"Relegated to be forever snatched and youthful, red carpet A-listers have long been microcurrent devotees, oft seeking out the crème de la crème (l’électricité de l’électricité?) at a ritzy Flatiron facility, Tracie Martyn Spa. From Doechii to Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, countless famous faces have passed through its storied halls for last-minute sculpting before taking on the flashes of the red carpet and I, too, a mere Midtown mortal, was about to submit my face to the same celebrity-grade glow-up.
The treatment in question is the spa’s aptly named “Red Carpet Facial,” which, like most things adjacent to Tinseltown, is equal parts science experiment and soft-spoken theater. After being ushered through a series of hushed, white-washed rooms, I was scrubbed with a citrusy cleanser and given a quick round of microdermabrasion—essentially a polite little vacuum for your face. Not painful, just mildly uncanny.
But the main event, the reason VIPs allegedly slip through these doors hours before stepping onto a carpet, is the current.
Soon enough, two metal probes were gliding across my jawline and cheekbones, delivering gentle pulses of microcurrent while a conductive gel kept things moving. The sensation was faintly buzzy, almost like gentle pin pricks. The science, however, is surprisingly straightforward: microcurrent mimics the body’s natural electrical signals, stimulating facial muscles while encouraging cells to produce more ATP, the energy currency that helps skin repair and regenerate. Translation: lifted contours, smoother texture, and a suspiciously well-rested look celebrities insist comes from “just drinking water.”
I felt like a laptop—my face was quite literally plugged in. Every few minutes, sticky probes were repositioned (cheeks, cheekbones, forehead) methodically negotiating with gravity. It was followed by a round of cryo-spoons rubbed along the planes of my face, and then I was passed a mirror to check out the results.
My skin did look good. Very good, actually. Lifted. Bouncy.
Hollywood, you can keep your red carpets. I’ll just take the cheekbones, thanks."