Joanna Czech

The first indication that a Joanna Czech facial will not be your typical facial is the music: Stevie Nicks, Robert Plant, Elton John. “I can’t stand raindrops,” Joanna says, ebullient as ever on a recent morning. “Your typical spa music – that’s not what we play.” Joanna plays by none of the rote spa rules.

The Polish-born esthetician carved her own path to the upper echelons of the skincare industry, prioritizing the needs of her clients rather than the industry convention to stick with one brand of product, even if it’s not the right fit for everyone. That individualistic approach, in addition to her focus on what’s advantageous for the skin in the long run versus a quick fix, is what got her on the radar of Kathy Rivard, Blackberry Mountain’s director of spa and wellness.

“She incorporates what’s best for her guests and uses multiple product lines to give them exactly what they need,” says Kathy. “We see such a high level of travelers who are expecting to get what they have at home,” which, often, is an array of bottles from different brands. “They’re looking for results, and her method delivers that.”

Blackberry Mountain’s Nest spa recently became the first Joanna Czech-certified spa in the country, which means it’s the only place, outside of Joanna’s dedicated studios in New York City and Dallas, Texas, where you can receive her 80-minute enhanced LED facial, which incorporates advanced modalities, like microneedling and microcurrent, in addition to the rejuvenating negative ions of LED.

Owing to her background, Joanna has long been on the cutting edge, eager to explore how technology can enhance both the experience and results of a facial. “I didn’t intend to become an esthetician,” she says. “I was never that girl playing with dolls and braiding their hair. I was putting bandages on them and playing doctor.” She attended medical school with the intention of becoming a surgeon but got felled by physics. “I enrolled in a beauty institute while I was getting tutored in physics,” she says, “and I discovered how much the digestive system and circulation influences the way we look.”

Intrigued, she changed her career path and figured out a way to adapt her native country’s holistic approach to skincare to the international market. “In Poland, you wouldn’t come in for just one treatment. You’d come for a deep pore cleansing; you would have herbs on your face, a lamp heating your skin, extractions and antibacterial blue light,” she says. “Then, four or five days later, you would come back for a nice exfoliation. We stretch out the process, and you see the value of that in the final result.”

After establishing herself in the U.S., Joanna began courting a list of notable clients, including Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet. While she remains grateful for the press and business that she’s garnered thanks to her high-wattage regulars, star power isn’t what moves her. “It does not matter who I touch or who I treat,” she says, “I don’t pay attention to their titles. They’re all my clients.”

This is as true at Nest as it is at her signature studios. Twice last year, Joanna decamped to Blackberry Mountain to educate Nest’s technicians on her method. “They trained with me, one by one,” she says. “I never offer big group classes because I need to experience their touch and they need to experience mine.” She was thrilled to find that Nest’s warmly lit, neutral-toned treatment rooms mirrored her own, ditto their taste in music. The mountain environment confirmed that this was a place she needed to plant her flag.

“I felt like I was in the middle of the Austrian Alps,” she says. “Such organic food, the cleanest air. That’s where it all begins. Clean air, the proper amount of sleep, the adequate amount of movement, hydration. And then there’s what I offer.”

What she offered was eagerly snapped up.

“She was fully booked out within an hour,” says Kathy. “The response was overwhelming. Her name has really enhanced the credibility of our facial program.”

The glow imparted by a Joanna facial cannot be denied. “You will notice a difference in the first day or so,” says Kathy. “It will enhance your appearance, at least while you’re on vacation.” But in the same way that plush beds, hydration stations and nourishing meals help Blackberry Mountain’s guests uncover a healthier version of themselves, Joanna’s ultimate goal with her facials is to teach clients what their skin needs to be its best and brightest, and to shift them out of a quick-fix mindset.

“We recommend products from a variety of lines, of course,” says Joanna, “but whether or not they purchase those, we want to establish a proper daytime and nighttime routine and make sure they know that the majority of how we look is dependent on our lifestyle – how we eat, how we move, how we feel.”

Her true mark of success? “If a client leaves feeling extremely educated,” she says, “and humming our music.”