Beauty from within: Spa studio opens in West Sayville

Aesthetician Franziska Bernhard, a former ballerina and model, opened her beauty studio, RadianZ, in West Sayville’s historic Green House. Taking a personalized and artistic approach to skincare and facials, Bernhard has long standing clientele.

Posted Thursday, January 28, 2021 12:00 am
Sam Desmond
With the true question of beauty not whether you have it, but for how long you keep it, an aesthetician is like a fairy godmother for all  things skin deep, and in the case of veteran aesthetician Franziska Bernhard, who recently opened RadianZ Studio in West Sayville, even those matters that get under your skin.


Naming her establishment, a “studio” instead of a “spa,” Bernhard feels that each person is a canvas and that aesthetics are just the entryway into the lifeblood of someone’s world.
“We as a society invoke this impossible, perfect ideal, but the purpose of this studio is to nurture the soul,” she noted.
This artistic approach towards beauty comes from Bernhard’s rich background in the arts from, being a ballerina to a model for brands like Bottega Venetta. During her life’s journey, she learned to maintain the highest bar for beauty, but discovered that to sustain “the look,” it was necessary to emanate that glow from the inside.
“My vision for RadianZ [whose pun comes from Bernhard’s nickname, ‘Z’] was a place where you could retreat and recharge,” said Bernhard of her cozy but plush and inviting macaron pink-orange space in West Sayville’s historical Green House. An 18th-century home that once received and revived George Washington on a weary trip, the ambiance is perfect for the warm and welcoming reception of Bernhard’s studio that offers person- alized facials for teenagers to mature skin.
“Your needs change as you get older and it’s important to adjust your routine to fit your new stage in life,” said Bernhard.
RadianZ’s “teen facial” is geared towards calming the skin, typically abundant with activity that is sometimes to its detriment, and creating a routine that is meant to continue the soothing treatments.
“There are some overaggressive treatments prescribed to teenagers with cystic acne and it just creates so many prob- lems, often with lasting effects,” lamented Bernhard of clients who came to her with severely dried skin after strenuous topicals.
For older clients, where keratin build- up is common as the skin-sloughing process (where dead skin cells are shed) is not as robust as in youth, Bernhard employs luscious enzymatic masks to combat maturing skin.
But Bernhard’s loyal clientele attest to her prowess as a diagnostician as well as an aesthetician, and come from as far as Manhattan and Montauk for her services. One client, who has been with her for over 10 years, came in with her mother (also a client) to address her acne issues, which, under Bernhard’s hands, cleared up and never came back.
“There is a magic to the hands that you just can’t get from machines, “said Bernhard. “When I am having a treatment, I want someone who is attentive to me at all times, not just going to switch on a machine and leave.”
With facials from 60 to 90 minutes, Bernhard’s treatments are not only for the body, but for the soul, as she provides some gratis energy healing to her clients.
“When you heal from the inside, it shows on the outside,” said Bernhard,  a certified energy healer who also provides hypnotherapy.
Certified in oncology aesthetics, Bernhard offers free services to those in cancer treatment.
“My goal is not perfection, it is peace,” said Bernhard. “We address my clients’ issues — like getting rid of breakouts or calming down rosacea — but we honor skin at all points in our lifecycle, because only when you appreciate natural beauty can you exude it to those around you."