““Angela is one of those epically impressive women―CEO of a brilliant beauty company and spa, NYC mom, author―who radiates a kind, curious, confident energy that’s rare and absolutely magnetic. Her secrets for how we can all look and feel our most luminous intertwine with living life authentically and happily.” ”
The Bio
Angela Jia Kim is a former concert pianist turned "Unexpected Beauty Virtuoso" and founder of Savor Beauty, a clean Korean skincare brand with spas in New York City. She is also the author of Radical Radiance: Self Love Rituals (St. Martin's Press).
In the beginning: making creams before piano concerts.
Inspired by centuries-old Korean beauty rituals passed down through her mother and generations of women before her, Angela built her brand around its signature Glass Skin methodology.
Angela’s mom with her sisters and mom
Today, she owns and operates New York City spas, while her skincare is crafted in Savor Beauty's New York beauty lab.
Sharing Korean culture with the world is part of her family's heritage. Her great-uncle, Kim Yong-shik, helped introduce modern Korea to the world stage as South Korea's Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States during Korea's remarkable rise from occupation, war, and division to becoming one of the world's most innovative nations.
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 26: South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Yong-shik shakes hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira at the Foreign Ministry on July 26, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Today, Angela continues that legacy through beauty—preserving and sharing Korean rituals that have endured through generations while bringing Glass Skin and modern wellness experiences to luxury spas, hotels, corporations, and retreats around the globe.
“Savoring the beauty of philanthropy... a hand-blended, numbered toner is only half the reason you feel great when you leave. Kim built a spa that actually serves the community.”
THE STORY
Angela Jia Kim’s passion for beauty began with her mom. “Koreans are obsessed with their skin, and my mom always had something new sent over from her sisters in Seoul,” she says.
“I would play with her creams that were filled with ingredients like gold and silkworm cocoons.” Angela spent her early career as an award-winning concert pianist, until one day, onstage in front of hundreds of people, a so-called natural lotion she had applied made her break out in hives.
Horrified, she began to study ingredients and craft her own skin care products in her kitchen. “I added luxury ingredients with tremendous skin benefits like champagne, caviar, and truffles,” she says.
“I infused them with organic extracts for anti-aging results.” She started gifting these products to friends, and they wanted to buy them as gifts for their friends. She became the “accidental entrepreneur”.
"I wanted to incorporate the Korean beauty rituals that I grew up with. But as a busy mom and wife living the gorgeous chaos of New York City, I needed flawless skin in a New York minute. And it must be organic and it must work."
Now Angela runs a group of holistic facial spas in New York City's West Village and Upper West Side, and in upstate New York. She continues to develop luxe organic products in the Beauty Kitchen with her team of Savor Spa Estheticians.
Sharing Korean culture with the world is part of Angela's family heritage. Her great-uncle, Kim Yong-shik, helped introduce modern Korea to the world as South Korea's Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States.
Today, Angela continues that legacy through beauty, sharing Korean rituals that have endured through generations while bringing Glass Skin and modern wellness experiences to clients, spas, hotels, and retreats around the world.
Angela Jia Kim and her family live in New York City.
Adapted from MindBodyGreen.com: “12 Women Changing the Face of Natural Beauty”
“I wanted to incorporate the Korean beauty rituals that I grew up with. But as a busy mom and wife living the gorgeous chaos of New York City, I needed flawless skin in a New York minute. And it must be organic and it must work.”