So much can be customized to our lives. We can watch TV on our schedule thanks to TiVo and we only have to buy the songs we want from iTunes. Now, thanks to geniuses at Pola Kirei, we can even customize our skin care with high-tech skin analysis.

At Pola Kirei, a client's skin is scientifically evaluated at a mod-style workstation before receiving a facial. A few loose cells are lifted from the skin's surface and, as they are processed to determine texture, hydration, discoloration, oiliness and propensity for wrinkling, a beauty adviser asks questions about nutrition and environment. The results are run through a computer and poof: a customized recipe for the ideal facial and skin-care regimen is generated, complete with diagrams and step-by-step directions. It all seems very technical, but the spa's feng-shui design and white-on-white color scheme is quite relaxing. After the half-hour evaluation, the client relaxes her feet in a moisturizing bath before heading into one of the four treatment rooms; two share a sliding door, for those come with a companion. The most notable detail of the facial, which includes steam, foams and masks, is that all tasks are carried out left to right, Japanese style. No extractions are taken, which had us worried about the few pimples we'd tried desperately to get rid of. At the end of the treatment, however, our skin was perfectly clear and we were given detailed notes on how to keep it that way. We were also told we could call our beauty adviser for as many free consultations as we'd like. —Alexandra Le Tellier