A facial is one of the best ways to destress and relax. So why does it make us feel so good? Is it to because you lie down for an hour and actually slow down the busy mind, or maybe it is because your skin comes away feeling divine. Just like climbing into fresh warm bed on a cold winter’s night, a facial can be that one time when the burden of a busy life is removed and what is left behind – the beautiful you…
Setting the Scene
This is one of the most important stages to a relaxing facial. Setting up the right environment, getting the temperature just right, burning my secret blend of essential oils to promote relaxation.
During the facial the beautician is trying to make a seamless transition from different products so the client can drift during the procedure. Every detail is considered, from the moment the client arrives, stepping from their car, walking across the water bridge, beautiful ambient music playing, the wind chimes – all designed to break down the walls that hold us back from relaxing.
Consultation
A facial begins with a consultation. The beautician is looking for any concerns that may limit or change the service such as any allergies to a certain product or ingredient. When I am doing a facial I am taking particular note of the client’s wrinkles as they may indicate a build up of pressure so I adjust what massage techniques to use to create deep relaxation for the client. I see where clients are holding pressure in their face so I can remove it.
A clean Beginning
This is the foundation stage which usually takes about 15 minutes using micellar water to deep clean the skin. I then move on to my cleansing milk which will help remove oil sebum and dirt. This is then followed by the next product with is my lotion which will restore the skin’s natural ph balance. I then move to the last stage of cleaning the skin using a preheated steamer I warm the skin, so muscles relax. Once the skin is warm and relaxed I mix my mineral soap to massage into the skin over steam. I use the SLM technique which is fast motion using all fingers promoting lymph to flow the lymph nodes to assist with the removal of toxins to remove puffiness, and assist in detoxing. After massaging for ten minutes the skin is rinsed and the steamer turned off.
Masking
The skin dictates which mask I use. Normally I use about three separate masks to leave the skin feeling luxurious. Every time you put water on your face you should apply lotion to restore the natural PH balance. I then apply one mask massage with the fast- rotational strokes of the SLM massage to really work the product into the skin. Once the mask has rested and cured I remove with Fibrella and warm water. This can be repeated with other masks.
Maceration
This is all about adding nutrition back into the skin. Smelling of a fresh ocean, this powerhouse of nutrients leaves the skin reinvigorated refreshed and the client usually starts to settle into deep relaxation. The music, the smells, the atmosphere combine, working together as an infusion of bliss, saturating the senses.
Centalla Asiata
This product is all about healing the skin. Centella Asiata or Gotu Kola was actually soaked into the bandages of the Bali Bombing victims to promote healing by boosting antioxidant activity at the site of wounds, strengthening the skin and increasing blood circulation. It is beneficial in the management of eczema, psoriasis, veins, and stretch marks, it speeds healing for acne sufferers and may assist is preventing scarring. It offer many health benefits which is why I use it as my medium for massage.
Indian Head Massage
This is my favorite part of the facial. Dating back over 6000 years the Indian Head Massage is used in India to promote healing and to lower the spread of disease and illness. Normally used over the scalp this massage technique can be used in conjunction with a facial to significantly lowers stress and anxiety. Some of the experts say that manipulation of the marma points as used in Indian Head Massage can cause vivid dreams and can be up to 100 times more potent than opium!
These massage elements take about 30 minutes and the client feels beautifully calm, free from stress and anxiety.
The techniques are a closely guarded secret and this is one of the most popular services offered at Cherry’s at Tinonee. Some clients have said it was like flying over the ocean, experiencing vivid colours, and two clients felt they were levitating off the massage bed!
This technique is highly effective in removing stress and anxiety, to strip away all the walls from the place we hide from the world.
The Recovery
This technique is so potent that some clients have taken up to 30 minutes to get up off the massage bed. The relaxation is very deep and personal and the results often profound. When they’re ready I rehydrate the client with two/three glasses of water to aid in recovery and assist with cycling out the toxins from the body. I advise avoiding alcohol, coffee, cigarettes to really focus on healthy diet and healthy living.
This facial including the Indian Head Massage is rewarding for me as a beautician to see the results it produces. To see my client arrive in the salon highly strung and wound up and then they leave as if floating on a cloud back to their car is such a reward. This beautiful art of Indian Head Massage has been lost in western medicine. A tap on the temples can take someone from just lying on the bed into a deep sleep, yet they are not asleep, they are in their sub conscious, a beautiful creative world where everyone is accepted and safe.
The best part of my job is seeing the clients feel empowered; the submersion of guilt, anxiety and stress is torn away just like removing all the weeds in the garden leaving the beautiful flowers behind. I feel privileged and lucky to be the first to see the new beautiful you…
Jason
6515 0567
