Wondering how JLo looked so good at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020? She got the Biologique Recherche Triple Lift Facial ($350 a pop). A few days ago, I got it too. And it wasn’t in Buckhead or Midtown. I was at the most elegant, adorable spa in up-and-coming Summerhill—Aviary Beauty + Wellness. It has to be the best facial in Atlanta. It lifts your jowls and cheekbones at the same time as rejuvenating your skin.
Do y’all already know the owner and founder of Aviary, Amy Leavell Bransford? If you don’t, well, she was one of the OGs of Atlanta’s beauty scene. She opened the first Aviary Beauty + Wellness in O4W back in 2009 on the Beltline. Long before the Beltline was even a thing. Now she’s pioneering a spa and salon space in the cutest little new trendy area to pop—Summerhill. This location opened in 2021 and fits right in with hot spots Little Bear, Halfway Crooks, Little Tart Bakeshop and other destination businesses drawing Atlanta’s chic and curious to the area.
To be honest, the last time I got a Biologique Recherche facial was at a ridiculously high-end salon when I was living in New York City pre-pandemic. The luxurious facial was so good that for two weeks afterward people in my office thought I had work done on my face.
So imagine how excited I was to start facelift rumors again when I visited Aviary to try their new Remodeling Face machine from Biologique Recherche. “How much does this machine cost?” I asked Bransford, because I’m a tacky journalist like that. “It’s basically a car,” she replied, cracking me up.
Sophie, an Atlanta native, was my esthetician and she has been with Aviary for five years. I think that says a lot, don’t you? I always ask people how long they’ve been working somewhere. It gives me some intel on if a place keeps their employees or not. I’m also Southern, so I love small talk. Turns out, some of the other employees have been there eight years or more too.
But I digress. This incredible, magnificent, stupendous RMF machine has only been in the salon since Spring 2022. Sophie and the Aviary team trained with Biologique Recherche in April and May but after that “we all took our time getting to know the technology,” says Bransford. “It’s not like any other service we offer because we are using electrical current to work on the facial muscles and to infuse products into the skin.”
Biologique Recherche is notoriously selective about who they will partner with so this is kind of a big deal for Atlanta. “We feel like we hit the jackpot with them,” adds Bransford.
First, for 60 minutes, Sophie sets about getting expensive, luxurious Biologique Recherche product painted onto your face. Then, she uses two sponges filled with electric current to tighten your muscles. Finally, she uses cold “spoons” or cryosticks to repair and regenerate skin cell and stimulate collagen. It feels spaaah-mazing.
The facial also uses advanced bioelectric treatment that combines the power of three currents (galvanic, microcurrent and high frequency) for immediate and long-lasting results. It’s called the Face Remodeling machine because it literally attempts to remodel the texture and volume of your face, neck and decollete. It reduces wrinkles and helps with a more clearly defined facial contour. It’s known to delay the need for plastic surgery… which is probably why JLo is such a fan.
Aviary Beauty + Wellness offers the same services—including this miraculous Triple Lift Facial—in both locations. Clientele just go to their preferred location based on their esthetician, stylist or convenience.
“They are sister salons, not twins!” assures Bransford. “In 2009 when I found Studioplex, I had a shoestring budget and a dream to create a completely unique space. I had to do what I could with what I had. We’ve evolved so much since then. When I decided to open Summerhill in 2021, it gave me the first opportunity to have something street-facing. Even having 11 years as a beloved Atlanta brand, opening in Summerhill made me feel ‘all grown up.’”
The intimacy and size of each Aviary Beauty + Wellness salon and spa is what makes them so unique. Think hip, boutique hotel compared to a big box name brand hotel. “Hair salons can be loud, noisy and have big energy,” explains Bransford. “But we bring a spa vibe, which our clients seem to appreciate. You can hear them let out a deep sigh of relief when they walk through the door. I also love when a new client enters the door and when they leave we are practically best friends. The community and friendships are one of the things I love.”
I think that’s why everyone loves Aviary Beauty + Wellness back. That, and the whole leaving with no wrinkles and looking really young thing.
