Facialist Joanna Czech doing a custom mixed facial mask
Courtesy of Joanna Czech
Just in time to prep clients for the Oscars, facialist and skin-care guru Joanna Czech — who long has traveled to Los Angeles from her studios in Dallas and NYC for private appointments during awards season — will open her first L.A. studio, at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel, on March 3.
Jennifer Aniston, Anna Wintour, Michelle Williams and Hailey Bieber are longtime clients, as is Kim Kardashian, who Czech assisted in developing the SKKN by Kim skin-care line, which debuted in 2022. For the 2024 Golden Globes, Czech tended to the faces of Natasha Lyonne, Camila Morrone and Suki Waterhouse.
“Kate Winslet flew me to L.A. [in 2009] to take care of her because she was nominated for an Oscar, and then she was treating her friends to my facials, so that’s how I started traveling to L.A. for the Academy Awards,” says Czech. “Later on, I was hired by skincare lines — La Mer, Clé de Peau, Dior, now Chanel — and also work on my own, so it’s been over 16 years going back and forth.”
Treatments in Los Angeles will include facials, brow and lash services, and body treatments ranging from $50 for a brow tint to $1,250 for the Ultimate Facial with Czech. (To book an appointment, email la@joannaczech.com or call 310-492-2990; open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.)
Most face and body treatments include LED light therapy, with add-ons such as Dermaflash to remove vellus hair, aka peach fuzz, ($50) or MyoContour (microcurrent and infrared heat) to detox and stimulate muscle tone on the abdomen or arms/glutes/thighs ($250 each).
Czech tells THR that the Myocontour body treatments are especially popular for awards show prep. “Everybody wants extra tone!” she says.
Joanna Czech’s C+ Serum with stable vitamin C; $340, bluemercury.com
Courtesy of Joanna Czech
As for what goes into her custom Ultimate Facials, Czech explains, “Our facials incorporate cleansing and massage and as much exfoliation as you can do during awards season. We are not going after deep peel or mega extractions. Then there are at least five different forms of microcurrent, depending on what works for particular skin. And ultrasound combined with LED therapy, negative ionization, lots of cryotherapy. We may list modalities and technologies, but we don’t have a description of our treatments. When you think about a red carpet facial — actually mine is kind of an obnoxious price! — clients will get exactly what’s needed on a given day for their skin after a very thorough consultation. My clients never receive the same facial twice.”
Czech tells THR that her training still informs her practice. “One of the most important things — graduating from a beauty institute in Poland [her homeland] — was to be trained in deep tissue facial massage. The first words I heard from my instructor were ‘treat the muscles like a dough and the skin like a sponge,’” she says, adding that “everybody is talking about LED therapy now, and I have been doing it since 1995.”
Czech also has become a wellness advisor of sorts. “During crunch time, I tell clients to eat just apples and tomatoes, because you lose a lot of water and fit better into dresses. No Botox for six weeks before in case of bruising. Even from a distance, I supervise them on FaceTime about diet and supplements.”
In 2021, Czech launched The Kit, a $1,250 set of seven facial skincare essentials including two serums, toner, a cream, a face mask, a balm and cleansing wipes packed in a sleek travel bag — it’s currently on sale at Net-A-Porter.
She also offers cleansing pads made in Poland, a body brush, and other accessories. The new L.A. outpost will carry a curated mix of skincare products from such brands as Biologique Recherche, Environ and Forlle’d, plus two bodycare lines from Poland not yet available in the U.S.
A version of this story first appeared in the Feb. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.