Skin care fanatics, rejoice! This hidden gem can handle all your skin care woes

Down ivory steps in a Nanuet neighborhood lies a safe haven for skin care fanatics. Rose Ela Skin Care, run by Rose Ela herself, prides itself on comprehensive, highly personalized skin care. From Albania to Italy to NYC to Rockland County, Rose Ela’s path has not always been a straight one, but it is one that has led her to living her dream every day. 

As clients arrive at the bottom of the steps, they are greeted by a cozy pastel wonderland. They fill out a comprehensive intake form as sounds of a babbling brook fill the space and they sip on herbal tea. Rose Ela presents the tea, and personally discusses any concerns that the client may have. Her goal is to have a comprehensive understanding of her client’s background in order to best serve them and their needs. Clients are then brought into the treatment room where various gadgets and skincare stand at the ready. Once the client is comfortable, Rose Ela completes a hands-on inspection of the skin, verbally identifying any problem areas and informing the client what she believes would be most effective for their treatment. She is clear, however, that she tailors the experience to the guests preferences. 

“My job is to tell you the truth.” she says. “What do I see? But then, it’s up to you. What do you see for yourself, and what do you want?”. For example, Ela could identify that a client may benefit from dermaplaning in their facial. If the client is not bothered by the hair on their face or declines the treatment, Ela is respectful of their preferences. 

Following the hands-on inspection, guests undergo a decadent series of masks that target their specific treatment needs. Be it acne, aging, dry or oily skin, Ela has a mask or a tool that handles it all. Her calm demeanor sets the tone for the treatment, allowing guests to fully relax and embrace the experience. Ela recommends only talking when necessary to encourage this peaceful atmosphere. This quiet time ends up being a much needed break in our loud and busy world. She emphasizes that her facials are not a magic pill, however. Beauty comes from a holistic approach and she believes that clients must be educated on both skin and overall health in order to take the best care of themselves when they are not on her table. 

Originally from Albania, Rose Ela has always been an artist. She says as a child she was always “very creative [and] very passionate with art” and her mom encouraged her to pursue this passion. Ela obtained a bachelor’s degree in art in Albania and went on to study art in Italy. While studying in Italy, she decided to visit the Big Apple and fell in love twice. Once with the city, and once with her husband. After much encouragement from said husband, Ela decided to obtain her esthetician license and use her creativity in a way that aligned more with her true passion. 

Ela told the RCT that her husband’s encouragement was the push she needed to open her business. When he asked her “‘you’re so passionate about [skin care], why don’t you give it a chance to become an esthetician?” Ela answered with the one phrase all wives are loath to say – “You’re right. You’re not wrong”. One week later she went to test for her esthetician license and received her license in one go. One week after her licensing, she had a job working as an esthetician. Here she quickly made her way up the ranks and became one of the most sought after estheticians at the salon. She made the move up to Nanuet in 2018 and has been running her own salon ever since. 

Ela  puts connection with her clients at the utmost priority, even refusing to do certain treatments if she believes it could be detrimental to the skin health of that particular client. Once you are her client, you have access to Ela to ask any questions about aftercare or skin care, a service not offered by most spas. Rose Ela Skin Care is a hidden gem, a perfect spot for those looking to invest in their skin, age gracefully, and carve out time for themselves in the wild world of today. Readers can learn more about Rose Ela’s treatments at roseelaskincare.com or call 917-943-8313 with questions.