Renowned German aesthetics doctor and celeb favorite Dr. Barbara Sturm as officially opened her Los Angeles Boutique and Spa. The new West Hollywood location marks Dr. Sturm's third flagship store, and second U.S. location—the other being in New York City. Offering clients a space for "education and discovery," they will be able to learn more about Dr. Sturm's skincare approach via her product offering and the anti-inflammatory lifestyle she is known for. Onsite Dr. Sturm aestheticians will offer guests personal consultations and answer skincare-related questions, while interactive technology via screens and tablets provide on-the-spot information. The vast spa menu offering includes a variety of treatments facials, which are administered in the three private treatment rooms and two express facial rooms. Additionally, there are two infrared saunas and a showroom space for guests to explore the product offering. The aesthetic of the space—created by architect Tobias Freytag—is very tranquil and promotes a stress-free environment, while remaining luxurious and high-end. Design elements include concrete tables, floating light fixtures, floor-to-ceiling windows, a mirrored ceiling and brass details. Here. Dr. Sturm sits down with me to discuss her brand's newest West Coast launch and more.
Photo Credit: Chris Singer
Why did you choose LA for your next and biggest flagship location in the U.S.?
Los Angeles is the most advanced beauty and wellness city in the world. It is a place where new ideas are born, tried and adopted, especially in beauty, health and wellness. LA has also become a spiritual second home to me: I have been coming to LA regularly since 2003 and my friends there would always ask me where they could go to get a Sturm facial; so, I recognized the need to deliver the #SturmGlow to Los Angeles. So here it is—facials, products and education for everyone with aestheticians I have trained in my products and protocols to perform the most amazing, skin-healing treatments.
What type of experience can guests expect at the LA Boutique and Spa?
The LA space will feature everything you find in my other Boutiques & Spas, including my wide-ranging spa menu, which offers everything from the Instant Glow Facial and Darker Skin Tones Facial, to a selection of Express Facials. It will be a true destination for my clients to explore education, sample products, and get facials to achieve the #SturmGlow. The soothing, stress-free atmosphere of the space will be a forum for learning; with masterclasses and community events to better understand skincare, healthy ingredient science and learn how to pursue the anti-inflammatory lifestyle. I will also be premiering advanced beauty and wellness technologies and some of my new inventions at the LA Boutique & Spa later this year.
Photo Credit: Chris Singer
What are some must-have treatments you’d recommend, specifically for your LA-based clientele?
LA is the best place in the world to introduce innovations in beauty and wellness. I will premiere my new inventions at my LA Boutique & Spa. These include new delivery methods of hugely beneficial molecules and powerful new advanced science ingredients. Stay tuned.
Generally speaking, what is the ideal skincare regimen, using your products, and which treatments from your Boutique & Spa should be added in/how often?
At home, a basic regimen that works for every skin type, men and women, includes the Cleanser, Hyaluronic Serum and Face Cream and you can add in the Face Mask to use two-to-three times a week as an intensive treatment.
First, clean your face by washing it with my Cleanser. Afterwards, apply my Face Mask and leave it on until it is fully absorbed, for approximately 20 minutes. You can either remove it with lukewarm water, or rub the mask off, which creates a super-mild exfoliating effect while stimulating blood flow. Once the mask has been removed, you can apply a few drops of my Hyaluronic Serum to provide instant hydration at the surface and deeper skin layers. After the serum, follow with the Purslane-rich Face Cream. And for a radiant finish, you can also apply my Glow Drops.
Photo Credit: Chris Singer
I developed the INSTANT GLOW FACIAL in my clinic in Düsseldorf—it incorporates cleansing, exfoliating, extraction, lymphatic drainage and firming massages to deliver hydration, boost skin barrier function and soothe signs of irritation, leaving your skin with my signature #STURMGLOW. You can book the facial in all of my Boutiques & Spas, including my new store in West Hollywood, LA. It’s transformative and leaves your skin with an instant and noticeable radiance, and it’s gentle enough that you can add it to your routine however many times you like.
Photo Credit: Chris Singer
What’s next for you in the U.S. specifically?
I have so many amazing, new things planned for the rest of the year. Besides my beautiful new spa opening in LA, I’m looking at other locations in the U.S. to bring this spa experience to more customers nationwide. I just launched www.DrSturm.com—a re-platform of our existing website that provides a truly luxury shopping experience while serving as another educational resource for our customers and clients. It complements our other educational brand initiatives, which have included courtesy Virtual Skincare Consultations, Skin Schools, Masterclasses and IG Lives, during which I have special guests and viewers interact with and ask me questions. Science is always at the heart of my brand. I continue to scour the scientific literature for advances in ingredient science, invent new delivery methods for potent ingredients, and increasingly tailor products and advanced procedures to ever more precise skin concerns. I have lots of exciting new things to announce in the next year.
Photo Credit: Chris Singer