A former concert pianist turned beauty entrepreneur, Angela Jia Kim founded Savor Beauty after experiencing an adverse reaction to a “natural” cream before a performance. Drawing from her Korean heritage’s beauty rituals, she began crafting organic, plant-based formulas in her kitchen, emphasizing layered hydration and nutrient-rich botanicals. This personal project blossomed into Savor Beauty, now encompassing two acclaimed New York City facial spas, a sustainable skincare line handcrafted in the Hudson Valley, and a partnership with the Omega Wellness Center in Rhinebeck.
Savor Beauty Spa interior, photo by Anji Cho
Beyond her role as founder, Kim is an accomplished author of Radical Radiance: 12 Weeks of Self Love Rituals to Manifest Abundance, Beauty, and Joy, and the bestselling Savor Beauty Self-Care Planner, sharing her expertise in business success and self-care rituals. Her brand embodies a holistic approach to beauty that marries Korean skincare traditions with environmental consciousness, featuring toxin-free formulations and minimalist, recyclable packaging.
How were you inspired to create Savor Beauty?
My love for beauty started with my mother—Koreans are obsessed with their skin, and she always had the latest creams sent from Seoul. As a little girl, I would play with her gold-fleck creams and silkworm cocoon masks, mesmerized by the way she layered hydration with such care. Years later—as a concert pianist—right before a performance, a so-called “natural” lotion made my skin break out in hives, leaving me humiliated in front of hundreds of people. That set me on a journey to understand skincare ingredients, and it was disconcerting to learn that even many “clean” products were filled with toxic ingredients.
Determined to create something holistic yet high-performance, I started creating my own skincare in my New York City kitchen, blending luxury ingredients like white truffles with organic botanical extracts. What started as a personal obsession turned into gifts for friends, and before I knew it, I had become the “accidental entrepreneur.”
Tell us more about how Korean beauty rituals shape and inspire what you do today.
My mother never rushed her skincare. She would gently press serums into her skin, layer hydration, and always finish with a facial massage. Growing up, I saw skincare as a way to nourish yourself, not just your skin. That’s why at Savor Beauty, our products aren’t just about what’s in the jar—they’re about creating small but intentional rituals. Our estheticians are trained in the art of Korean lifting massage and the double cleanse, techniques that boost circulation and thoroughly cleanse the pores. And when we formulate products, we focus on the hydration-first approach that makes Korean beauty rituals so effective—layering toners, peptides, and deep moisturizers to bring out a natural, glass-like glow.
“Growing up, I saw skincare as a way to nourish yourself, not just your skin.”
What’s the secret sauce to your two spas that do 200 facials a week?
The inviting exterior of Savor Beauty, located on the Upper West Side
A couple of things make a Savor Spa facial special. The first one is that we provide a sanctuary. There’s something magical about stepping into one of our spas amid the hustle and bustle of New York City. It’s like the city noise fades, and suddenly, you have permission to pause.
A recent Instagram DM’d from a client captures what we do best: “In the midst of the most challenging moments in my life, there is the sanctuary of Savor. This morning, Savor Beauty gave me an hour of solitude, grace, relaxation, peace—and beautiful skin. I wanted to take a moment to share this beautiful experience with you.”
That’s why guests keep coming back. It’s not only about the glow—it’s about how you feel when you leave.
Secondly, we produce results. Our estheticians are like beauty chemists—customizing every treatment with Korean beauty techniques like sculpting facial massage to lift and fresh, customized masks to brighten in our award-winning Glass Skin signature facials. The combination of our unique rituals and Savor Beauty skincare delivers real results.
I’m proud to announce that Savor Beauty is now offering a turnkey program for select spas to offer our Glass Skin facials—including step-by-step guides for our signature rituals and core elements of Savor’s mul-gwang (radiant glow) method, our five-step numbered products and Discovery Travel Kits to make home care easy and intuitive, as well as access to Savor Beauty Esthetician School and esthetics training videos.
Do you believe that ingredients can be both results-oriented and truly clean?
Savor Beauty rebranded with a numbered system, featuring labels designed by noted designer, Nobi Kashiwagi
The idea that clean beauty requires a compromise is outdated. The skin thrives on potent, botanical actives like ginseng and blue tansy. Our focus is on high concentrations of quality ingredients without the toxic fillers. Take our new Caviar 9% Peptide Cream launching in March. We’ve paired Matrixyl, a next-gen peptide that helps restore collagen and firm the skin, with Argireline, known as “natural Botox in a jar” for its ability to soften fine lines. Dipeptide-2 works to de-puff and brighten, while caviar extract floods the skin with omega-3s, amino acids, and antioxidants to deeply nourish and restore radiance. It’s the intersection of clean and clinical. Skincare should be a pleasure to use, but it should also work.
What has been your lowest low and highest high in operating your business?
I’ve always been an artist at heart. As a pianist, my world was about precision, beauty, and instinct. I never expected to become an entrepreneur—let alone fall in love with the process. The lowest lows? The early days were a masterclass in resilience. I knew nothing about running a business, but the results that women were getting from the skincare—and my passion for Korean beauty rituals—kept me going. There were moments of exhaustion and growing pains, but I learned to trust my instincts and surround myself with the right people.
The highest high? Watching my team rise to any challenge. Just last week, we had a perfect storm—our laundry service had a fire, our top-sellers were moving faster than expected, and our new pro-only Strawberry Multi-Fruit Acid Peel was in such high demand with our spa and esthetician partners that we had to carefully manage inventory. Everyone stepped up without hesitation. Our managers made sure spa operations kept running, even doing laundry at my place to keep the guests happy. The shipping team overnighted replenishments, the social manager helped at the front desk, and our esthetician trainer worked with wholesale partners to ensure fair distribution.
That’s the magic of building something bigger than yourself. Growth is incredible, but the best part is the people who make it happen.
Mary Bemis
A pioneering voice in spa and wellness journalism, Mary Bemis has spent four decades chronicling, championing, and helping shape the modern spa industry. As Founder and Editorial Director of Insider’s Guide to Spas, she brings a distinctive editorial perspective informed by a career that has helped define the language and landscape of spa media. Mary launched American Spa magazine in 1997, co-founded Organic Spa, and helped launch Luxury SpaFinder and NewBeauty. Her industry leadership extends to board service with ISPA, NYSPA, and WSPA, the latter two organizations she helped establish. She has also served as Special Advisor to the Balneology Association of North America. Today, she serves as Special Advisor to Global Wellness Day and sits on the board of the International Sauna Aid Foundation. Recognized among Medika Life’s Top 30 Influential Voices Transforming Wellness, Mary is also a recipient of the prestigious ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award, an inaugural Folio Top Women in Media honoree, and an American Spa Wonder Woman of Wellness. Her mission remains as steadfast as ever: to keep spa culture alive and relevant, honor its roots, challenge its shortcomings, and inspire an industry to live up to its promise.
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