Los Angeles native Andrea Ámez is no stranger to the range of neighborhood spots her hometown has to offer; the licensed aesthetician began her wellness career working in studios based in Beverly Hills and Venice before founding her own practice, Ámez Skin, five years ago in West Hollywood. With a special focus on custom treatments and caring for melanin-rich skin, the facialist pairs scientific research and spiritual wisdom to create optimal treatments for her clients. Now based on the East Side of L.A., Ámez’s wellness-oriented lifestyle and experience in the beauty industry writ large (as a former makeup artist, too) make moving through the city in a healthy and holistic way within reach.
What’s your go-to treatment to recommend to your clients?
I love to give a microneedle treatment, mainly because so much of my practice is a synergy of clinical and holistic approaches. But what also comes with my treatments (which I’m really passionate about) is a lot of lymphatic bodywork and massage, so I feel like this is just the best overall, all-encompassing treatment — you get a little bit of the preventative stem-cell stuff with my classic Ámez approach, which is definitely more body- and health-focused.
What’s your favorite wellness treatment to receive?
At Olympic Spa, I love getting a body scrub with the milk enzyme; they scrub the crap out of you, and you see rolls and rolls of skin fall off. I also love getting a Shiatsu massage there. You can spend the day there — it’s so relaxing, it’s women only, there’s a cold room, there’s a salt room, there are saunas and your classic cold plunge. And there’s even a little outdoor area where you can tan and be naked, which is kind of amazing! It’s just a fun, communal vibe and feels really empowering; it’s age and body diverse, and in L.A., I feel like those spaces can be hard to find.
Also, Arisa at Blow Me Away salon on West 3rd Street is a certified trichologist, and she has really helped me tremendously. She’s from Japan and does detoxifying scalp treatments; I actually have a scalp condition, so I was desperate to work with her. I also use her Nekko products: She’s got a small range of a pre-cleanse and a shampoo. When I get her treatments, I feel like I blast off into another world … it is so relaxing because there are so many nerve endings in the scalp, so it just completely resets you. If you’re having a bad day or an intense month, I’m like, “Go book her and get a scalp massage.” I feel like the scalp is now very trendy in the wellness space, but it really is so important because the scalp is skin too. So much builds up there: products, chlorine, you name it. I’ve been seeing her for three and a half years now, and it’s been a big game changer — my scalp and my hair are so much healthier.
What are your go-to products — both on the affordable and more luxury end?
In terms of products you can get at the drugstore, I love the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Gel — instead of the balm. It is completely overlooked! For someone whose skin is more combination and oily-prone, the balm is actually too occlusive for me. I think I learned about this from one of my clients, which is amazing, but the gel has a higher concentrate of glycerin, so I love mixing that if I’m about to go on a flight, or it’s a great post-procedure product to have in your medicine cabinet too. I even use it as an under-eye cream, like a primer for makeup. And then the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer — it has an eczema certification. I’ve worked with some of the best dermatologists in the country — if not the world — and they all secretly recommend Vanicream. I have very sensitive, reactive skin, and it’s just the perfect moisturizer. I have it in my gym bag, my car, everywhere.
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My all-time, “I will use this until the day I die” product is the Rescue Epidermal Repair Serum by Osmosis Beauty. This line is so comprehensive, I’ve worked with it on and off for years. But what’s great about the Rescue Serum for someone like me who has rosacea is that it has patented ozonized Trioxolane — a technology that works in a way that I’ve never seen any other product work on acne or rosacea. I work with a lot of clients who deal with rosacea and redness, and I just think it’s the greatest of all time. I use a pump of it every morning and every night; it’s what keeps my skin super stable and the biome nice and happy. It’s a high-performance line, so it’s a bit more expensive, but you’re getting something that is effective and will yield results in two to three weeks. The line is very professional-forward, so it can be a little tricky to find unless it’s at a facial studio or medical spa, but its online retail store is great.
What’s your go-to store to buy skin care and other beauty products?
Larchmont Beauty Supply. If I’m running low on something, I always scoot over there. They have a great selection of makeup, hair clips, and body care, and they even have a cute little salon in the back! I’ve been going there since I was a teenager, so it’s kind of funny that now I go there as a professional in beauty. It’s also privately owned and not a big corporation, so it just feels good shopping there; I try to support independent, local businesses. They also give a discount to beauty professionals, which really helps facialists, aestheticians, manicurists, and makeup artists have everything they need.
I also did have a brief moment where I was doing men’s grooming and makeup after graduating from beauty school, and I would go to Naimie’s in the Valley — it’s the OG makeup spot where all the makeup artists go to build their kits. It’s iconic.
What’s your go-to spot for exercise as part of your wellness routine?
The Los Angeles Athletic Club; it’s my favorite place in the world. They have an Olympic-size pool designed by Howard Hughes. It is old-school, inclusive, and seven floors. It’s one of those places where I feel like you don’t feel like you’re going to the gym, and for me that’s impactful — I need to make it fun. There’s also a basketball league there, and all the cardio machines on the seventh floor look directly onto the basketball court — it’s literally the best. You can be incline-walking on the treadmill while watching a live basketball game, and it gets rowdy and competitive!
Courtesy of the subject. Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Courtesy of the subject. Los Angeles Athletic Club.
For Pilates, I really like FOLM on Melrose and Western. Their whole ethos is to do workouts based on where you are in your menstrual cycle, so they really pay attention to that, which I love. As someone in their mid-30s, I can’t be doing crazy HIIT classes anymore because it just makes my hormones crazy.
I also go to this place called Silver Springs occasionally for hot yoga, but as someone who runs hot, that’s more of a winter workout for me.
Where do you go to ground yourself?
I have a background in art history, and my first job out of college was at the Huntington Library and Gardens, so it’s always full circle for me to go there. I went to high school in Pasadena, so it has a special place in my heart. You can spend hours there in the rose and Japanese gardens.
The Huntington Library and Gardens.
Photo: Courtesy of the subject
My local wellness space that I feel really lucky to live next to (I live in Echo Park) is Elysian Park. It’s right at the entrance of Dodger Stadium and is classic L.A.: You get the low riders on Sundays and all the cute families doing barbecues and birthday parties. It’s a really important place for L.A. locals but also for Latinos. It’s a place that feels very family-oriented. I walk there and take my dog — sometimes we do the trails, but you can also just walk around. It’s like the Central Park feeling of L.A.: We’re in the middle of it all, and we’re five minutes away from downtown, but there’s this beautiful area where people can come and be together.
Where’s your go-to place for a healthy, skin-conscious meal or drink?
I have a cute local juice spot called Glowing Juices — I’ve been going there for over a decade. I’ve been a big Naturewell girl in Silver Lake — they had a smoothie that was ahead of its time, but everybody started copying them. It was coconut water, coconut meat, and kale. I’ve been getting that smoothie there for like 15 years. But I make most of my meals at home, and I keep it pretty simple. I’m so good about water. The whole thing about beauty is that there’s really no one-size-fits-all solution. Two things I’ve learned in the industry are: Less is more, and keep it simple. And that everybody and all skin is different. That’s what keeps me excited about what I do. Sure, there are common denominators, but there’s always a new challenge. With health and wellness, it’s really easy to overdo it. Narrow things down and find what works for you.
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