Short on time, long on results: These head-to-toe treatments leave you looking more svelte for awards season in a matter of hours.
With the first awards show of 2019 (the 76th annual Golden Globes) hitting hot on the heels of New Year’s Eve, getting red carpet ready has been a tight squeeze this year. “After a few too many holiday parties, clients are looking for ways to spring back quickly,” says Beverly Hills-based celeb dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban, who counts Kris Jenner as a client. With time of the essence, L.A.’s army of aestheticians are ready with an arsenal of high-tech treatments designed to tackle everything from post-holiday bloat to dull winter skin. “We are often the first stop after a long-haul flight,” says Ricari Studio founder Anna Zahn, who specializes in full-body lymphatic body sculpting endermologie and pressotherapy treatments.
“A lot of people come in specifically to have their arms worked on if they are wearing a sleeveless dress. Because there are a lot of lymph nodes under the arms and on the legs, they can get puffy, and this really flushes it out.” Popular with actresses and models, Ricari’s signature 90-minute sessions ($325) combine 60 minutes of full body endermologie (to stimulate the lymphatic system, instantly boost circulation, reduce fluid retention and help tone the skin) with 30 minutes of pressotherapy (which uses air pressure to promote lymphatic drainage) and a simultaneous endermologie facial (for a firmer jaw, whiter eyes and smaller pores). “You instantly look as you’ve had a month of great sleep,” says Zahn.
Red carpet regulars including Salma Hayek, Amber Heard and Jenna Dewan are all devotees of aesthetician Cynthia Franco’s six-step detoxifying red carpet body treatment ($450) which kicks off with a full body dry brush, followed by an enzymatic body peel. “Papaya or pumpkin based on skin type,” says Franco. “It has a bit of a bite to it but it really makes the skin glow.” After the peel is removed, Franco administers a lymphatic massage, using custom-blended oils, and then wraps clients in an infrared blanket for a detoxifying 50-minute sweat. A quick shower is followed by an invigorating once-over with a body buffer to stimulate the lymph nodes. Finally, a cryotherapy seaweed-and-algae mask is painted over the bust, chest and neck to firm and tighten the décolletage. “A session the day before a big event will get rid of excess water weight, detoxify and leave you glowing,” she promises.
Over at former stuntwoman-turned-skincare guru Gina Mari’s Beverly Hills offices, the team is always working on the next best rapid-response treatments.“We just concocted a special vitamin-infused wet dermabrasion for one of our clients, who is presenting this year,” says Mari. “It’s a combination of vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to brighten and plump the skin with no downtime. A full body treatment means you’re prepared for any eventuality — a strapless or backless dress, something with a plunging neckline or thigh-high slit.” First, however, she recommends Exilis for pesky areas like the tops of the knees, elbows and fronts of the arms. “This device uses ultrasound and radio frequency energy to tighten the skin,” she says (treatments start at $200). “Men love doing it around the eyes on the day of. It’s a quick 15-minute appointment [that helps the eyes] look great on camera.”
At DMH Aesthetics in Larchmont Village, high-profile clients are also booking Exilis sessions to target muffin tops and jowls (sessions start at $250). “But our most popular treatment, since we got it in November, is still EMSculpt,” says owner Danny Holbus. The body-contouring device uses high-intensity, focused electromagnetic technology to induce powerful supramaximal muscle contractions for firmer abs and a perkier rear end in just 30 minutes (sessions start at $1,000).
Shamban advocates that clients combine EMSculpt or Ballancer Pro sessions with series of her Metabolista shots (a supersized B-12 cocktail to support and stimulate the liver and boost the body’s metabolic power) and a topical Freeze patch (which delivers Garcinia cambogia, echinacea and goldenseal transdermally to suppress the appetite and boost digestion). “It’s all about getting the body to work at its most optimal proficiency in terms of moving water, waste and cellular metabolism through the system,” she says ($225 for a series).
If that all sounds like too much work, you can always cut to the chase. “Liposuction is still the number one procedure in Los Angeles,” says plastic surgeon Dr. Suzanne Trott (instagram handle @lipoqueen). And with the advent of lunchtime lipo (prices from $4,500) — an in-office procedure that targets those easy-to-acquire but hard-to-shift problems areas like the stomach, neck and inner and outer thighs — the numbing takes longer than the actual procedure. “Wear some body contouring compression shapewear under your dress and your hair down and no one will be any the wiser.”
