INSIDER TRADING

SHIZUKA

MICRO FACIAL

06.13.06 - There's been a buzz among beauty editors ever since master aesthetician Shizuka Bernstein relocated her medi-spa to a new space in the Banco Popular building on West 51st Street.  Our design expectations were low (a spa in a midtown bank building?), but Shizuka is an incredibly chic homage to Japanese decor: green tea hues, bamboo accessories, warm lighting, precisely positioned decorative pillows.  Anal types will appreciate crisp, neatly folded kimono robes that come hermetically sealed (as do the spa slippers), pristine bathroom and lounge facilities, and the fact that your hands are wrapped in cotton before being placed in those warming mitts.  It's worth forking over the extra 20 percent to have Shizuka herself tend to your pores (if only for her transporting hand, foot, neck and head massages).  Note: facials here take 80-90 minutes, so plan accordingly. $160

www.shizukany.com

7 West 51st Street, 6th Floor

New York City

212.644.7400