul flight. Also, any sort of barrier-repairing moisturizer, something that has ceramides and fatty acids in it to keep the skin hydrated, in addition to an occlusive balm on top to seal everything in. And, of course, water. Water and eye drops. Eyes can dry out on the plane, too.

Do you have any vices?

I would say sourdough bread and butter. I love bread and butter.

Do you have any charms or talismans?

Ironically, my grandmother named me Crystal, but I don’t really carry them on me, but I do have some around my house–a lot in my medicine cabinet. 

I love selenite for its cleansing properties. Truthfully, I don’t have much of a preference, but I’m very drawn to stones and crystals.