What to Expect When Getting a Spa Facial
One of the greatest joys in this life comes from total relaxation. Or at least for me, this is what I find makes me happiest. Where all the drama and daily problems in your life can just be put on hold for a moment. Most of society craves the idea of being able to escape from the world for a while, to disappear and have some "me time". That is why the Spa industry is booming.
We all hear about celebrities going and getting all these anti-aging treatments, body wraps to lose weight and I am sure you can think of more things that you have read about. Since I became a licensed Esthetician, I always am being asked " Isn't it expensive to get facials and body treatments?" Well, the good thing about most spa's these days, they are offering less elaborate, and shorter facial times in order to give people a less expensive experience. Now if you walk into a spa and they have lots of chrome and diamond studded walls,than you know you have walked into a high end salon that is going to acquire you to sign your life away for a treatment.
There are plenty of Day Spas out there that are small and charge their patrons in fair manor. The base prices for a normal facial runs in around 80 to 100 dollars. which includes an evaluation of your skin, to determine if you have oily skin, dry skin, or a mixture of both and to also see if you have black heads or acne, a massage of your arms and legs, sometimes even your hands, feet and neck, extractions, and a mask. Which by the end of this is about an hour long of pampering.
Once in the facial room, you will get into a wrap around robe and lay down in facial bed, with heated blankets. The Facialist will evaluate your skin type to chose the appropriate products for you. They will start with a cleanser, this is a product that is usually hypoallergenic, and it cleanses your skin from any dirt, oil and other toxins that your skin absorbs. The cleansing process usually feels like a facial massage. The technique of massaging the face while cleansing is to open your pores , getting the sebum in your skin to start producing which allows your face to easily and thoroughly be cleaned.While this cleansing process is going on, the Estheticain will usually put a steamer over your face and chest, unless you request to not have steam be used, which in that case they will drape your face and chest with moist hot towels, again this opens up your pores and hydrates the skin.
After you are cleansed, they will move onto extractions if you have any black heads or acne. Now extractions can be painful, and most people can not handle the process for very long. The reason it is done is to pop any blackhead or white head in the proper manor where there will be no scaring to the face. We use a special tool which allows us to get rid of any blemish in the correct way. If you are specifically getting a facial for acne, you can also request they use a high frequency machine, which kills any acne causing bacteria, and is also good for wrinkles working like temporary botox.
If you decide you do not need extractions, they will then move on to exfoliating your face. This step, is the reason you walk out of the spa feeling like you have a baby soft face. This takes off all the dead skin that has been building up on your face, clogging your pores, making your skin tone look uneven. Once all that dead skin is rubbed off your face, it changes the look and feel, allowing your skin to breath. Some places will use a Gel, which your skin heats up and it brings the dead skin to the surface and can then be wiped off with a wet towel. Others will use a battery powered rotating brush with what ever product they chose, buffing your skin in some sense. Most will use a grainy type lotion and manually work it over your face..
The last step in the facial process is the mask. I am not going to go into the many different types of masks out there. There are some for wrinkles, there are some to prevent oily skin, hydrating masks, nourishing masks, calming masks, and so on and so on. You can get a peel at this point, which is a gel like syrup that drys on your face and then can be peeled off, most of the time you will just be given a clay mask. This is to nourish the skin after all the treatments that has just been done to your now sensitive skin. The mask usually stays on until it is dry which can last about 15 to 20 minutes, which during this time the Esthetician should be massaging your arms, hands and legs.This is everyone's favorite part, he pampering massage, which is never long enough, but glorious while it lasts.
After the mask, you will be cleaned up and ready to go. A facial usually lasts close to an hour, and that's how most places charge you, by the hour. Some specialized treatments take longer which makes them more expensive. Some spa's are now offering what they call Express Facials, which include mainly a cleanse, and a mask, with the massage which only takes 30 minutes, so in turn is only about 40 to 50 dollars.
The benefits from getting facials is a lasting effect. Facials keep your skin hydrated and healthy which in the long run will prevent wrinkles and skin damage. If you spend a lot of time in the sun, facials are an important process you should include in your life, even if you do it yourself at home. Always remember to wear sunscreen every day, even if you only plan to be outside for 15 minutes. Buy sunscreen that protects agains UVB and UVA rays, that's over 35spf.
Your skin in one of the most important organs on your body.
