The pattern of skincare professionals moving south from New York City has become familiar — better cost of living, slower pace, an audience that's growing rather than thinning. Katie Piper Weant fits the pattern. The studio she's built in Matthews, called Aquarius Facial Spa, is what's worth paying attention to.
Aquarius opened in 2025 after Katie relocated to Charlotte from NYC with her partner Levan. She's worked in the high-end NYC facial space for seven years, and the influence shows in the format she's built here: long, unhurried sessions, customized facials that pair lifting and sculpting massage with lymphatic drainage and non-invasive skin therapies, and a per-client focus that treats skincare as part of overall well-being rather than a service to be processed through.
"What sets my business apart is the level of care and intention I bring to each client," Katie says. "I focus not just on the skin, but on the overall well-being of the person."
The studio model is intentional. Katie sees fewer clients per day than a chain spa would, books longer treatment windows, and emphasizes consistency over volume. Her advice for anyone trying to take their routine seriously runs against the marketing grain in this industry: simplicity wins.
"My advice is to focus on consistency and simplicity when it comes to your skin," she says. "You don't need an overwhelming routine or constant treatments; what truly makes a difference is using the right products for your skin type and maintaining a consistent regimen." Monthly facials, paired with a routine you'll actually do, beats a multi-product regimen you abandon by month two.
Katie is originally from New York City and was raised in Salisbury, NC, in a creative family — a mother who performed off-Broadway and a father who sang opera. After three children, the family moved to her father's hometown, where her mother now works as a financial advisor and her father, retired, still does community theater. Her older sister is an opera singer in Chicago; her brother works in finance in Washington, D.C.
The studio is small by design and personal by choice. Most of the people who have come through the door, she says, leave Aquarius with the feeling she most wanted to build into the space — that they were paid attention to.
Aquarius Facial Spa. 1126 Sam Newell Rd, Suite D2, Matthews, NC. (646) 209-6490. aquariusfacialspa.com. Instagram: @aquariusfacialspa.
Aquarius Facial Spa is featured as a Partner Spotlight in the May 2026 issue of Stroll Ballantyne Country Club.