Christine Chin

I have to admit that my first experience here was terrible… My best friend had been recommending it for months and when I finally decided to come, I was very upset because I felt pressured to get more services than I was planning and ended up spending double the money since the therapist insisted on doing more things. After telling my best friend about my experience, she insisted I give them another chance. I came on a Sunday for a second time, with the mindset that I might need the extra services because my skin is delicate and has a lot of problems and I gave myself extra time to arrive early and be able to take advantage of every minute I was being treated. Hannah was my therapist and she walked me over the process very kindly. She suggested I get a microderm abrasion as well as the facial because of the condition of my skin. I agreed since its the second time they tell me that, and I know to my other friends they have not suggested it so it probably means that I do need it. I had a great experience with her and she was kind checking on me to make sure I was fine. Definitely coming back !

This review is long overdue. I have been coming here for facials and my skin has never looked better. My esthetician Hannah is very patient and kind and does a very thorough job with extractions. I never feel pressure to purchase products, in fact, Hannah seems to take a «less is more» approach which I appreciate. Highly recommended.

I scheduled an apt and a few days later called back to change the date a month later. The receptionist took the time to figure out a time and a date that worked for both of us. I travel a lot so usually anywhere else this is not a problem as long as it’s a week or two in advance… Which it was. I show up for an apt a month later and they don’t have me in the system. Nor did they have time to squeeze me in (I had 2 diff treatments scheduled). They informed me that I missed the initial apt and charged me the full price $ 250 for the missed session. This isn’t about the money. I get facials all the time and thought I’d try out this place since I heard great reviews from my friends. After being there for about 10 minutes I realized that they don’t care about the customer (let alone repeat customers). So I just walked out. That $ 250 prob cost them at least $ 15k since I might have been a life long customer. I’ve been in NY for the last 11 years and this is my home. I would suggest they focus more on how they treat new customers. Very disappointed. Booked a facial at a place in Soho instead. Lame.

The best facial I have ever had. My skin has never looked better. It takes a few days to recover but it’s well worth it.

This is the best place in NYC for facials, especially if you need extractions! Painful, but how are you going to get beautiful and clean skin with out pain. I have been going here for over 10 years, first with Christine and now Ann. They do a top notch job. No one else is allow to touch my skin, and personally I do not trust anyone else! Christine, thank you and Ann thank you so so much. They are the best in the business!

Here’s the bottom line: This place does not care about your business. If you’re lucky enough to have a great experience there, you’ll be fine. But if something goes wrong, as the other reviews attest, they will not attempt to make any amends, adjust your price, etc. Because they simply do not care about their customers’ experiences. And I’ve been going there for years, so I know!
When I first went to Christine Chin Spa, it was probably a decade ago (they were in their old location.) I saw Christine and she was actually very nice – complimentary about my eyebrows and not «mean» like her reputation. I also had a facial with her and my face looked like a war zone after. Yes, it’s incredibly painful, but I was so impressed with how thorough her extractions were. I came back and tried a few of the other associates since she’s so expensive. They were not as good as she was, but they were ok. I didn’t live in New York at the time so I only went sporadically.
Fast forward to me living nearby and deciding to see if CC should be my go-​to to face care. First I went for a facial. No frills, no add ons. The woman I saw went on and on about how dry and bad my skin is, making lots of noises like the situation was dire. I’m sure I was dry – I always tend to be dry – but here’s the thing: I have great skin. I never break out and people have commented on it since I was a teenager. (I never broke out then, either!) It’s not flawless, but almost every other facialist I’ve been too will start off right away with, you’re dry, I see some congestion, but overall you have great skin. And I pay a lot to a famous dermatologist to keep it that way! So her attempts to scare me into buying a bunch of their products or more facial add ons was not appreciated, but whatever.
After the facial, I noticed there were still a lot of tiny blackheads she didn’t get – the main reason I go get facials – and some of the pores she’d tried to clean she hadn’t emptied out fully. The extraction had been really short, and I wasn’t even complaining or squirming, so I guess she just got bored. I basically needed another facial, but from someone who knows what she’s doing. Ok, no more facials there for me. But what about eyebrows? They probably won’t mess that up, right?
I think I saw Connie for eyebrows because the reviews here for her seemed positive, but I’m not 100% sure. I know I asked for someone named here, thinking that’s the way to avoid problems. Anyway, I was late, for which I apologized profusely, but she saw me any way, which was nice. Or so I thought. She was so rushed that she dropped a huge glob of wax on the corner of my eye – on my eyelashes. She spent about 10 minutes trying to clean it up with some solution that really burned, a lot, and even then wax residue was left right against the base of my lashes and rim of my eye. Was there any price adjustment for this? Was the whole treatment complimentary, like it should have been? Of course not. I just left with my eye burning and her diagnosis, literally as I walked out the door: «your eyebrows could be better.» She had *just* finished shaping them, and that’s what she says?
I know there is something of a language barrier at times And I know that you might be reading this review thinking I came in with totally destroyed brows. But my old eyebrow guy (in a different city) was well-​established, incredibly sweet, and did a beautiful job. I got compliments on my eyebrows all the time, and I think he did make them a little thinner than I’d like the last time I saw him, but the shape was still great and the hair that’s there is full. Connie wanted me to grow them out more, which is fine, but I can’t magically deliver huge Brooke Shields eyebrows to her. She was just being rude.
This place isn’t worth the gamble. You can find famous, snooty spas with comparable prices and better reviews and put your money there instead. I will never be back.

I’ve been coming here for facials and microderm for almost 10 years. I never once missed or cancelled an appointment. I was forced to cancel my most recent appointment because my train from Boston was stopped on the tracks for 6 hours due to a downed and live powerline. I pleaded with them to cut me a break and not to charge my credit card since this was «an act of God» and since it was my first «offense» (they have computer tracking of it being my first offense). They did not bill my credit card however, they noted my account as still owing the entire cost of the missed appointment to be paid if I ever want to return. Very nice. Great facials but terrible discretion in their customer service dealings. They are short sighted and I will not be returning since there are lots of other great places for facials in NYC. In their attempt to recover payment for one facial they are missing the business of my future return visits and product purchases.

Went here for the first time today and I was really impressed. I had a facial done by Wendy and she was really great. She told me what the problem was with my skin and told me how I should treat it daily. Was really helpful and kind.
The atmosphere was great as well! It’s small but it has a really relaxed zen vibe to it which I loved.
It’s a little pricey ($ 125 for a regular facial), but honestly it was really worth it! Wendy really got all the dirt off my face and gave me great skin advice. Definitely recommend this place!
BTW, give yourself around 2 days before going out or attending any big events after the facial because of all the red spots. Let your face heal then you’ll be fine!

very good facial, lots and lots of extractions, maybe i need it lol! i find its hard to find a good esthetician in nyc that do a lot of extractions… my skin was really nice after couple of days… yes ill go back for sure;)!

i have been going to Christine Chin for almost 10yrs.
Unfortunately after this past interaction with them i will never be returning.
Firstly when the woman called to confirm my apt she told me 1030am,
So when i arrived on time i was told i was 30mins late and that i only had time for one service.
After explaining that i then asked them why No one bothered to call or leave a voicemail to inform me that my apt was in fact at 10am. ???
So eventually we rescheduled to 3pm the following day.
My daughter had a fall and we had to take her to the emergency room so i was unable to make the 3pm apt.
After explaining everything that had happened that day to the receptionist at Christine Chin i was still coldly told that it was still under 24hrs notice and that was to bring a note from the hospital otherwise they would charge me full price for the service…
i don’t even care about the money.
i was grossly appalled by this and now i will never return.
i will never recommend another person.
i will never speak of this place in interviews.

I have been going to this place for close to 2 years now so time for an updated review. Considering that I have been returning you can bet that I like this place. My initial impression stands. This place is not a place to feel pampered, be relaxed and just have nice smelling stuff applied to your face. This place is all about extractions. Yes it can be painful depending on how horrible your skin is. I lose on the skin genetics lottery and thus I have lots of stuff extracted from my face every time. My skin is so bad that I have to go see Christine each time. She is super expensive. It hurts like hell and tears uncontrollably flow down my face. Your skin is probably not as bad as mine so it won’t be that painful. Her staff are also so much cheaper at about $ 120 I think. Her staff’s extraction is not as thorough and thus don’t hurt as much. However, compared to other places, her staff’s extractions are still miles ahead. Your face may have red marks after the facial. But in less than a week they go away and no scar is left. Your skin will be the cleanest it has ever been.
Christine speaks intelligble english. However english is not her first language. As such, I think it may contribute to misunderstandings. For example, one time she said to me ‘you are not that special’. I thought to myself what the heck, we were chatting nicely where did this come from? Since english is also not my first language, it took me just a few seconds to realize that what she really meant was ‘your bad skin condition is not that rare’. Other people may not be this undestanding

First, let me say Connie does a wonderful job and I have been going there for 8 – 10 years. That being said, what happened is just weird, disconcerting and rude.
I had an appointment for microdermabrasion, that I made 3 weeks ago. Yesterday, I get a reminder call that says, «this is to remind you that your appointment for eyebrows tomorrow is at…»
Usually, I don’t even listen to the entire message because I am aware of what, where and when I have an appointment. So, I called back and I explain that is not what I booked and I booked a microdermabrasion. She actually said, «yes but Connie only has time for brows at 11 tomorrow». I told her I didn’t book that, didn’t want it, since it was not the service I scheduled. The woman on the phone agreed, acknowledged that she knew what I booked and kept saying she only had time for eyebrows. I told her I would not be there for eyebrows since they decided I needed my eyebrows done, not me. No apology, no acknowledgement of their screw up. She wanted to reschedule me Wednesday at 11 as quickly as she could so she could get me off the phone. Like most of us I work for a living Monday thru Friday– hence the reason I booked a Saturday appt. I had to get off the phone since I was at work and didn’t rebook.
So, today I call back and very nicely say, so what happened to my appt, I’m thinking someone has brains enough to say, we messed up, sorry, something. She again offers me Wednesday at 11am. I rescheduled the appt at the end of Feb. I ask nicely a second time what happened and she says well we have another one now so nothing else to talk about.
I planned my day around my appt. I am truly disappointed in their behavior, but more importantly the feeling that she couldn’t get me off the phone fast enough. Connie is good but there is nothing worse than bad customer service. I don’t want to find another place but being treated badly at her prices is unacceptable. A short succinct, so sorry, would have been sufficient. I may have to start a search for another place to get a facial. Firm believer in my money talks & Unilocal review work!

This review is for an eyebrow wax only.
I have seen Connie and Wendy and both are great and professional. I am always happy with the result, especially since it has taken me a long time to find a good place to get my eyebrows done. I won’t be changing places any time soon.

I really like her products but when I first went in, I had a facial done by someone who was gentle, and cautious. A normal way to be with a facial. Returning back, time after time I noticed all the girls are too rough. I was getting Micro done and a few times had to tell her she was moving to quick, I was squinting and jerking with my face b/​c it felt like she forgot she was working on a face, not a drawing board. too rough. Facial same thing.
Room and place does not feel at all cozy or warm, or like a spa and the prices are beyond spa prices. I am always cold when I am on that table and feel like I am bare, in a dr. office.
******Team is knowledgeable and products are good*****. Just need to change the environment and make it a bit more like a spa maybe? softer estheticians would be nice as well.

I adore Connie at Christine Chin and have been a loyal customer of hers, and the spa, for at least 8 years. That’s 8 years of paying $ 40 every six weeks or so because my eyebrows looked that good. $ 40 for eyebrows, people, with a few pricey facials thrown in there as well.
Unfortunately, I had an appointment today at 3:30 which I normally wouldn’t miss. But I got stuck at work. I realized I really couldn’t leave around 2:00 and immediately called to reschedule, but Connie didn’t have any other appointments today. They said I would be charged anyway, even if I rescheduled for the next day. I asked if an exception could be made — I think I’ve canceled one other time in the course of being their client.
They refused «because it wouldn’t be fair to the other customers» since I hadn’t given them 24 hours notice. I totally get this policy and don’t blame them — people can be flaky — but I’m clearly not one of them and just happened to be in a tight spot today.
So, sadly, due to a refusal to be at all flexible with an extremely loyal customer I lost my favorite eyebrow place and they lost my $$ forever.
If you have an ironclad schedule and can always make your appointment no matter what happens in your life, do go see Connie. She’s an artist.

Functional is the first word that comes to mind when I think about my facials at Christine Chin.
Connie, my technician, performed detailed extractions which finally cleared a round of acne that had been lingering on my face for months (!). Previously, my facials were gentle — but I didn’t see any long term results and they weren’t able to really clear up my acne.
The treatment wasn’t pampering at all — I was left alone in my room for the majority of my treatment so I suspect that the facialists work on multiple clients during the same time slot. There wasn’t really any massage component — just a steam, extractions and a soothing masque. They suggested that I get microdemerabrasion and buy some of their products, but weren’t that pushy about it.
The extractions were pretty painful — I wish I had taken some aspirin beforehand, and my face looked terrible for the following five days. However, afterwords my skin cleared up and I haven’t had many issues. While $ 125 is more than I’d ideally like to pay for a facial, I will go back in a few weeks to maintain my results.

A friend of mine recommended Ingrid at the Christine Chin Spa. I read the reviews & it seemed just what I needed, as I have sensitive, acne prone skin & needed a deep cleaning. That’s EXACTLY what I got. I’m so delighted with the service.
The girls at the front desk were warm & inviting & Ingrid was sweet & friendly.
Ingrid steamed my skin & offered a glycolic mask (I think?) the extraction & a green tea mask to finish. (During the glycolic mask I received an awesome face, neck & back massage as well.) I was ready to try everything she offered, bkuz I know the end result will be clear, perfect skin. I believe the green tea mask calmed things down a lot, bkuz there is definitely a lot of pressure & puffiness after the extraction is complete.
My skin literally feels baby smooth!!! Feeling my face as I’m writing this review, not a single pimple or blackhead! I also got a skin care set for acne prone skin, which I’m pretty sure will be amazing as well. I’m excited to see my skin in a week, once the swelling & little pock marks have cleared up!!!
Before I left I made sure to make a follow up appointment in 2 weeks & maybe I’ll try a microdermabrasion session!
This is DEFINITELY my new spa for all things skincare!!!

I read the reviews that promised a thorough extraction, and the extraction I underwent was every bit as thorough as I had hoped for. It also meant that it was excruciating, but well, come here to fulfill your masochistic tendencies!
But seriously, I appreciated the level of detail and effort devoted to extraction. It was $ 120, so it better be. In the future, I probably wouldn’t pay for a glycolic acid peel and a mask, because those things are $ 40 each and I feel like I could buy a bottle of each product for that amount of money, but I couldn’t do my own extractions.
It got to a point where the pain was bothering me less than the sound of my skin being cut open giving me chills, so I asked to put on some music on my phone. There is no music at this spa. Like my facialist said, «People don’t come here to relax.»

Having read all of the reviews for this place, I booked my appointment in fear that I would either be met by a hostile establishment ready to blacklist me at a moment’s notice, or possibly worse, have my face butchered in the name of clean pores.
However, I came, I conquered, and I come back a few visits later, ready to form an educated opinion.
1) Do not come late. Seriously, don’t. I don’t actually know what will happen but you’ve read the reviews, so have I. I don’t want to find out myself. I will say that there is a sign at the front desk that clearly states that if you are more than 30 minutes late, you will need to pay for your session in full.
2) Proper extractions are meant to be highly pressurized and unpleasant. Depending on the severity of what you’re having extracted, it may hurt, as well. I personally have a pretty high pain threshold as I used to get hardcore extractions done by my dermatologist via needle and tools, as well, but not many people have had proper extractions done before so I feel like this is why there’s a lot of complaints about the feeling. Bottom line — NO PAIN, NO GAIN. You will thank them later.
3) Anne is extremely thorough. She will inspect your face under a bright light and extract every possible unnatural bump or lump — all the way from the hair line to bottom of your jawline, until she is content that she has removed everything possible. I really appreciate this thoroughness as this treatment is not the norm at all places.
4) You will leave looking red, bloody, scabby, and possibly worse than you did walking in– that’s expected. In the days to come, your blemishes will flatten, your skin will smooth out, and your face will be grateful for every squeeze, stab, and pinch you incurred. Those signed «Thank you» photos on the wall from models ain’t for nothing.
Overall, come here if you want real skin rehabilitation, not just mere relaxation– although the face, neck, and shoulder massage portion is pretty great!

By far the best facialist in NYC.
I have an Angel facialist in SoCal who does extremely thorough extractions. I look hideous when I come out — red, puffed, and scabbed — but you can feel the rest of the skin is baby soft. After a day, the red is gone, and in a week or two, the scabs are gone, leaving your whole face rejuvenated, clean, and glowing.
If you know who I’m talking about, I will tell you not to waste your time trying elsewhere because the facials here are closest to what she gives. Yes, ~4 times more expensive, but it’s your face, babe.
It’s taken two years of me not wanting to 1) admit that this treatment in NYC can only be found at 4x the price of what my Angel charges and 2) that you can only get a facial that good by someone who does celebrities. Alas, I have tried Chinatown, I have tried Flushing, I have tried Brooklyn. Nada. I have even prompted each one telling them that I am used to pain, and that the more it hurts, the better. Every other place in NY likes to slather masks and other stuff on you, give you a quick extraction, then lather more stuff on you. Lame. Your skin can’t just be fixed by putting stuff over the gunk in your pores, you gotta mine that out.
I finally broke. I had conceded that since I paid $ 100 for a mediocre facial, at least for $ 20 more, I know I’ll get something good — since judging Unilocal reviews, it sounded exactly like what I get in SoCal. FYI, I first typed in «facial extraction pain» and bam, Mean Christine popped up.
I called on Saturday, I got booked on Monday because someone cancelled. I didn’t get Christine because she was booked a month out. When I got there, the receptionist was fun and friendly (we talked about growing up with different languages and accents), and told me that Ann would be doing my face and has been with Christine for 10 years. $ 120 for the basic facial. Did Ann try to upsell me? Yes. But it was done in a way where I felt it was for better and healthier skin. She mentioned I should think about microdermabrasion, asked if I wanted a special mask (no)…now that I mention it, she asked me about what toner I used because I have dry skin (I do, it’s winter, I need to start thinking about getting together a winter facial routine) and had it at the front desk for me to see. Still said no. I’m sensitive to getting sold, and I felt like it was reasonable, I see why she was doing it, it wasn’t stuff I didn’t need (just didn’t want them to be honest). And she didn’t keep trying to sell me the same thing five times (AHEM other Chinatown facials). You tip in a little envelope with their name on it when you pay.
My bar is set high for the important stuff. I couldn’t care less about the modern décor, the shiny robes, the massages. As long as I’m getting a good and thorough facial from somewhere I feel is clean, I’m happy. The fancy stuff actually turns me off. But in terms of the steps they do — very similar to my facialist in LA (makeup remover, facial scrub, steam, extraction, soothing mask, medicine, eye cream). She did spend a good amount of time roughing up my face (gentler where she could be, but very ready to prick my skin as needed), but for the amount of time since my last very good facial, more could have been done. But I’m honestly happy enough.
I did end up buying the scrub because it smelled and felt very similar to the one my Angel uses, because I still use St. Ives Apricot Scrub for godsake. I will say this, if you know your face, and (somewhat) know what you’re doing (in terms of using products NOT from a drugstore), Christine’s stuff probably isn’t that much better. I have a feeling that since it felt so similar to my facialist’s stuff, the ingredients are probably not much different, she is just good at marketing. Which, good for her. If you’re someone who thinks all facials should be lavender and smiles and/​or don’t know squat about facial upkeep, then Christine’s stuff is probably a good start. But I have been slowly building «my» face routine, and I’ve been happy with it. We just all need some deep cleaning once in a while.
For a good extraction facial that lasts, it SHOULD be painful. You’re getting (days, weeks, months, years??) of gunk out of your pores. If you’ve never had a facial like this done, and have some event to go to where you want to look beautiful — I will tell you what I tell pageant contestants — 1) always try anything new at least a month in advance because you don’t know how you will react to it, and 2) if it’s good, it always gets worse before it gets better.