If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ll know it takes something exceptional to get me to a facial. Many facials are little more than piling product onto your face and vaguely rubbing it about – I feel I can do this at home. I’ve also got a bit of a fear of being left ‘to relax’ – that’s about the least relaxing thing that can happen to me and makes me want to leap for my clothes and leg it.
What attracted me to the Face Place facial is that it’s a ‘proper’ facial with extractions. It’s a mystery to me how you can enter a salon for a facial with blackheads, and leave with those same blackheads still in tact because so few places still do extractions. Extractions aren’t easy – chances are you will get redness and maybe some temporary bumps and it takes skill to do it properly. I wonder if it’s just that training for consistently good extractions is something that’s too unreliable which is why many facial places just won’t do them.
I just couldn’t wait to get home and write the Face Place facial up – I feel thrilled that I’ve found such an amazing treatment, and the results! Oh my! So, to explain a little – Face Place first popped up in the US in the 70’s and nothing has changed about the treatment since then (although products may vary). I think in the UK we tend to think of facials as relaxation, and sure enough, if someone rubbing warm oils and creams on your face to the sound of birds tweeting is relaxing, then all’s great. But, over in the US, attitudes are often different – they want a functional facial, even if that means entering a production line of other women all at varying stages of the facial. It’s speed, efficiency and results that matter, not a little hand rubbing.
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I had the Signature Express Treatment of 45 minutes and that included a cleanse, hot compresses (no steam), extractions (seriously, it’s so long I had any of those done that I was really hoping to ooze – in the event it wasn’t that dramatic!) which are done by rolling the skin, not compressing it. It’s not comfortable but it certainly does the job. Then comes the galvanic current – a bizarre thing that gives you a tingly back and a metallic taste in your mouth, but this low electrical current that’s supposed to help the transportation of ingredients into the skin and some plumping and firming action. All I can tell you is that my skin kept on drinking and drinking. Currently, the Face Place facial uses SkinCeuticals (they have their own product range arriving next year) which I like anyway.
The results were quite honestly stupendous. Without wishing to overshare, I haven’t been terribly well recently and it has shown on my skin – I was starting to look a little dried up with not much in the way of bounce – which will account for how much product my skin slurped up during the treatment. There was a dramatic improvement in fine lines around my mouth – they’d all but disappeared, followed by noticably more skin clarity and overall plumpness.
It’s one of the very few facials I’ve had where I’ve felt there’s a point (other than being pampered). Although you do get a nice hand massage (very nice for someone like me whose hands are always in knots from typing 24/7), the Face Place facial feels that it’s all about your skin and very little about listening to wind chimes in a fug of lavender infusion.
If I had time, I’d make this a regular stop-off – 45 minutes for those results is absolutely do-able, although there are longer versions available. It’s £85 which I felt was very fair for the level of expertise I felt I was getting (in the able hands of Rowan), and if you do book in, make sure you leave time for a coffee at the Rosewood Dining Room outdoor terrace (nicely shaded) afterwards. Incidentally, I had a thirst like no other when I left – I’m on (small) bottle of water 3 as I write!
You can give them a call on 020 3747 8830, or book via email at london.faceplace@rosewoodhotels.com or just browse the options HERE. this is a massive recommend from me. I loved it. I wouldn’t advise that you have this on the actual day of a special event, but a day or two before to give your skin time to calm down from the extractions.
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