I would give Maksim Spa 10 stars if I could. Lena has saved my skin, and I'm committed to seeing her every 6-8 weeks to keep me clear.
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My skin saga goes back to childhood, and I won't go in to the long, sad story. Bottom line is that I've done it all: Accutane, Retin-A, Tazorac, antibiotics, different birth control pills....and at 33, my skin still breaks out. I was a traditionalist for a long time and believed I needed to see a doctor for my acne. I'd had facials before, but they were more like a massage for my face.
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Then a coworker told me about Lena. Her facial is intense: I get extractions and microdermabrasion, both of which are followed by a standard facial where she calms the enflamed skin. Afterwards, she gives me detailed recommendations on how to care for my skin with the right products (moisturizers, masks, etc) and how often to use my Clarisonic (which I bought from her).
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Within 2 days of my facials, all my breakouts are gone and my skin is cleared up. This lasts for at least 6-8 weeks until I get my next facial. Seeing Lena and taking her counsel has been 150% more effective than anything my dermatologist has prescribed. I am now enjoying beautiful, clear skin and it's all thanks to Lena.
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I cannot say enough wonderful things about Lena and her salon. Big, huge recommendation!!!
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Rufus X.
How can Yelp only give us a five star limit. This place deserves beyond 5 stars. I want to take all the stars in the sky and just put them all here. But seriously Lena herself is a star that shines brighter than any of the stars in the sky!
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If you've been struggling with clear skin or any skin problems, this is where you need to go. Like NOW.I don't write reviews but I will make an effort to shine a light on places like this. Or rather I would show you the light.
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I came here with scars and acne on my face. I was seriously at this point where I was just done trying. I didn't know what to do with my skin anymore. I was really sick of investing money in products over the counter, at other spas and at dermatologists. I'm also not a big fan of taking medicine to get rid of acne or putting on a lot of chemicals on my face...
My sister and best friend recommended and highly suggested that I come and get a facial from Lena at Maksim Spa.
I went with my sister and met Lena, who was not only incredibly nice and loving, but its even hard for me to find words to describe her. She is just great.
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After getting my facial and seriously through her generous heart probably more, I left feeling really great!! Although my face was a little red from extractions and etc its normal, but I knew that my face was going to really get better the minute I came out.
And I never felt like this when I went to other spas.
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And its been almost a week and you HAVE to see my face as evidence or sth!! It is really crazy. My scars are technically gone and continuing to disappear and my acne is no where to be seen.
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Lena really knows what she's doing. She cleaned my face and cleaned out my clogged pores and she really solved my prolonged problem I had with my skin. My face felt so much lighter Haha!! She will give her professional recommendation and advice on products and what to do and what not to do that will help continue the healing and clearing of your skin, and do NOT HESITATE TO INVEST IN THEM!! And REALLY LISTEN TO HER!!
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They carry organic skin care called Eminence and more. Look them up for yourself but these products are AMAZING and it's the real deal. I only want the best for my skin and Lena really does too and it really shows.& I know a lot of people struggle with clear skin which is why I'm writing this review!It's a blessing I found this place! And I know it will be for you too. This is a place to commit too if anyone was to commit!! And I'm so happy!! MY SKIN CAN BREATHE. FINALLY!!
HERES THIS FOR A REVIEW! Haha!
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Nora K.
I love Maksim Spa.
I found out about Maksim Spa through the internet. I go for the brazilian bikini waxes.
By far the BEST brazilian bikini waxes EVER ! They use hard purple wax that does not stick to the skin. It is not painful. The women working there are extremely nice and professional .The spa is clean and smells like mango (so serious)
They are pricey but it is totally worth it
Nell Sophia B.
Look no further! You have found the spa, for you. I came to Maksim with extremely dry, harsh skin and have been transformed, inside and out. Lena has taught me so much about my skin, nutrition and well being. It's impressive to me that someone can know you so well by looking at your skin.
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Elisabeth S.
I love Maksim spa! I've constantly had to deal with problem skin all my life and the one thing that keeps it in tip top shape is facials once a month. I also have my Brazilian and eyebrows done here as well, so the review below is for all services.
Trust Russian Estheticians - they know what they are doing
I've seen both Olya and Lena for facial/brows - you can't go wrong with either one! Both women are very well educated in all things beauty. I've see Lena more regularly, and she has helped my skin immensely. Since moving from California to NYC, my skin has been having constant breakouts with the weather changes/added stress. Lena's work has brought it back to it's natural, California glow.
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Facials
My facials are on the "medical side" and I usually opt for the signature facial here because I need extractions more than anything - and they don't skimp on this! They also have a number of other add ons that are reasonably priced if you want a more customized facial. Recovery time is about 4 days, however, this varies based on your skin type. ADDED BONUS: Great upper body massage during your facial. Who says you can't have a little relaxation during a medical facial?
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Brows
Cara Delevingne eat your heart out! Lena has shaped my brows to compete with yours (does anyone reading this post need anymore proof that this woman is a miracle worker when it comes to brows???)
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Brazilian
I've been getting Brazilians for the past 5 years, and Lena is the BEST. Her Brazilians do not hurt at all! I don't know how she does it but I can honestly take a nap during this process and that's never happened before. She also gives great advice for how to treat in-growns.
Highly recommend.
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Stephanie. W
Ace place for skin care, and I NEVER let people touch my face. So many estheticians do not know what they are doing and will turn healthy skin ridiculously spotty with--what the hell--red marks. For heaven's sake, just make my skin incandescent, as if I just swallowed a light bulb. Do not create any issues when there are none to begin with. I am not paying you for issues. I just want to glow like an airbrushed Dior ad. Or like the pre-pubescent girls in a Japanese pop music video? Is this too much to ask?
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Luckily, at Maksim, they rise to the challenge. You want to exit looking better than you entered? This is the place. They treat your skin with kid gloves, which is what ALL facialists should be doing. They make you feel pampered and relaxed holistically because every serious skin care junkie knows that this is the only way to get beautifully glowing skin with that perfect rosebud petal bloom that one can only find on gurgling, drooling, squishy babies.
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Dee C.
This place is fantastic! They are so open minded, and helpful. Olga is a miracle worker! Of all the waxing specialists she is a true one! She makes you feel very comfortable, explains everything thoroughly and has a holistic approach to any treatment.
The receptionist is a fantastic lady, I don't remember her name but she is a beautiful person and it feels great when you walk in to be greeted by someone like her.
Their approach to facials and other procedures is more European, so many reviews here may not have taken that into account. The differences are quite vast, and therefore if one is unfamiliar with the quality of the products and the appropriate techniques it is easy to mistake high quality simplicity for low quality service.
If I had daughters I would treat them to special getaways at this place for sure!
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Alexandra G.
"I can't recommend Maksim more highly. Take a chance if you have yet to go and you won't regret it."
I was excited and terrified to have my 1st full Brazilian experience in almost 10 years! My 1st experience in Chicago was SO bad it took me this long to get the nerve to do it again. Well...it was worth the wait!
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Lena and her staff were amazing! I was given tips and a bit of wine to relax but honestly I did not need it! My next visits will be a breeze!
It was not completely painless as the most sensitive areas (you know where i am talking about ladies...close to our "love button" haha) had a bit of a "Yikes that sings a bit" moment but only for a few seconds. It was NOT terrifying or painful that i would not go back. The rest of areas were shockingly painless!
Lena was a magicial. I have never heard friends say they LOVE getting a brazilian but I am happy to report and be the 1st one. I am definitely going to spread the word and share this spa with my friends as it's a MUST GO TO if you want a brazilian/bikini wax.
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Thank you Lena! See you in 5-6 weeks!
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Brooklyn L.
This place is awesome. The best (and most painless) Brazilian I've ever had. And their organic lotion is $35, compared to the pricey products I've seen around town. This place has become a staple beauty stop for me.
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Emory S.
​I have been going to this place for at least 6 years since I was in High School and honestly they have fixed my skin! Olya and Lena really just took some gentle and professional care of my bruised and problem skin and I cannot thank them enough!
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I have tried plenty of spas, facials, dermatologists, proactiv, but nothing helped until I found these two wonderful gems! And now my whole family knows them and goes to them! And I just don't think any other facial I have got in New York or even in Europe compares!
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Thank you thank you thank you for this little cozy place!
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Julie S.
I recently had an Enzyme Facial with a Cold Seaweed Mask. It was simply great. The products used and the services provided by "Olya" were excellent. They really know what they're doing there. I am recommending this place to everyone.
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Glenn S.
I was treated to a lovely facial here by my Uncle recently. I had been here a couple times before in the past decade or so, and have always had a great experience. I found the front desk staff to be welcoming and very friendly. The treatment was fantastic. I had an Extraction Facial (since it had been a while since I had had a good pore cleaning) and my skin was glowing afterward. There were a series of treatments, fruit peel, deep pore extraction (ouch), and she warned me that I may have some initial redness... but I didn't. My skin looked amazing. Lena helped me come up with some solutions to make my skin brighter and keep my blackheads from rearing their ugly heads. It's been about 4 days now, and my skin has never looked or felt so good. I bought a couple of products there that I'm wild about, and they gave me some samples of various things to try and I'll be stopping over there soon to pick up full bottles.
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I can't wait for my next facial!
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Nicole S.
I'm not usually one to review, but when I happened across the Maksim page and saw the mixed reviews, I had to contribute...Lena and Olya are the BEST!
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I have been going to Maksim for about 6 or 7 years now. When I started, it was just for maintaining facials and waxing. Every other place I went to for both face and bikini waxes left me with bad reactions to the wax and ingrown hairs. At Maksim, they have a gentle wax that requires no strips, and not only is it less painful, my skin doesn't freak out after! I also get a lot of compliments on the shape of my brows thanks to Maksim, they were butchered by another waxing salon before Maksim and refused to grow back properly until Lena and Olya.
Ok, now onto the facials. I love that they use Eminence Organic products and the facial massage part of the facial is AMAZING! Lena had my face, chest and back sparkling for my wedding two and a half years ago. After that, I got cocky, finances were tight, and I decided to stop getting facials to save some money. BIG MISTAKE! I had a bad reaction to a prescription medication that caused the onset of adult acne and my face became an embarrassing mess at 30. Instead of going back to Maksim, I went to the dermatologist and several creams and antibiotics later, the acne was slightly better, but I was still breaking out and wasn't happy with how I looked. Plus, being on antibiotics for months at a time is not great for the system. One day, I burst into tears during waxing when Olya asked me how things were going at the dermatologist. I decided to stop the harsh medications that were drying me out and not doing the job, and to return to Lena and Olya.
At Olya's request, I stopped eating dairy and wheat, which helped tremendously. I started going for regular monthly facials and while it wasn't overnight, 6-8 months later, my skin is RADIANT. Lena, Olya, and I worked together, at times thru trial and error with different peels, products, and even foods in my diet, but we found what worked for my skin in addition to the regular facial regime with extractions (which are NOT fun, but they weren't fun at my dermatologist either and the nurse didn't give me a face massage after!). Lena incorporated an amazing herbal peel into our routine, and my skin is better than it was when I was in my 20's. I can't say enough about the dedication and level of commitment that Lena and Olya have with their clients. And yes, they do expect you to pull your own weight in your skincare...nothing like being under that huge magnifying glass and having Lena ask if I have been exfoliating this past month...she knows, always! :)
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I'm sorry that a couple of people had bad experiences, I was truly surprised. But, we are all different, our bodies all react differently, and maybe that is what happened in those cases...
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I always look forward to my two hours a month at Maksim. I leave feeling like a woman again, even those times I have a few red spots from the extractions.
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Do yourself and your skin a favor by going to Maksim and spending an hour or so being pampered.
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Andrea L.