My facial was amazing!! Ellis, the facialist/esthetician, was great with her hands. Her massage and gua sha work were exactly what I needed for my tense jaw and shoulders. She was also just so fun to talk to that it made my experience even better. read more

I decided to try this studio for skin care, given the good reviews, and was generally satisfied. The room is pleasant, cozy, the atmosphere is relaxing, everything is clean and tidy. The procedure was professionally performed and the skin did look fresher upon completion. The only thing that spoiled the impression a little was some moments during the cleaning, which were more painful than I expected. Although the skin calmed down afterwards, it's definitely not the most delicate procedure I've ever had. In addition, in the final a little obsessively offered several products, although I did not ask for recommendations. In general, I can say that this is a good place, and there is the potential to become a favorite. Next time, perhaps, I will clarify the details of the procedure in advance. read more

LING is the best! I love their high quality facials, always a great. The staff always does a great job of determining the right facial for you and I appreciate that the don't upsell. My go-to on the UWS for a great facial! read more

My esthetician left the room for over half an hour after I paid over $400 for a luxury facial. It was literally the worst experience I've ever had. I had to get a second facial to make up for this one. I wish I could give this place 0 stars and I NEVER write reviews. Go ANYWHERE else. read more

Ling UWS is a wonderful place for a facial. I have been going to Grace for over 20 years (!) and my skin looks quite amazing due to her! She is incredibly thorough and since I have been going for years, really knows what is best for my skin. read more

I had a fantastic signature ("Wow") facial with Ellis at Ling's UWS spa last week. It was the best facial I have had in years. When I was done I could see that my skin looked clear and refreshed. The treatment was thorough yet gentle and reflected Ellis's extensive training and experience. The facility is clean, comfortable and relaxing and Ellis approach was steady and unrushed. A wonderful experience! read more

I visited this place first time, my friend highly recommended me to get an appointment with Kamilla. First of all I have been very impressed by all the treatments options that are offered. I choose Signature Facial Plus. Very professional facial, gentle and absolutely comfortable. Kamilla is absolutely wonderful. She takes great care with explaining everything she is doing and makes sure you are comfortable. Excellent experience ! Definitely will be back! read more

I've been living next door to the spa ever since it opened. Last week, as I walked by, Debbie invited me in for a skin analysis. Following her explanation of my skin's condition, I opted for a facial, and it was a delightful experience. Kamilla was exceptional; she thoroughly explained each step to me. I've been wanting to have my blackheads extracted for a long time. It was somewhat pricey, but definitely worth the investment. read more

I got the Signature Wow facial, 90 minutes. The place seems nice and clean. The aesthetician started by trying to upsell me on a more expensive facial which I declined. The facial started nice with a great facial massage and some cleansing and toning. Then she put in the first mask and she left the room, for 10 minutes. No hand, shoulder, or arm massage, no scalp massage, she just left. She came back washed off that mask put another one on and left again. She did this 6 times. At one point I got a book out to read. I have had many facials and it is not normal for the aesthetician to leave that often or for that long and to not give any other massage. I was feeling really frustrated by the end that I just said out loud, "Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?" Over and over again until someone finally came. I said I wanted to leave, and I looked at my phone it had been 90 minutes so it's not like the other massages were coming. It was almost like she was giving another person a facial in the other room. She handed me wipes to wipe my face and squirted toner, serum and moisturizer into my hands and I put it on myself. I told the front desk it was awful. They charged my credit card (I had a Black Friday promo but it was still over $240) and I tipped because I try not to be a monster. The front desk person told me I could have a free water in the way out. TLDR: Aesthetician was gone for most of the facial. read more

I have walked past the two locations of the spa for many years so was very excited to finally have a facial there. The entrance to the spa is nice it smells good and the receptionist was very sweet and friendly. The treatment room was small and fine, ok, not super nice. The facial was a little disappointing. All the girl did was rub my face! Durning the time the masks or steam were on she just left the room. I have had many facials and almost always they massage your neck, or arms or hands or feet. Nothing. There are many other places to go in the city so I do not think I will be back. read more

Alice did a wonderful job! I got the pore 2 pure cleaning facial and it was wonderful. Ellis was my technician and she was amazing! Highly recommend read more

Amazing quality products and facials. I regularly see Ann for the Wow Signature Facial and my skin has improved drastically. I suffer from dry skin and adult acne and noticed a big difference after the first time. read more

Mary was amazing. She really took the time to analyze my skin and customize our treatment and she even identified a skin condition that I did not know I had. She was extremely educational and holistic in her approach. My skin looked so much cleaner and brighter after the appointment and I have learned to change my current regime. I loved the experience! She also gave a great face/neck massage. read more

Ann was amazing and did a great job customizing a facial for my skin needs! My new favorite facial in the city

Wendy is super-cool and funny. She's also brutally honest -- "your skin, not so good". Yeah, living off of coffee and sleep deprivation will do that to ya. She's very professional and meticulous. I mean, she put all previous facials I've ever had to shame. She zapped every single part of my face, even parts I never knew existed! I highly recommend Wendy. My only complaints are 1) the price (of course, I get that Ling is pretty upscale based on its location and reputation, but can't they provide some discount, especially since they're the ones recommending expensive procedures? 2) along with the price, the paltry samples! what's up with that? at least provide some substantial samples. They ran out of them when I was there. 3) not a fan of the person working at the front desk.. A bit snobbish and un-friendly. Still, I recommend this place, if you can afford it. My skin looked great after a few days. read more

I had my first appointment with Ling Skincare today and I am happy to say the service was memorable and learned so it much about skin care. Mary was super knowledgeable and she gave me plenty tips on how to take care of my skin at home. She is super friendly and kind. I am so grateful to have met her. My skin feels amazing and I excited to see further improvements to my skin in the near future! read more

Mary was such a JOY to receive a facial from! She was incredibly friendly and warm and clearly knew what she was doing when it comes to skin care. She was educating me on what she was doing and why throughout the treatment but still allowed for me to relax and enjoy. My skin came out feeling the most fresh and rejuvenated it's ever felt. Request Mary if you're going to the UWS location!!! read more

A bit smaller than their 16th st location, but just as beautiful and calming. friendly staff. I can't get enough of their Tripple peel facial, theres no downtime and my face looks amazing and fresh afterwards. I'm usually hesitant on extractions because i don't want to be walking around with a red face, but somehow extractions here are soothing and they have a Vitamin-K serum that calms my skin, and minimizes inflammation.. I love their travel kits, really convient for me since im always traveling and reasonable price, I'd get that if you wanted to see what their line was about. read more

Mary took GREAT care of my skin! She is a holistic doctor and even gave me helpful knowledge during my facial (on the house;). It was extremely informative, relaxing and fun! My skin was beautiful and glowing afterwards. read more

Cannot recommend Ling Skincare enough, and Mary in particular is truly a miracle worker. I had gone 8 long months since having a facial and struggled with intense dehydration. Mary customized a facial plan for me, complete with special "cocktails for my skin" -- all fabulous Ling products of course -- and I left glowing. Mary is a healer- both inside and outside - and I am so excited to go back for more treatments! read more

Today was my first facial in about ten years. That being said, it was the best facial I have ever received. Kanella was extremely thorough and professional throughout my experience at Ling Skincare. I had blackheads on my temple, nose and chin and I was extremely dehydrated. Kanella was so THOROUGH with cleaning my face AND gentle to the point that I barely felt the skin extractions. My skin is extremely sensitive and she catered the facial to my skin type. After the facial, my skin was glowing and I was given samples to aid in further extractions when I go back in two weeks. I was so relaxed and had beautiful glowing skin at the end. I couldn't have asked for a better experience and I recommend fellow yelpers to try Ling Skincare. Kanella provided me with an amazing Skincare cleaning, facial and relaxing experience that left me glowing inside and out! read more

After reading all these positive reviews, I was really having second thoughts about posting this review. Maybe this is just isolated to my own personal experience. I had a Gilt City voucher for a 60 minute Ginseng Herbal Facial. I told the esthetician I was concerned about my blackheads. She convinced me to spend an additional $95 for a Triple Peel Facial because she said the Ginseng facial only included light extractions. So I did. You know the feeling you get when you realized you've been suckered into signing up for something you weren't comfortable with? In the end, my facial was maybe 75 minutes long as we started late due to my esthetician finishing up another client when I arrived (10 minutes before my scheduled appointment time). I paid $95 for an additional 15 minutes. She did the extractions but it was nothing to write home about. And the entire time was spent making me feel like my skin was really really bad just so she could continue hard selling me. And man this place hard sells like crazy. She even asked if I could come in again that week for another facial. I've always thought that skin needs to rest for at least two weeks before the next facial. I'm starting to suspect it's hard selling again and not really in my best interests. I don't think I will go back to this place again or at least not to the same esthetician. Unfortunately I didn't get her name though.. read more

Mary gave me an amazing facial. She is genuinely committed to helping people with their overall health and has a very nurturing approach. She made several helpful suggestions regarding diet as well as supplements. read more

Ling's is unbelievable - my experience was unbelievable, I left with glowing skin. Ask for Lauri if you're getting a facial, she's amazing - I already booked my next facial! read more

Greatest spa for facials. Just had bespoke facial with Kanella. Wow. My face looks fresh!

Ling was a pioneer in the NYC skin care game back in the Marcia Kilgore actually gave facials at bliss days. A close friend and estetiques classmate of mine worked here and learned alot. After all these years, it's still a great place to get a no-bull facial. read more

An oasis on the Upper West Side, with many services and products to choose from. I was lucky to experience a Bye Bye Breakouts facial with Kanella, who is professional, knowledgeable and nice to chat with. A relaxing pampering experience. read more

I scheduled an appointment for an IPL photofacial and was told over the phone that if it was my first time, they may want me to have a facial on the first visit to get my skin in shape -- whatever. I got there and was taken in right away. I saw Wendy who was nice, if a little chatty. She looked at my skin and told me that it was beautiful and perfect (which is fairly accurate). I wanted the IPL laser for some very minor fine lines on my forehead, nasolabial creases, and a smattering of light freckles across my nose and cheeks -- sun damage from when I used to lay out in my early 20's. In truth these flaws are never noticeable to others (people look like I'm crazy when I mention it), but I know they're there and I want them gone. Wendy proceeded to give me a facial while telling me repeatedly what great perfect skin I have. Naturally, I assumed this meant I had passed the skin test and my IPL treatment (what I was really there for) would be happening. When it was time for extractions she spent maybe a minute or two as there wasn't really anything for her to pick at. She convinced me to get the add-on eye treatment which she said is good for puffiness and dark circles -- again, I barely have these and usually skip add-ons like these but I thought, why not, maybe I'll see a noticeable change since I'm in pretty good shape to begin with. The facial itself was ok. It took about 90 minutes and included two different masks. I didn't notice any huge difference in my skin by the end -- it was a little softer and smoother but this could have been accomplished with an at home exfoliation and moisturizer. As for the add-on eye treatment -- guess what? My undereye area looked exactly the same. When the facial was over, I asked if we'd be starting the IPL next and she told me no, if you want that you have to come back in two weeks. WTF? She said the reason was she wanted to clean my skin first but even by her standards my skin was already clean! I went to the front desk to pay, they tried to push their products on me, I declined and I left. Wendy literally ran out of the store after me down the block to get me to come back and schedule an appointment for the IPL! When I said no, she offered me 20% off. I told her I'd think about it and walked away. This is a no frills place. There's no extended arm/hand and neck massage during the facial, no soft music playing, and the rooms are tiny. If you have bad skin, and by that I mean skin that would require a lot of extractions, they probably do a good job (based on the reviews I've read). But if you have average to above average skin, you don't need to come here and spend over $200 on a facial that doesn't offer the perks of relaxation. read more

Top notch facials in a pretty part of Union Square... I have been going to Ling for the past 3 years and I honestly don't think I'll ever go anywhere else for a facial. I have gone to three different aestheticians - they have all been very different from each other, but all equally amazing at what they do. I personally like HJ and Mary (who I went to for the first time today). Mary spent about 75% doing extractions, which is the main reason I go to get facials - she got every single blackhead out of those nasty nooks and crannies - I think I'll have baby butt skin for the next two months!!! Yes, Ling is expensive, but try to find a place that gives you glowing skin, a soothing atmosphere, and an honestly amazing line of facial care products.... A plus! read more

I had a lovely and thorough facial today with Grace. All the products she used felt great and she explained everything she was doing and gave me some little none tips for how to best take care of my skin. It was one of the best facials I have every had and I will definitely go back. read more

Love this skincare line. As a woman who has struggle with acne (adult acne) this is the only product that really cleared my skin. Worth the money! A+++ read more

I just had my first facial at Ling Skincare. My esthetician was Wei. She was very knowledgeable and gave me a great facial. The rooms at Ling are nice and cozy. Not super luxurious but very comfortable. I went in with a voucher from Gilt City but did upgrade to a diamond microdermabrasion. This was suggested by Wei but I did not feel pressured into upgrading. She did recommend some products for me (but wasn't pushy about it) and I bought one of them. I also got some free samples. I loved the tea they serve you. Overall it was a great experience and I will most likely go back. read more

I had absolutely, hands down the best facial ever! I have many facials in my day but nothing compares to the estheticians at Ling. So professional and knowledgeable. I highly recommend you all to treat yourselves to a facial or any other treatment at LING. read more

This was my first time here but I've had facials all over the city. I live on the UWS so was looking forward to a local facial. I had Kanella and I have to say it was one of the worst facials I've ever had. She did try to upsell me to get a facial double the price, fine that happens. But then she left the room twice during the hour. Once during the steam and another during the mask. Usually I've had massages on my feet or hands during this time. It was the least relaxing facial. Don't waste your money. There are plenty of other places that actually make you look and feel fabulous when you leave. read more

I absolutely love Ling products and services! Feel so grateful that I came across it on my way home! The reviews were great and so I thought let me give it a shot ! My first facial with Kanella was super! I have been going back once a month since and got a membership too, which gives you a 20% discount on services and 10% on products! The bespoke facial is a through, and worth the bucks esp with Kanella, who makes every effort to get to know your skin and it's special needs to cater to it! She was sweet enough to ask for my preference in music too ;) Hard to find a good facial spot in New York that wants to give you personalized attention! Love it ! read more

I have problematic skin (aka acne). I've gone to the dermatologist, who gave me a once-over and prescribed Retin-A. This proved to be too harsh for my skin. Then, I met Jenny. Jenny spent the time to really look at my skin and the underlying factors contributing to my adult acne. She realized that I had been drying out my skin with an overusage of products & underusage of moisturaizer. It's a bit pricey here, but if you make an appt during spa week, it's really a great deal. And, a nice way to treat yourself. read more

Kanella at the UWS location was wonderfully talented - thorough, knowledgeable, and gentle (no painful extractions!). Now, of course I know that "up-selling" is an integral part of many or even most businesses, and I certainly don't have a problem with the concept. It's how places make money and stay afloat, especially in NYC. My issue was that for an already-expensive, seemingly elegant spa, Kanella's hard sell approach was just too pushy. First, within five minutes she tried to get me to upgrade to a facial that cost twice the price of the one I'd booked. I agreed simply b/c I haven't had a facial in 10+ years and knew my skin needed it after her assessment. But she made me feel that I'd be both a cheapskate AND irresponsible to my skin (ha) if I didn't agree. Not cool. I shouldn't have even had to say this, but I told her that while I'm happy to splurge on myself, I am also on a budget because I am trying to save up for my wedding. Second: The pressure to buy products was inappropriate, IMO. So much so, that Kanella didn't even ask me if I wanted the ($100+ worth of) products she recommended; she just simply brought them to the register and told the lady at the desk to include them on my bill (!). I've never experienced that before - not getting consent from the client before ringing up products? I was actually scared not to buy them, so I waited for Kanella to go into the back before I told the (extremely nice and professional) lady at the desk that I didn't want all the products. The pressure to book a follow up appointment was also inappropriate to me. I booked one, but I may cancel b/c I felt uncomfortable and pressured. NOT the feeling you want at a pampering "me time" appointment! I'd honestly consider spending more and go back to the Four Seasons or the Mandarin Oriental, where I have had wonderful, pampering spa experiences. Again, I completely understand that this is how salons, spas, and heck, even movie theaters work :), it's just that on the continuum of discreet and respectful soft sell up to pushy and distasteful hard sell, Kanella and Ling fell too high toward the hard sell end for my taste. That said, my skin looks and feels gorgeous! read more

I have read good things about Ling, and decided to give it a shot. I called for a same-day appointment since I wasn't able to get in at my usual place. Let me just say, I am not new to facials. I go about once a month, at least, and I've been to spas all over the city (from the famous and much-hyped, to the tiny unknown places in chinatown). NEVER (I repeat NEVER) have I felt as uncomfortable leaving a facial appointment as I did when I walked out of Ling. I could have cried. I had HUGE red marks all over my forehead and cheeks from where the extractions were forced. My cheek actually felt bruised. It looked like I had a terrible terrible breakout, and it lasted for days! Also, I would suggest checking/confirming their pricing before you go in. They definitely overcharged me by a lot, especially considering how much they messed up my face. Even the receptionist seemed to think there was a mistake with the total price, but I wanted to get out of there and hide so badly that I didn't argue. Lastly, if you hate when the facial is all about trying to push the products instead of focusing on your skin (and if what I've already said hasn't scared you enough) then definitely stay away from Ling. When we were through, the facialist had listed out at least 10, if not more, Ling products that I needed to buy on my way out. Thanks, but no thanks. I love my current regimen. I didn't see anyone else come or go the whole two hours I was there. NOW I KNOW WHY!!! STAY AWAY for SURE!!!!!! read more

I have been coming here to see Kanella for more than 6 months now and my skin has never been more clear and radiant thanks to Kanella's amazing care and her recommendations for my skincare routine. I have sensitive, oily in the T-zone and blemish-prone skin and Kanella helped me to work out the perfect combination of skincare regime for my skin. I see Kanella every three weeks and follow the skincare regime she recommends to the T! My favorite product to use is the Ginseng mask which I put on before going to bed every night and I love to wake up to smooth, radiant skin every morning. On top of the great results, the facial experience and customer service is excellent and all the products feel great to use. Kanella is awesome and an expert in her field, I strongly recommend Kanella and Ling Skincare. :) read more

Look, I like high end quality type atmospheres and this place is meh in comparison BUT the quality of the very pricey facial I got was worth it. I have perfect skin no ifs ands or buts about it. Due to the vascillating weather I began to accumulate clogged pores near my chin. Wendy was the person with whom I worked. She is no nonsense and honest. I really appreciated the work she did. I am getting married in a few months and she told me if I maintain the routine she suggested (which was not a truckload of product) then I would not need another high end facial. I like the truth. Amen. read more