Reader JoEllen sent in a lovely recommendation for a facialist in Chicago, and her endorsement was so positive and heartfelt that I just had to post it in its entirety! If you live in or around Chicago you may want to consider booking an appointment with Sophie at Dita Day Spa. Here's what JoEllen had to say:

"I've got the most fabulous facialist to tell you about. She's here in Chicago. I've been going to her for 25 years. People say I look 20 years younger than I am and it's all because of Sophie Mauer.

Sophie has never been written about, isn't the "facialist to the stars" or even known outside her small circle of clients. But is she a magician with skin. She extracts all the little whiteheads and blackheads and impurities you can't even see. You'd think your skin would be red as a beet after this workover, but Sophie follows this up with an exfoliation and then, blissfully, a face massage to lift the skin and soothe all the irritation. For over an hour, she never takes her hands off your face. Her fingers are like those of a concert pianist. They move with lightning speed and agility.

Sophie's life is a tale of displacement and renewal. She was born in Warsaw and came of age just as the second World War started in Europe. Her father was killed in the fighting. She moved with her mother to Switzerland afterthe war and studied there under the best cosmetologists. Then she moved to the United States and began working for Helena Rubinstein in Chicago. She has marvelous stories about this grand lady.

Sophie herself is very much in the grand tradition of old world Europeans who take great pride in their craft and their expertise. I can see her in the atelier of Balenciaga.

I've really never met anyone her equal in skin care. No $100 cream can do for your skin what Sophie can."

Just FYI, JoEllen has no business affiliation with Sophie or the spa. She just loves her facials!

So, if you're in the Chicago area and in the market for a good facial, you can book an appointment with Sophie at Dita Day Spa, 58 East Walton Street, 312.337.0777.