Meet the New Acupuncture Studio That's as Easy (and Affordable) as a Blowout Bar
While facial bars and drop-in meditation studios have mainstreamed much of the self-care industry, one area of wellness remains less understood. “Acupuncture is still in the shadows,” says Shari Auth, a certified doctor of Chinese medicine and acupuncture who has worked in Manhattan for the past fifteen years. There is good reason for this; hyper individualized, the ancient tradition requires years of study to master and can command a hefty price tag. But Auth, whose clientele includes Olivia Wilde, is of the mind that it should be accessible to everyone.
This month, she brings her expertise to the SoulCycle and Skin Laundry crowd with WTHN, her 2,200-square-foot space in New York's Flatiron District that offers a monthly membership plan monthly membership plan for discounted offerings (“When you do spiritual work, the first thing you need to do is get rid of the I,” she says of the vowel-less name.) The streamlined menu includes three 45-minute treatments: Prevent is customized to address everything from fatigue to indigestion; Heal targets aches and pains; and Glow serves up complexion-rejuvenating facial acupuncture. Each session takes place in one of twelve white-washed rooms, with the option of tuning into sound therapist Nate Martinez's recordings to clear the mind as well as the body.
“A lot of people come to acupuncture because they have lower-back issues or insomnia, and then they stay for the ongoing maintenance,” says Auth. “That's really the beauty of this medicine: It keeps you well.”
