Lavender, rosemary, geranium, cypress, and thyme. No, I'm not singing along to Simon and Garfunkel. This is what my face was treated to one sunny, blissed-out afternoon in West Hollywood. The hands belonged to facialist extraordinaire Deborah DePiano. The room was part of DePiano’s relaxed private residence, a refuge favored by her many celebrity clients, for whom privacy is essential.

An experienced aesthetician for over a decade, DePiano has developed a strong reputation for her impressive medical knowledge and exceeding people skills. She makes a discernible effort to listen to, cater to, and educate every one of her clients. "It's important that you give people the information they need," DePiano stresses. Her reputation for trustworthy information did as much as her skilled hands to help DePiano build the loyal clientele she has today, which includes such notables as Christina Applegate, Alicia Silverstone. Molly Shannon, and Johnathan Antin.

Beginning her career within the Beverly Hills world of Camden Aesthetic Associations, DePiano was a veritable database of the cosmetic surgeons in town. She began to make recommendations to people — for doctors and treat­ments — and continued to offer her support throughout the surgical process. She was never wrong, and word-of-mouth spread. At the same time, DePiano - an inquisitive student at heart — spent hours pursuing her research at home, becoming well-versed in both chemical-based and organic skin solutions. She discovered that many of the busiest Beverly Hills practitioners were not carrying the best product lines, deemed too expensive for their bottom line. DePiano stocked up on such top lines as Yonka and Eminence, completed hours and hours of certificate training programs, and with the dream of operating her own biomedic clinic in a plastic surgeon's office behind her, opened up her home to her passion.

The result? A beehive of activity, with enough consultations, pore extractions, aromatherapy facials, oxygen treatments, and microderniabrasions to fill 80 hours a week with work. DePiano began to have clients bring bags full of products for her to go through - one by one - and weed out, endorse, or explain. "Lots of people complain about a product, but really they're not using it right," DePiano says. "It's a huge problem with celebrities because they get so many free products - Courteney [Cox's] bathroom was a big space [to go through]."

DePiano's clients loved the seclusion of a private residence - especially celebrities and men (30% of her clientel) who prefer to be discreet. But she found she would rather cut her business in half if she could spend more time with each and every person. "How good can your energy be with everyone if you can't catch your breath?"

It would seem that DePiano has found her balance in the newly built Argyle Hotel Salon & Spa, located on the Sunset Strip, a stone's throw from her home. As the spa's Skincare Director, she spends half her week bringing them her expertise, signature treatments, and ongoing research. The spa's new $35.000 HydraFacial machine — a wonderful facial alternative for the time-pressed and the pain-sensitive, lasting as little as 15 astoundingly pain-free minutes — was bought solely on DePiano's say-so. With a product line in the works, the hotel, for its part, is excited about the prospect of co-branding DePiano's ideas. And the clients — with a choice between a state-of-the-art hotel spa and a relaxing home environment, all within the same few blocks — are most happy with the marriage.

To book an appointment at DePiano's home, call 310-289-7992.
1st  Consultation: $175; facials: $135-$160.