Life & Style | wellness •
By Karen Greco
Damage Repair When I was a beauty editor at a national magazine, it was my job to be a skincare devotee. Lotions and potions filled my bathroom and semi-regular facials were the norm. But a career change, family obligations, and hustle-culture overwhelm supplanted my lengthy (not to mention expensive) skincare regimen. Added environmental and physical stress took a heavy toll on my already sensitive skin. So when Exquisite Skin Care owner and esthetician Angela Pisoni-Bartley invited me to try out a facial at her charming skin studio at The Pier in Narragansett, I jumped at the opportunity to face my neglected… well… face. Pisoni-Bartley is originally from Oregon and relocated to Rhode Island with her Rhody-born husband. After setting up shop in Jamestown in 2018, she moved to her Narragansett location in the spring of 2021, in the middle of the pandemic. With loyal clients willing to trek over the bridge, COVID or not, it didn’t take long for the new space to thrive. Walking into her light and airy skin care studio, you understand why. The beachchic interior invites you to leave the stress of the day at the door. But stepping into the well-appointed treatment room, with its candle lighting and soothing spa music, is like being wrapped in a cocoon of wellness. It’s evident that Pisoni-Bartley received her training in holistic skincare, which focuses on using natural ingredients rather than cosmetic intervention to nourish the skin. After changing into a spa wrap and sliding under the covers of the heated facial table, Pisoni-Bartley took a better look at my exhausted skin. An eruption of rosacea under my left eye left my skin splotchy and irritated. Since I hadn’t properly exfoliated in months, my face was a riot of textures. Pisoni-Bartley’s known for her popular summer treatment, a sea salt microdermabrasion facial, which includes an oxygen infusion. Even though the sea salt exfoliation is gentle, Pisoni-Bartley took
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SO Rhode Island Summer • July 2022
Photo courtesy of Exquisite Skin Care
A lapsed beauty devotee’s joyous return to the spa for a skin-soothing facial
A gentle steam comes with a relaxing neck massage
SORhodeIsland.com
