About Your Facial
Facials differ depending on the specific service, but nearly all facials include key elements:
- Makeup removal — if needed
- Cleansing — typically twice
- Skin analysis — a look at your skin under a lighted magnifying lamp, and (with us) under a Woods Lamp, a black-light device that reveals more details about what’s going on with your skin (including a closer look at those dreaded ‘age spots’)
- Steam or hot compresses to prep the skin for exfoliation
- Exfoliation
- Extractions to remove blemishes — as needed and as time permits (usually not possible during a short, or ‘mini’ facial)
- Massage
- Mask
- Nourishment (and possibly sunscreen)
- Home care instructions
The methods and specific products used during a facial are chosen to suit your skin type and condition, which may range from facials that tackle acne and other blemishes (you’ll love our quick and pain-free blackhead removal) to anti-aging routines that erase older cells to create a softer appearance.
My goal is to help every client develop a pathway to skin that looks and feels wonderful, although getting there requires a bit of teamwork. I’ll use expert care, professional tools, and just the right products to accomplish my part of the tag-team effort, and send you home with an explanation of techniques you can use to keep your skin glowing between facials. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to perform 10 skin care rituals at a time — that’s simply not realistic. Nothing works if it’s left in the bottle — we want you to actually perform the tasks that improve your skin, not put them off because they’re too time-consuming.
Relaxation is another facial perk that people sometimes don’t think about. Facials can be even more relaxing than a full body massage, especially when a licensed massage therapist is performing the service. If your arms and shoulders and neck are tight, we’ll feel that and spend extra time addressing those problems during the massage that accompanies your facial. The facial massage is actually a critical part of your service, a step that gets the blood flowing into sometimes unused muscles and aids the exfoliation process.