Exclusive | At this star facialist in NYC, you can also get an ‘incredibly accurate’ astrological reading

Their faces are out of this world.

Raquel New York—a trendy Tribeca skincare studio beloved among the bold—is making waves in the beauty world for combining high-end aesthetics with astrology.

Founded by Raquel Medina-Cleghorn, whose fans include Jennifer Lawrence, Emily Ratajkowski and Claire Danes, the pampering salon located in a sixth-floor loft on Walker Street is offering customers the option of a esthetician’s birth chart reading Monica David, along with their luxury. the faces.

“It opens your mind because we’re talking specifically about that person’s very personal life without knowing anything about them,” David, 33, told The Post.

According to a Harris Poll earlier this year, 95% of Americans know their astrological sign, with 70% believing in it, saying they seek readings for entertainment, self-understanding and self-care. Three in 10 Americans surveyed said they consume astrology-related services every month.

At Raquel New York, that splurge costs $150 — on top of fees that range from $500 to $1,350 per appointment. For their money, guests get a 25-minute astro analysis, which David promises can be scary.

“People are usually surprised at how much you can tell by looking at their chart,” she said.

“Some of these readings have been eerily accurate, to the point of hitting both of us because we don’t know each other and I already said something that was huge in this person’s life,” David shared.

The talented multitasker said she spends hours before each appointment breaking down a client’s birth chart, writing what feels like an essay on their home placement, the planetary alignments in their birth and what it might mean. all this – before giving them a “mini read”.

“It was this thing that I just started doing for fun,” she said, recalling the many times she’s sat in silence while her clients soak under the LED light for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

David’s passion for skincare and astrology wasn’t innate—as a teenager, she remembers struggling with acne and dismissing astrology as nonsense when her zodiac sign didn’t resonate with her.

It wasn’t until she invested in her skin and learned about complete birth charts—not just her single sun sign—that she discovered her interest in both aesthetics and astrology.

“Over the years I started to unravel my chart,” said David, who spent years studying astrology in her spare time. “The more I dug, the more I learned about it.”

Her investment in time seems to have paid off — David’s astro-faces are “super popular” with the clientele, Medina-Cleghorn told The Post.

Since opening the studio in March 2023, the designer-turned-esthetician has attracted so much business that she books a month in advance.

While some devoted clients have followed her since her previous stint at Joanna Czech, she’s wowed A-list clients as the hottest facialist with a cool allure downtown. The Loft is a peaceful oasis of well-being, just a stone’s throw from the hubbub of Canal Street.

“The beauty industry can feel really exclusive and I don’t like that. I want people to come in here and feel like they belong and feel welcome and not feel intimidated,” said Medina-Cleghorn, adding that she would never close her books to new customers.

Her most loyal regulars attend anywhere from once a month to once a week—one even flies in from Bogota, Colombia—many of whom have developed “intimate relationships” with the seasoned beautician after years of service.

“Some people have therapy, like traditional therapy,” Edward Barsamian, editorial director for Michelin Guide North America, Raquel New York, told The Post.

“For me, facials are therapy.”

And facialists are therapists, studio stylist Mary Reinehr Gigler told The Post — saying the dual role is an inevitable one, considering how much time she spends analyzing pores, wrinkles and complexions.

“It’s like watching your friends play catch up,” Medina-Cleghorn explained. “I see my clients far more often than I see all my friends.”

The studio offers tiered services based on the length of any given appointment, with custom facials starting at $500 for a 75-minute slot and increasing in price for longer services. Raquel also offers more advanced treatments such as micro-punches, peels and photodynamic therapy.

“You want someone who is still intellectually curious and so committed to their craft that they want to keep getting better and better,” added Barsamian, who advocated Medina-Cleghorn’s continued pursuit of industry education and knowledge to continue. with new technologies.

In the age of TikTok, it might be easy for her to offer the sexiest, loudest treatments to a group of clients, but she prefers to tailor services to individuals’ skin concerns — rather than making a cash grab for ” clicks”.

“I really like working with technology because I find it fun and I like to see the face change in real time,” she explained.

“It’s like every face is a science experiment in a way, which I love.”