Overall, a lovely and relaxing experience. The beautician was extremely thorough. I was lucky to find parking, as it is hit and miss. The shop is easy to find as it is along one of the main roads of The Strand. The facial and body treatment package was really quite lengthy. The beautician started cleansing my skin to check its condition, and recommended the hydrating and soothing facial. It was not the most expensive facial, but I decided to trust her. After cleansing, she put a scrub mask on, and left it on under a streamer. The whole time, she had placed moist eye patches on me, and that added to my relaxation. After a couple of minutes she returned to scrub my face gently, and then sprayed on toner, and dabbed on what later I found out would be blackhead extractor.
During the treatment, the reception phone or the door bell would ring, and the beautician would leave to answer this if it persisted. I didn't actually find this to be a nuisance, as she was so thorough in her treatment, it was almost as if I needed a break, or she deserved one! For example, the extraction was so so thorough, I felt she inspected and squeezed my every pore! Sure enough, when I glanced in the mirror after my treatment, at my reddened face, I realized she had been very taken with my pores. I believe the extraction may have lasted 30-45 minutes.
After the extraction, she put what I think was a cold steam machine on my face, possibly to spritz my face with cold water, and to close my pores. She left this on for quite a while, and then let me know she was putting on the hydrating ampoule, and used what I think was an ultrasonic machine to embed the produce in my skin. After that she returned with a massage cream for my face. I absolutely loved this massage cream. It was almost as if it was paffarin, and my skin felt so hydrated and soothed by the massage. (I later asked what this cream was, but the answer was a little vague, it been either for salon use only, or bought from a beauty supplies store. So unfortunately, I could not purchase this.) After the paffarin mask, she gently wiped it off, and thickly dabbed on a moisturiser, followed by a thick rich mask. This was left on for quite some time.
While the mask was on my face, eyes and neck, she commenced with the body treatment part of the appointment. She first exfoliated both my legs and thighs with a scrub, and wiped this off thoroughly. After this, it was time for the mask to come off, and she peeled this away gently, sprayed on toner onto a cotton pad, and wiped my face. She then put on a moisturiser, and lightly massaged my scalp. At this point, I thought the treatment was over, and I would still have left as a happy camper if this were the case.
She asked me to turn over, and proceeded to administer the leg treatment, that was one of the most luxurious treatments I've had. She applied lotion, then used gloves with bumps, which was absolutely divine when used, and this got the blood circulating. After this she applied what seemed to be oil, and then used a thick stick to massage my legs and thighs. I really wanted to get the products. Sadly, at the end, after I asked, she said they didn't sell the tools.
Overall I was really happy about the whole experience. Not only do the products smell beautiful, but the beautician is one of those rare people who really take pride and joy in their job.
Overall I give it the following scores:
Service: 9/10. Nice lovely staff, and also apologized after leaving to answer the phone.
Technique: 8/10. Very thorough, and the products were used knowledgeably. The extractions did not hurt at the beginning, only toward the end when the pores had started to close.
Ambiance: 9/10. Soft lighting, fluffy doona, and cute gentle music made it very nice and relaxing.
Results: 8/10. My skin feels very hydrated. However, it is also extremely red from the extraction, that means I have to hide at home tonight. But overall, pores feel super clean.
