Truth about $2.2K Met Gala facial loved by Sabrina…
It’s the Friday before the Met Gala and I’m wedged on a J practice at 7 a.m., utterly naked confronted, under-eye circles on show, en route to the Upper East Side for a date with the most well liked superstar facialist in city.
His title? Iván Pol — a skincare god with over a million instagram followers and a consumer roster that reads like an Oscars seating chart: Emma Stone, Ana de Armas, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, to title a few.
Pol’s consumer Sabrina Carpenter at the Met Gala in 2025. Getty Images
He’s moved into The Mark Hotel on East 77th Street — ground zero for pre–Met Gala glam — where he’s going to be seeing many of the above stars forward of the Gala on Monday to give the his signature $2.2k “snatched” facial.
Fans call it a facelift without surgical procedure. And I’m first through the door, before any of the A-listers, to see if it’s actually well worth the high priced hype.
“Drink two to three liters of water before, darling,” he had told me the evening prior. “The snatching process loves hydration.”
When I land at The Mark, steel barricades already line the sidewalk, and I slip into the foyer and journey up to the fifth flooring, where Pol has set up a non permanent studio that feels less spa, more sci-fi facial lab.
For context: my regular facial entails a no-frills Chinatown setup, a expert pair of palms and perhaps an ox horn if I’m fortunate.
Matozzo before Pol’s signature $2,200 facial. Emmy Park for NY Post
Facialist Iván Pol and Matozzo at his spa room at The Mark Hotel, where he’ll be seeing many of the Met Gala celebrities. Emmy Park for NY Pist
This? This is The Beauty Sandwich facial — Pol’s cult-favorite, tech-forward “lunchtime lift” designed to sculpt cheekbones, chisel jawlines and tighten all the pieces north of the collarbone without a single needle, drop of filler or second of downtime.
The Met Gala–prepared model of the treatment — which rings in at $2,200 and guarantees a lifted, sculpted look lasting roughly two to 4 weeks — combines high-tech instruments with hands-on artistry to scale back inflammation through lymphatic drainage, a light therapeutic massage that helps flush extra fluid and toxins, while carving out sharper facial angles.
Pol begins with the EVRL laser, which makes use of crimson and violet wavelengths to calm puffiness and redness, before transferring into radiofrequency via the Candela Sublime to stimulate collagen and tighten pores and skin from within.
He then incorporates the Erchonia CLX gadget to goal submental fats under the chin — aka the key to that razor-sharp jawline — before ending with his signature guide sculpting method, utilizing a mixture of CHANEL Sublimage L’Extrait de Nuit Serum ($995) and his own Beauty Sandwich Snatching Sauce ($250) to depart pores and skin firm, lifted and red-carpet radiant.
“A sculpted face and snatched jawline come from layering techniques — it’s never just one thing,” Pol told me. “You’re tightening, lifting and feeding the skin all in one treatment. That’s why it’s a ‘sandwich.’”
At over $2K a pop, the treatment isn’t precisely your average self-care splurge.
Pol goes to work on The Post’s reporter with a laser to tighten her jawline. Emmy Park for NY Pist
Emmy Park for NY Pist
But in the high-stakes, high-definition world of “Fashion’s Biggest Night,” where every angle is photographed and every pore is virtually public report, Pol’s promise is simple: sharper construction, less make-up — and a entire lot more confidence.
“My clients are going to have the sharpest jawlines on the red carpet,” he said. “This is about creating structure under the skin — not just on the surface.”
At 27, I’ve never flirted with Botox or fillers, so handing my face over to a superstar aesthetician hours before the most important sartorial event of the 12 months feels… daring. Or unhinged. Or both.
And yet, within minutes, I’m horizontal, Chanel headband and under-eye patches on, as Pol works with a combine of precision, confidence and what can only be described as facial choreography.
There are a few sharp zaps close to my hairline, some strategic pokes and prods — but pain? Surprisingly absent.
What’s not absent is Pol’s operating commentary, delivered with the convenience of somebody who’s seen every face conceivable and still finds one thing to have a good time.
He clocks my “naturally defined” cheekbones. Compliments my big eyes. Assures me my options are already there — he’s just turning up the quantity.
It’s equal elements treatment and TED Talk for your shallowness.
“Tell yourself you’re beautiful all day long, and see how snatched you feel,” he tells me before he begins.
And when it’s over? Let’s just say: one thing has shifted — and not only externally.
Post reporter Matozzo may see a seen raise and tightening post facial. Emmy Park for NY Post
My jawline appears to be like tighter. My cheekbones pop like they’ve had their own espresso.
Even my eyebrows seem to have quietly migrated north.
Pol instructs me to press my fingers under my chin — “really feel it” — and I do, only to understand the same old softness has… vanished.
The double chin I may summon on command? Suddenly tougher to produce on cue (thank god).
“To be truly ‘snatched,’ you need to be lifted, sculpted and defined,” Pol emphasised. “You need all three.”
Consider me satisfied.
“Met Gala is one of my favorite times of year,” he added. “I’m there to support my clients and make them feel like their best selves.”
Pol’s consumer Laura Harrier on the Met Gala crimson carpet in 2025. He’ll be treating her forward of this Monday’s event. The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
And while I will not be heading up those well-known museum steps anytime soon, for one fleeting, lifted, tightly contoured second — I get it.
“It’s not just skin deep,” Pol confused. “When you feel ‘snatched’ within, you carry yourself differently.”
Call it confidence. Call it delusion. Call it a very costly sandwich.
Either manner — I’m strolling out of the Mark feeling like I may take the carpet myself.
“You want to enhance that architecture with your makeup, not camouflage it,” he said, pointing to delicate techniques like strategic highlighting to amplify cheekbones and outline angles.
Now that he’s “set the stage” and “primed my canvas,” I attain for my make-up bag — very fastidiously.
A bit eyeliner. Mascara. Under-eye concealer. A smooth swipe of blush, positioned larger than regular. No heavy contour. No aggressive carving. And… that’s it.
The irony? All the tips I used to rely on to look “snatched” — the contour sticks, the over-blending, the faux angles — now really feel like overkill.
I snap a few images, turning my face aspect to aspect like I’m mid–crimson carpet rehearsal, half anticipating the impact to disappear under make-up. It doesn’t.
Pol told me the real magic hasn’t even peaked yet — that the “snatching” builds over the next few days, which is why his shoppers e-book him proper before major occasions.
If this is day one, I’m nearly scared of day seven (when Pol says I’d really feel the “snatchiest” as my muscle mass reap the advantages of the devices and lasers).
I will not be en route to mingle at The Met tonight — but as I head downtown to the Angelika Film Center to see “The Devil Wears Prada 2” with my sister, I catch my reflection in a passing window and pause.
I look a little sharper. A bit more lifted. A bit like I’ve been frivolously edited. Call it confidence. Call it placebo. Call it a $2,200 sandwich.
Either manner — I’m not mad about the next two to 4 weeks.
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