The haircut

The subject
Seek writer Kate Lowenstein avoids salons. “Why spend all that money when you can get a friend—or your mom—to trim off a couple inches every few months?” she asks. This explains her heavy, motionless hair: Cut straight across the bottom, the curls weigh themselves down and lie flat against her head.

The setup
While writing the Mind & Body listings, Kate came across a notice for a curly-hair styling course at Antonio Prieto Salon. She attended the session, and Antonio himself broke the news (gently, of course) that she could seriously use a new ’do. “You need some motion—we’ll add layers,” he explained. Kate couldn’t say no.

The encounter
Antonio’s mild manner and charming Spanish accent soothed Kate’s ruffled nerves as he took his scissors (“at a diagonal, eek!”) to her tresses. Taking into account her attachment to lengthy locks, he created long layers in back with some shorter, face-framing pieces in front.

The verdict
“Now I understand why people fork over all that cash,” Kate admits, swishing her newly liberated curls. “I thought having layers would just make my hair pouf out and look silly, but instead it’s got more body. My mom’s out of a job.” 

Antonio Prieto Salon, 127 W 20th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves (212-255-3741). Cuts from $125.

Antonio’s tips for curly heads

1 “To add much-needed movement to curly hair, you need lots of layers on top without making hair too thin on the bottom.” 

2 “To combat summer’s humid weather, the top layers should be a little longer.”

3 “You’ll know you have a good haircut when it’s versatile: You should be able to part it anywhere, wear it up or down, straightened or natural.”

The gentleman’s facial

The subject
TONY theater critic Adam Feldman, right, wanted to revitalize his winter-beaten skin but was traumatized by the memory of his last facial (five years ago). “The woman squeezed and pinched me mercilessly, then nagged me about my lax exfoliation,” he recalls. “It was like a cross between visiting a dental hygienist and being attacked by a swarm of tiny, tiny piranhas.”

The setup
While most of the aestheticians I’d been to specialized in women’s skin, I recalled that my former employer, Chelsea gallerist Daniel Reich, used to rave about Jacqueline at SkinCareLab. I figured that anyone Reich lets that close to his fantastically fair skin must be competent and supergentle. Feldman booked an appointment.

The encounter
“She’s a down-to-earth lass with a soothing manner and a charming Irish brogue,” Feldman explains. “The atmosphere was relaxing, and Jacqueline’s comments were tactful and constructive,” he reports. “The best part was the masque plastifiante: bright-green swampy-smelling goop that hardened into a latexlike mask that made me feel like Kermit the Frog at a fetish party.”

The verdict
Cleansed and moisturized, Feldman’s face felt perceptibly refreshed. “It was certainly a pleasant change from the last time I tried this,” he says. “And weeks later, someone spontaneously complimented my skin, which has pretty much never happened before. I may need to start doing this more than twice a decade.”

SkinCareLab, 568 Broadway at Prince St, suite 403 (212-334-3142). Urban Detox Facial, $125.