Their facials are out of this world.
Raquel New York, a trendy and daring-loving skincare studio in Tribeca, 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 is located in a sixth-floor loft on Walker Street and offers its clients luxurious facials as well as the opportunity to have their birth chart drawn up by aesthetician Monica David.
“It’s an eye-opener because we’re talking specifically about this person’s personal life without me knowing anything about them,” David, 33, told The Post.
According to a Harris Poll earlier this year, 95% of Americans know their astrological sign and 70% believe in it. They say they get readings for entertainment, self-understanding and self-care. Three in 10 Americans surveyed said they spend a lot of money on astrological services each month.
At Raquel New York, this luxury costs $150 – in addition to fees ranging from $500 to $1,350 per appointment. For their money, guests receive a 25-minute astroanalysis, which David says can be incredibly accurate.
“People are usually very surprised at how much you can know by looking at their horoscope,” she said.
“Some of these readings were incredibly accurate, so much so that we both got goosebumps because we didn’t know each other and I had already said something that had great significance in that person’s life,” David said.
The talented multitasker said that before each appointment, she spends hours analyzing a client’s birth chart and writing what feels like an essay about the house placement, planetary alignments at their birth and what it all might mean – before giving them a “mini reading.”
“I just started doing it for fun,” she says, recalling the many times she sat in silence while her clients lay in the LED light for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
David’s passion for skincare and astrology was not innate – she remembers struggling with acne as a teenager and thinking astrology was nonsense when her star sign didn’t match her.
It was only after she did something for her complexion and read up on complete birth charts – not just her individual sun sign – that she discovered her interest in both aesthetics and astrology.
“I started analyzing my horoscope over the years,” said David, who spent years studying astrology in her spare time. “The more I studied it, the more I learned about it.”
Her time investment seems to have paid off — David’s astro facials are “super popular” with clients, Medina-Cleghorn told The Post.
Since opening the studio in March 2023, the stylist-turned-beautician has attracted so many clients that her appointments are booked up a month in advance.
While some loyal clients have followed her from her previous stint at Joanna Czech, she has captivated A-list clients as the hottest “it” aesthetician with cool downtown charm. The loft is a peaceful oasis of well-being, just a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Canal Street.
“The beauty industry can feel very 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,” Medina-Cleghorn said, adding that she would never shut out new clients.
Her most loyal clients come between once a month and once a week – and one even flies in from Bogota, Colombia. Many of them have built a “close relationship” with the experienced beautician over the years.
“Some people go into therapy, traditional therapy,” Edward Barsamian, the editorial director of the Michelin Guide North America and a regular at New York magazine Raquel, told the Post.
“For me, facials are therapy.”
EMMY PARK
And aestheticians are therapists, studio stylist Mary Reinehr Gigler told the Washington Post. Given the time she spends analyzing pores, wrinkles and skin tones, her dual role is unavoidable.
“It’s like watching your friends catch up with each other,” Medina-Cleghorn explained. “I see my clients much more often than any of my friends.”
The studio offers tiered services based on the length of an appointment. Custom facials start at $500 for a 75-minute appointment and get more expensive for longer treatments. Raquel also offers cutting-edge treatments such as micro-stamping, peels and photodynamic therapy.
“They want someone who is still intellectually curious and so dedicated to their craft that they want to continue to refine and improve it,” added Barsamian, who championed Medina-Cleghorn’s constant pursuit of industry education and knowledge to keep up with new technologies.
In the age of TikTok, it might be easy for her to offer the hottest and most exciting treatments to a wide range of customers, but she prefers to tailor her services to each individual’s skin concerns – rather than making money off “clickbait.”
“I really enjoy working with technology because I enjoy it and I like seeing the facial changes in real time,” she explained.
“It’s like every facial is a science experiment in some way, and I love that.”
