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In a Carlyle Hotel suite larger than my Manhattan apartment, I’m horizontal on a treatment bed wearing nothing more than my underwear, one arm drenched in ultrasound gel from armpit to elbow. Iván Pol, the aesthetician beloved by clients like Salma Hayek Pinault, Cindy Crawford, and Emma Stone, is gliding the head of a frequency-emitting device back and forth across my biceps and triceps, pausing every once in a while to adjust a knob. At first we’re chatting away, but with each stroke the sensation builds. Suddenly, my arm is shaking from a sharp tingling that has spread like persistent pins and needles. “This sandwich has a lot more spice to it,” Pol jokes.
Pol’s Beauty Sandwich (so named because of the “stacked” treatments) is a technique that uses monopolar, bipolar, and infrared radio frequencies to tighten the skin, cultivating something he likens to a “Skims-like” result. There’s none of the customary cleansing, extracting, or moisturizing in this facial, and yet it has become famous for both its effect and expense. The facial starts at $1,800; an arm-focused version, which Pol has cheekily deemed the baguette and began offering to VIP clients in 2023, starts at $3,000. He attributes the increased demand for body treatments to the popularity of underwear as outerwear and the red carpet resurgence of opera gloves, with their emphasis on the upper arms. “I started to get a lot of requests for the sandwich treatment on the arms,” says Pol. Last year, he also launched two “sauces”—skin-care products in Pol-ese—that start at around $160.
Previously, I’ve fallen asleep during treatments, waking up with newly formed cheekbones—a triumph for somebody who is naturally more cheeks than cheekbones. But the next 80 minutes are not relaxing in the least. “This is the same combination of radio frequencies that I use on the face,” Pol explains. “But the arms are a much larger muscle group, so I can turn the energy up.” There’s a bonus result, he says: a tightening in the neck that he compares to “a temporary trapezius Botox.” (Casually referred to as “trap tox,” the injection of neurotoxins into the neck and shoulder muscle has gained some off-label popularity for its neck-
lengthening potential.)
The results from using radio frequency devices (like Thermage or Morpheus 8) on the skin of the face have been well-documented: “Radio frequency causes contraction of collagen in the dermis for an immediate tightening,” says Manhattan-based dermatologist Daniel Belkin. “It also stimulates collagen production for more long-term firming.” Beverly Hills–based dermatologist Ava Shamban points to the decade-plus of medical research supporting the tissue-tightening effects of radio frequency, but notes that “noninvasive procedures…have their limits.” At-home devices, Shamban says, can give “a little nudge” but generally don’t match professional treatments—which, of course, have limits themselves. Pol points out his (professional level) therapies aren’t an option for those who are pregnant or have an implanted device, like a heart monitor or an insulin pump. He also agrees that they can only address mild skin laxity and aren’t for people seeking something more comprehensive (and intensive) like a tuck or a lift.
As my session comes to an end, my upper arms are disconcertingly hot to the touch. “No cold showers for 72 hours,” Pol instructs. “You want the heat to stay in the tissue.” I roll up the sleeves of my short-sleeve top to better display the fruits of Pol’s labor. To my surprise, I see muscular definition, even when I’m not flexing. Other than heaving a stuffed suitcase into an overhead bin, I haven’t exercised my arms since before the pandemic.
A few days later, my biceps still as cut as when I left the Carlyle, I speak to Hayek Pinault, who had been ordering the classic Pol facial for years before moving on to the body version. The actor and producer is apparently made of stronger stuff than I am. The “treatments were gentle and pain-free,” she demurs. “It’s actually quite relaxing, and he’s a joy to be around.” With a summer calendar quickly filling up, I book a second session. For some, it seems, the baguette is worth the burn.
