Four years ago, when I began my illustrious career in beauty, I vowed to only heed advice from the experts. I left hair masks in for days, because I misheard Orlando Pita backstage. I forked over a full paycheck to visit a 5th Avenue dermatologist—to buy his magic Repair Cream #2 was to be a patient. But I realized the most enduring advice can arrive unexpectedly. Recently, that meant that a former concert pianist changed the way I care for my skin. Angela Jia Kim, musician-turned-skincare-creator, founded Savor Spa, a warmly-lit respite in New York City, for that very reason: "I know busy women, because I am one, and they need products tailored to them." Thanks to Kim's roots in female empowerment—Om Aroma & Co., the spa's organic skincare range is produced by women transitioning back into the work force—a hand-blended, numbered toner is only half the reason you feel great when you leave. Here's how Kim built a spa that actually serves the community.
The skincare line came first. Kim, at a concert piano bench, developed an allergic reaction to a body lotion she'd just applied. After counting the ingredients—55, and most whipped up in a lab—she decided simply to create the best preservative-free, organic skin cream. Fast-forward five years and literally thousands of not-perfect-enough-yet formulas, and Kim is shaking (well-lotioned) hands with customers at Savor Spa where aestheticians "get to know your skin" before mixing bespoke concoctions from ingredients like cherry, mango, and caffeine.
How exactly are your products made? In the spa, we sell products bottled in a factory in the Catskills staffed by women transitioning back into the work force. Women with an interest in chemistry, engineering, retail, all have a hand in different parts of our production. We officially open this October, but we'll hopefully be offering up to 50 positions in the next few years. We have people that blend, bottle, pack, and ship creams every single morning.
Besides word-of-mouth at Savor Spa, how do women find you? The Catskills is one big neighborhood, and it's so laid-back. People want to take care of each other here, which lines up with what I want Om products to do—they're simple.
In such small doses, you must have waiting lists for favorites. What's the Om must-have? Hands down, no question, the pumpkin serum. I could eat it up. It's so calming: two to three drops at night calms redness, soothes hyper pigmentation, and prevents wrinkles.
Maybe it's cheesy, but one of my favorite essayists, Edward Abbey, said that 'wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.'" How much does the spirit of the Catskills affect your products? We love the mountains. There's no traffic. Living is easy. If you can, begin creating something in that mindset.