Yahoo News Salon C. Stellar: inside London’s new cosmic beauty clinic
The post-pandemic years have seen two major trends emerge in the beauty industry; on the one hand we’ve all become much better educated in high-tech skincare and clinical treatments, and at the softer end of the spectrum, ancient remedies like sound baths, cupping and reiki are all booming. Finding both under one roof in London, however, would typically have been a challenge, but skin guru Andrea Pfeffer is on a mission to change that.
“I felt there was a shift in terms of what my clients were wanting that accelerated during Covid,” says Pfeffer, who founded cult Fitzrovia facial destination Pfeffer Sal in 2015 (fans include Carey Mulligan, Poppy Delevingne and Jack Guinness) and has just opened her second clinic, Salon C. Stellar, in Carnaby. “It’s no longer enough for brands to simply offer an experience, we now seek transformation. We want to walk out feeling quite different.”
Her latest venture is billed as a sensorial, experience-centric space where ancient wisdom meets modern science. Which, translation, means the clinic offers every high-tech treatment from radiofrequency, HIFU, microcurrent and microneedling, alongside activities like sound baths, talks on astrology and expert health workshops. “Absolutely we want these efficacious results from treatments based on science, but i think a lot of the elements of ancient wisdom - that we seem to increasingly as a society be turning more and more to- are helping us heal, repair and manage ourselves internally,” says the ex-Melbournian, who left her first business in March 2021.
Combining the old and new can be complementary. “A sound bath for example can help manage stress levels, and your stress levels impact your hormones, they impact they way your skin is reacting, the way your gut reacts, and this affects your internal inflammation.” The idea is that by combining the roster of different practitioners under one roof, they can share notes (with your blessing) and propose a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to your skin health and general wellbeing, from realigning your chakra before Mercury hits retrograde, to boosting collagen production and reducing the size of your pores.
If you couldn’t give a hoot whether or not your facial falls on a full moon, that’s fine too. The treatments, most of which are administered by an ex-Pfeffer Sal team, are absolutely top notch and can be entirely tailored to you. “Each of the therapists is coming with minimum ten years hands on experience working for the best clinics and doctors,” says Pfeffer. “They have the knowledge to be able to truly bespoke a treatment in the room.” The entry level and entirely bespoke “Best Facial” (£145) includes 10 different electrical devices for the therapist to choose from according to what your skin actually needs. Having your astrology reading played while you’re under the LED light is optional.
The three-story space sits on Beak Street, adjacent to Somerset fragrance brand Fern and cool girl fashion brands Rejina Pro and Ganni (an increasingly chic little corner of Carnaby), and has art-covered, colourful interiors that look more like a trendy cafe than a clinic. “I wanted to create a really uplifting, sensorial space that when you visit you feel like your cup has been filled,” says Pfeffer, who plans a rolling programme of artists, florists and brands to takeover the space.
For those that want to biohack their nutrition, there’s DNA testing and for those seeking the body of Jennifer Lopez, the salon is host to the UK’s only qualified practitioner of the Sheila Perez method, the deep tissue lymphatic massage specialist J Lo has on speed dial.
In short, its a one-stop shop for making you look but also feel good. The mysticism is very much optional.
