Pretty Inside Spa

I finally had a chance to go to Pretty Inside, the spa in DUMBO that recently opened a sister salon. For my service, I had the basic 70-minute facial.

The Good: I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the reception area as I immediately felt transported into a calm atmosphere. The receptionist was friendly and walked me into the locker room, where I changed into my robe and went to wait in the lounge area. The lounge was nicely decorated with ample magazine selection. Little snacks of brownie bites, cheese, cookies and cucumbers (the same fare as Bliss) awaited, as well as water and red wine, which was a nice touch but seemed counter intuitive... but what do I know... it was still a nice option.

A very pretty, friendly woman named Kelly Anne came to get me after a few minutes -- she wasn't late, just enough time to allow me to read a bit of the magazine and have a snack. It was nice not to feel rushed. I had a really nice facial and she was very attentive to my sensitive skin. She was also a massage therapist, which came in handy during the massage portion of my service. She also wasn't pushy about the product; more informative.

They use various product lines, but mainly Decleor. They also carried some Strivectin, Peter Thomas Roth and Bliss product from what I could glean from a distance. I didn't get to see the hair salon, but I was offered a free consultation and scalp therapy after my facial, but had to turn down the offer because I didn't have time.

The extractions also didn't make me look like an alien, which is sometimes how you feel leaving to walk home in public after getting a facial. This can be a problem living in NY when you can't just duck into your car and hide.

The Bad (although nothing really that bad): They don't have separate locker rooms for men and women so when I went to go change after my service, the receptionist had to come grab me and prevent me from going inside.

Also, I think $150 for the basic facial is a bit much, considering that the basic facial at Bliss is $100 (60 minutes). Although I guess I should consider that it's a fair price because I got two masks and at Bliss they try to up sell you a bit when you're in the chair by suggesting different masks, which is frustrating when you are trying to relax.

Pretty Inside has a lot of potential and is somewhere I would recommend to friends and family. I had a great experience. The spa was new, clean, the staff was friendly and my skin looks great! I would certainly go back.