Advanced Skin Technology by Ana Pesce

Like many other reviewers, I was drawn to this place due to a reasonably priced Groupon for one deep cleansing facial. I am extremely meticulous about my skin and skin care, so buying a Groupon for a facial was really scary to me, but I went ahead and purchased it anyway because I had never had one before. To say the very least I was underwhelmed, disappointed, and eventually angered by not only the results of the facial, but the practice and knowledge of skin and skin care demonstrated by Ana Pesce. The appointment began with a quick consultation regarding my skin care routine, which consisted of me telling her the products I used on a daily basis and her trying to tell me that they were either acceptable by HER standards, or that they were bad. During this time I also had to refresh her memory on what chemical exfoliants were. Next came the actual deep cleansing facial, which I booked mostly because of the extractions Ana cleansed my face with what she told me were gentle make up wipes and basically forced me to tell her that they were superior to what I was currently using to cleanse make up off of my face. Next came steaming, then extractions, which is what I told her I wanted to focus on most due to my plethora of stubborn clogged pores. Ana performed maybe 10 extractions total and when I tried telling her at the end that there were still closed comedones and sebaceous filaments around my chin she replied, something along the lines of, «No, no its not bumpy anymore I did the extractions»… OK. After extractions she did LED light treatment on my face, which she did not let me forget was no apart of the deep cleansing facial protocol, and some other random moisturizing products. She finished off the entire facial with putting on a SPF 35 tinted moisturizer that was 5 shades too dark for my skin, while trying to tell me that anything over SPF 35 will damage your skin and did not know what a physical sunscreen was. I made her remove the tinted moisturizer because it looked ridiculous and she put on a regular moisturizer with what I’m pretty sure had 0 SPF in it and the sun was shining bright that day, but I should have been wearing SPF regardless. At the end of the facial, I felt that my face looked literally no different than when I walked into her office. With that being said, I know facials will not magically transform your skin into a poreless, perfect canvas, but I was expecting at least some sort of temporary result.
The dialogue between Ana and I during the facial was primarily about skin care and my knowledge and interest in it. She told me about how easy it is to become an esthetician (which was unsettling considering where I was) and how she does 5 hours of research a week on skin care, which was obvious in the way that she spoke to me on the subject. And finally, the part where I become angered and also inspired to share this experience: At some point during the facial, Ana offered to sell me the make up cleansing wipes and a drug store cleansing tool for an extra 20 $, and phrased this offer in a way so it was like there was no choice in the matter. However, she ended up giving me the cleansing wipes and 2 Dermalogica samples for free, which I finally pulled out tonight to examine and use. TO MY EXTREME DISAPPOINTMENT AND DISBELIEF, ANA PESCE TRIED TO SELL ME HUGGIES DIAPER WIPES AND USED THEM ON MY FACE DURING THE FACIAL. I am a nanny to a 2 year old, so when she was performing the facial and used the «make up wipes» I did notice a distinct smell, but couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. At closer inspection, the wipes have a distinctive H printed on them as well as a design, and after some searching on the internet, I confirmed they were legit Huggies diaper wipes. Seriously could no believe my eyes.
Needless to say, I will never be returning to this establishment, and I strongly encourage anyone willing to spend money on a facial to look elsewhere for better service, better products, and a more knowledgeable esthetician to take care of their skin.

Wow!!! should I say wow again… Ana is very detail oriented and full of information when it comes to skin care. she is completely aware of what she is doing and the results of the procedures. i had a small dimple on my face and always hated it. she gave me 4 appointments for collagen treatment and my dimple is almost filled. during the appointments she always explained me the healing process and how many different ways my skin can possibly react to the
I am always aware of what I can except after the treatment. i totally recommend her for any of the advanced skin care procedures and I am sure u won’t regret going to her.

Ana knows her stuff. She is knowledgable and professional who gives great advice. I had the best facial ever.

I came here for a microdermabrasion and I wasn’t too thrilled… Ana began analyzing my skin as soon as I walked in from a distance, it was kind of bizarre. there was no introduction like, «what are your problems/​needs?» just that my skin is dry and started discussing products. then she set me down in a chair that reclines… there wasn’t a facial table. it was pretty uncomfortable. then she performed the micro and went on to do laser and LED treatment which I didn’t request so it was kind of odd. Ana was sweet and walked me through the treatments but I wasn’t blown away by the results. it also felt like a doctors office, not spa like.

I bought a deep cleansing facial on Groupon. It was nothing like how I expected, but this was by far the best facial I’ve ever had.
I’ve been recently struggling with hormonal breakouts and some hyperpigmentation. Ana didn’t just slap products on my face — she really took the time to address my skin concerns and honed in on problem areas. She offered me additional treatments for a small add on price. I got LED, laser treatment, microdermabrasion, lactic acid peel, vitamin C treatment, and more for just $ 20 extra. Her prices are very reasonable and you can tell that she really likes what she does and working with people. She even followed up the next day to ask how my skin looked with no pressure to buy products or services, but offered a very reasonable deal after asking about additional services to prepare for my upcoming wedding.
If you’re looking for a relaxing spa facial where they bathe your face in mud and listen to New Age music, go elsewhere. If you want amazing skin with attentive staff and excellent service, make an appointment here immediately.
Oh, and my skin looks amazing. Dark spots have faded significantly (still there, but that’s to be expected after only one treatment and having never addressed them win any products before) and my skin still feels incredibly smooth and breakout-​free. Thanks Ana!!!

She is great! She gives you the best advice. So worth going to her. She spends quality time on your needs and relaxes you and gives you great tips. Way better than going to a dermatologist. I had the worst experience at Penn Dermatology with Dr. G.
Ana knows what she’s talking about and cares for her clients. Can’t wait to see her again!

This is my first time at Advance Skin Technology. My appointment was with Ana. She gave me an excellent skin treatment and combined different products and treatments that suit my skin type. She is very knowledgeable and there was no pressure to buy products like most typical Philadelphia spas. She gave me some sample towelettes that would help me calm my acne prone skin. My face looks great and glowing when I left. I will definitely be back for another facial.

I bought a Living Social deal for a deep cleansing facial in December, while on vacation in Philly. My skin had been breaking out literally non-​stop for the past several months and I needed help. I try to get facials every few months at home, but I’ve never experienced results like this! Ana took the time to help me understand my complicated skin. I’m Latina, which means my medium skin scars easily (mostly due to hormonal breakouts), plus it’s dry AND oily. Almost 1 month later, and my skin is much, much better! Since then, I’ve also started using Dermalogica products and my skin has been clear and glowing up until this week (PMS)…but, this time, my skin recovered quickly (even though my stress level was insane). I was so grateful there was no additional acne scarring. I want to echo all the nice things said about Ana. Even though I only paid for a basic facial (with a coupon), she upgraded me (at no extra cost) to a microdermabrasion… because that’s what my skin really needed. I was amazed she did this, even though she knew I wasn’t local and probably wouldn’t become a regular customer. I live 1 hour away and am seriously considering making the trip back for my next facial. Only thing to point out is that she’s not rushed at all, which made for a very relaxing experience… but that meant her appointments were running a bit late (at least on the day I visited). Not a huge deal for me, since I’ll clear my calendar so she can work on my skin again… she’s that good!

I cannot believe I forgot to review my experience at Ana Pesce! Every part of my experience was really wonderful. Her office had a very calming atmosphere and her presence was equally as smoothing. The facial really really really helped my dull, tired, acne prone skin. Ana did an excellent job on the extractions. She even gave me some laser therapy and an eyebrow wax! She reminded me of my grandmother with her skin care advice. Instead of pushing products, she told me to simply use olive oil to take off my makeup. I am definitely coming back!

Ana was very professional and gave great skin advice. It was my first time experiencing extractions and laser treatment, so she made sure I knew what was going on and was comfortable throughout the process. Overall, I really enjoyed the facial treatment.

I bought the Groupon for three (3) deep cleansing facials — can’t wait for my next two! I’ve had a variety of facials from low to high end places and this takes the cake. There is nothing fancy about this spa, but it is very functional. I don’t care about décor if the service I’m paying for has great results.
By far one of the best facials I have ever had. She even gave me microdermabrasion and light therapy on the spots that received the deep cleanse aka extractions. That may have been a free upsell on her end to get me to keep coming back after my three Groupon buys are over, but I could walk around in public afterwards without worry of people staring at a red/​blotchy post facial face. A++ to Ana! Excited to see the future of my skin!

OMG! I am so glad that I stumbled upon this skin care location. First I’ll start off with info on my skin and why I went. All my life I’ve had oily skin just lots of shine not so much acne issues, just some breakouts around that time of the month. I am currently 35 years old, fair skin and recently out of no where I have been breaking out bad and uncontrollably. To make matters worse my blemish spots are not resolving as quickly like they use to. So I began my research for help because at this point I had already changed my diet I incorporated way more water into my diet. I tried the oil cleanse method, I did the apple cider vinegar as a toner, I bought the clarisonic (just to give you an idea of all I went thru)…So any who while doing my research for a good acne facial I read reviews for this location due to the so many happy clientele for laser hair removal. I kept reading and also saw other services offered. They were not lying Ana knows her stuff! What I exceptionally appreciated was the time she took to understand my skin and my «holistic» approach to my skin care (but don’t get me wrong I’m not oppose to using facial products, the holistic is just a preference). After my first visit with Ana my Family was able to tell the difference. Before going to my first appointment I had multiple big and dark red pimples the ones that you can’t pop all around my lower jaw line, she extracted them and zapped them so they significantly reduced in inflammation [and yes I wear foundation to disguise them incase anyone’s wondering :) ]…on my first visit meeting Ana she is super sweet and I did not feel she was judge mental at all as far as my skincare approach, in fact she incorporated some simple at home remedies, which to my surprise have worked, some more than others. But this is the part that makes it great and this is why I am writing this review. She does not pressure you to buy anything, we first did a process of elimination and incorporated small changes to see if it was effective or not. On top of that she has years of experience with so many different types of skin so she was able to read my skin pretty well. On my second visit I asked about the cleanser she uses during my facials because I noticed after I left my skin did not get oily «at all!!!» And I mean my face gets so shiny you can fry an egg on it and I’m not exaggerating. So on my 2^nd visit she just gave me a sample size of the cleanser, toner and spot treatment she had been using on me to see if I truly like it before buying the full size products and I have to say I am in love with the products and super thankful. Next on my list is hair removal!
I also want to mention, I read a few reviews on how difficult it was getting thru to them over the phone I have not noticed that, whenever I leave a message I always get a call back either that same day or the next day. Also you have the option of booking online, which is a cool feature I have yet to try though. Lastly if you decide to visit this cozy and personable spa be aware that they are on the 9^th floor and the elevators to the building are super, super slow so try to get there with a few minutes to spare. Hope this was informative and helpful :)

I have seen Ana 4 times for facials and unfortunately I will not be returning. My first two experiences were great– she had great recommendations for my skin, and my face always looked clearer and brighter in the weeks after. I found Ana’s personality motherly– with lots of advice and some mild scolding for previous poor skincare practices on my part.
I went back one visit number three with new breakouts on my cheeks– a situation that was embarrassing for me and one that I wanted help with. Ana asked a lot of questions as to if I was doing anything different and she tried to get to the route of the problem– I appreciate that, but she did make me feel as if I was at fault… I didn’t think too much of it, and thought maybe it was an ‘off’ day.
Visit number four I came back still with breakouts on my cheeks. I also came with a Groupon. She was extremely displeased that I had bought the Groupon and said it was for first time customers only (there was no such condition marked on the deal). She genuinely scolded me, telling me that it took money out of her pocket. I found this tremendously unprofessional. She again made me feel bad about my break outs telling me that «you are spending a lot of money and not seeing results, and that frustrates me». I know she probably meant it to seem sympathetic, but it again made me feel again at fault– like I was doing something wrong.
The kicker on the visit was that she pretty much forced me into buying a sample of some face serum for $ 30 (the exact amount I had been discounted with the Groupon). Yes, I could have refused, but she seemed so annoyed that I just wanted to pay and get out of there and not deal with anymore unprofessionalism.
I now go downstairs to Rescue Spa. Even though it is much more expensive, I never have to worry about being treated unprofessionally.

I went here from a Groupon and am so happy I did! The massage was awesome and my masseuse totally worked out a few knots I had in my neck. I bartend so this was really needed. Very attentive and just overall great. I then went and had a facial done by Ana and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. She evaluated my skin and then told me what products would help with the skin problems I have. I am going back next month and can’t wait!

I have had a number of facials at a variety of places. AST rates among the finest this city has to offer. Ana Pesce really knows her stuff. She customizes the treatment to give you the result that you want. She has moved to a new location in the building and the area is relaxing and comfortable. She has an assistant who helps book appointments and make payments and you can schedule appointments on line. If I could rate this a 5+, I would.

I had a really great experience here.
My bf gifted me a much needed getaway from a stressful workload for the past two months. Paula was really good and I liked how fluid her movements and transitions were as she worked on different focus areas of my massage. It was very soothing and relaxing and I appreciated all of her recommendations she had for me following the massage.
You should checkout Groupon for some good deals and make sure you call in advance to setup and appointment. I was nervous about calling last minute for an appointment and luckily they were able to accommodate me for the very next day.

Cindy gave me a relaxing facial. She was full of useful tips and was not pushy to sell me products like other salons have. Instead she gave me a home remedy I can do easily. I enjoyed the experience and will be back!

My visit to Ana Pesce again. Had another amazing experience there and I noticed they moved to bigger and nicer venue so I felt like I should update my review. Weather hasn’t been nice so my skin got dry and needed another facial. Today I went back to Ana and I feel like I got what I needed. She did some amazing mask (she applied thick mask then cover it with plasticky paper then use lightening machine to massage) I am not sure what she did since she improvise depends on your skin condition so every visit was little different each time in my case. Got a amazing result. I applied make up on after my facial. My skin was glowing and smooth. Loved the result. My friend did facial with Cindy to get extraction. Her treatment is little longer than mine since she got extraction and some laser treatment done. She looked absolutely fresh after facial and she was very happy with Cindy’s work. I love that they are very professional and dedicate to their job. I thought was weird that they asked so many questions when I did my first facial. Like my diet!, skin routine, if I taking any supplement etc but now I know they understand my skin very well and it’s all applied to my treatment. Love them a lot and I keep going back for sure. Just go and get the facial from Ana or Cindy.

I had a Groupon for a facial and found the experience to be just okay. Getting the app’t in the first place was like pulling teeth. I called 3x and no one returned my call. I was about to report them to Groupon! Finally on call 3, there was a message saying they only accepted appointments made online. I made the appointment. Then, I got an email an hour before my appointment saying I had to reschedule because of the weather (It was only raining but was sleeting earlier). I never got the email since I had already left for the appointment. Luckily, they were nice and honored my original appointment. When I finally arrived at said address, there was a sign on the door saying they had moved to another floor in the building. Clearly, communication is NOT their forte.
Good points: Ana Pesce did my facial. She was very sweet, had a soothing voice/​manner and did a good job – although it was just a basic facial. My skin did look better afterward. Spa was cute and zen like– calming. Ana’s skin looked great, even though she is in her 60s, which helps.
Bad points: Communication stinks. Products were pushed to an annoying degree. I bought 2 items, but now that I’ve been using them for a week+, I am not blown away by them. Some of the equipment looked like it was 30 years old. And this is picky – but when you are in a waiting room, esp at a spa, you want to look at magazines. They only had a handful of magazines, and all were about 5 years old. If you go, BYOM ;)
I’ll definitely get another facial, but sadly, not here

So, I did actually go see Ana for a standard facial. This was more than a year ago now, but I forgot to update on here.
She was relatively easy to contact and again, very nice in person. However, it was pretty strictly a medical facial, ie not for relaxation/​pampering. I think that’s what I prefer because my skin issues aren’t that severe– I just like to «freshen up» seasonally. So the facial was fine, just not what I was expecting.
What really ruined it for me was when she put me in this machine that shows the sun damage on my face and what it could potentially look like later in life. I don’t appreciate scare tactics to try to get my business. Yes, I have a lot of freckles and very pale skin. Yes, I know I have to use sunscreen. That was just a very weird way to start out the procedure and not something I’ve been subjected to elsewhere. I was just there for a facial so I don’t think it was necessary. A simple «hey, make sure you use sunscreen to protect your skin» would have sufficed.
So, obviously she’s quite good at what she does for other clients, but this is not the place for me.