EADING TO THE MALL FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING? NOW YOU CAN VISIT THE PLASTIC SURGEON BETWEEN ERRANDS.

BY MARY JO DILONARDO

At AYA, which means “silk” in Japanese, the lobby was chic and welcoming with suede couches, lemon walls and a sleek, flat-screen TV. Fresh flowers, stalks of bamboo and soothing music laced with the sounds of rushing waterfalls and gentle waves lulled me into a pleasant stupor.

… I was whisked to a changing room where I donned a waffle-weave gown and was then escorted to a white spa chair for microdermabrasion. Soothing music played on the speakers as another aesthetician, Martina McClurg, placed a warm herbal wrap around my neck and herbal eye pads on my lids. She also slathered my hands with shea butter and swaddled them in warm mitts.

… then the machine buzzed to life, shooting fine grains of crystals (smaller than salt or sand) onto my face through a narrow wand and sucking them back up, removing dead skin. Some people liken the sensation to the grazing of a cat’s tongue… Thirty minutes later, my face and hands felt silky smooth. Sounds hokey, but I was glowing…

AYA is the brainchild of the doctors of Atlanta Plastic Surgery, one of the city’s oldest plastic surgery practices. It’s half-spa, half-medical facility with all the charm of the former and not one outdated magazine or dying fern. Prices are similar to those at spas and a little less than you’d pay at a physician’s office but are not covered by insurance. In addition to various skin and hair removal treatments, you can buy the prescription-only Obagi line of skincare products.