Beauty treatments
Every treatment has its own technique, aftercare and upkeep. Knowing the difference before you book means you get the result you actually want from the right therapist, salon or clinic. Still unsure? Read our guide to choosing a beauty therapist or salon.
Facials
Cleanse, exfoliate, extract and hydrate — the classic skin treatment
A facial is the treatment most beauty therapists build their skin menu around. A beauty therapist cleanses the skin, exfoliates it with a scrub, enzyme or gentle acid, steams and clears congested pores where needed, applies a mask chosen for your skin type and finishes with a facial massage, serum and moisturiser. A good one starts with a few questions and a look at the skin under a magnifying lamp, so the products match what is in front of them rather than a set routine.
Read more →Eyelash Extensions
Individual lashes bonded one by one for length and fullness
Eyelash extensions are individual synthetic fibres bonded to your natural lashes, one extension to each lash for a classic set or several fanned extensions per lash for volume and Russian volume. The technician isolates each natural lash with tweezers and attaches the extension a millimetre from the lid, so nothing touches the skin. You lie with your eyes closed throughout, and most people find it relaxing enough to doze.
Read more →Laser Hair Removal
Long-term hair reduction by course, from upper lip to full body
Laser hair removal uses a beam of light absorbed by the pigment in the hair to disable the follicle, reducing regrowth over a course of sessions. Most clinics in the UK use diode, alexandrite or Nd:YAG lasers, and the right one depends on your skin tone and hair colour — which is why every course starts with a consultation and a patch test. IPL, an intense pulsed light rather than a true laser, works on the same principle and is often cheaper.
Read more →Gel Nails
Glossy gel polish that cures under a lamp and lasts two to three weeks
Gel nails — gel polish, often called by brand names such as Shellac — are a polish applied in thin coats and cured under a UV or LED lamp after each one. The result is fully dry the moment you leave, high-shine and chip-resistant for two to three weeks, which is why gel has largely replaced ordinary polish in salons. It goes over your natural nails and adds no length.
Read more →Acrylic Nails
Sculpted extensions for length and shape, maintained with infills
Acrylic nails are extensions made from a liquid monomer and a powder polymer that the technician mixes into a bead and sculpts over a tip or a form, then files into shape. They are the strongest and most versatile option for length: square, coffin, almond and stiletto shapes all start here, and they take colour, French tips, chrome and nail art equally well.
Read more →BIAB Nails
Builder gel overlay that strengthens natural nails as they grow
BIAB, short for Builder In A Bottle, is a thicker, self-levelling gel applied over the natural nail to give it strength and a smooth, even shape. It has become one of the most requested nail treatments in the UK because it suits people trying to grow their own nails: the overlay protects the free edge from splitting and bending, and each appointment can add a little length.
Read more →Eyebrow Threading
Precise brow shaping with a twisted cotton thread
Threading removes hair with a length of cotton thread twisted into a loop, which the therapist rolls across the skin to lift out whole rows of fine hairs at once. Originating in South Asia and the Middle East, it is now on every UK high street, often in walk-in threading bars in shopping centres as well as in salons.
Read more →Waxing
Hair removal for legs, underarms, bikini and face, lasting four to six weeks
Waxing removes hair from the root, using either warm strip wax pulled off with a fabric strip or hot (film) wax that sets on the skin and is lifted away on its own. Hot wax grips the hair rather than the skin, so it is the usual choice for sensitive areas such as the underarms, bikini line and face; strip wax is quick and effective over legs, arms and backs.
Read more →Lash Lift
Curls and lifts your own lashes for six to eight weeks, no extensions
A lash lift curls your natural lashes from the root using a soft silicone shield and a perming solution, then sets them in their new shape. It is the low-maintenance alternative to extensions: nothing is added, so there is nothing to grow out or refill, and the lashes simply look longer, lifted and more open. It is usually paired with a lash tint to darken the tips, which makes the effect much more visible.
Read more →Brow Lamination
Sets brow hairs upwards for a fuller, brushed-up look
Brow lamination is a perm for the eyebrows. A lifting solution softens the hairs so they can be brushed up and into place, a setting solution fixes them there, and the result is a fuller, fluffier, brushed-up brow that holds its shape for four to six weeks. It is especially good at hiding gaps and taming hairs that grow in different directions.
Read more →Manicure
Shape, cuticle care and polish for natural nails and hands
A classic manicure is care for the natural nail: filing to shape, softening and tidying the cuticles, buffing, a hand massage with cream, and a finish of regular polish, gel or simply a clear strengthening coat. It is the base on which every other nail treatment is built, and the one to book if your nails are recovering from extensions or you want them to look neat without product on top.
Read more →Pedicure
Foot soak, hard skin removal, nail care and polish
A pedicure takes care of the feet and toenails: a warm soak, nail cutting and shaping, cuticle tidying, hard skin removal from heels and pads, exfoliation, a foot and lower-leg massage and a finish of polish or gel. It is a treatment people book as much for comfort as for appearance, and it is a staple before holidays and in the summer months.
Read more →HydraFacial
Machine facial that cleanses, extracts and infuses serums in one pass
HydraFacial is a branded machine facial that has become a treatment category of its own. A handheld device with disposable tips works across the face in stages: it cleanses and exfoliates, applies a mild acid solution to loosen congestion, uses vortex suction to draw out debris from pores, and then infuses hydrating and antioxidant serums. Optional boosters and LED light can be added at the end.
Read more →Microblading
Semi-permanent hair-stroke brows that last one to two years
Microblading is a semi-permanent make-up technique that deposits pigment into the upper layers of the skin with a fine handheld blade, drawing individual hair strokes to fill in and reshape the brows. Variations include powder or ombré brows, made with a machine for a soft, shaded finish, and combination brows that mix both. Results fade gradually over one to two years and are refreshed with a colour boost.
Read more →Microneedling
Collagen-induction skin treatment for texture and tone, by course
Microneedling uses a pen-shaped device fitted with a cartridge of very fine needles that create thousands of tiny, controlled channels in the skin. The skin responds by renewing itself, and over a course of treatments it can look smoother, firmer and more even in texture. It is often chosen for the appearance of enlarged pores, fine lines and textured skin left by past breakouts.
Read more →Spray Tan
Even, streak-free tan applied by airbrush in fifteen minutes
A spray tan is a sunless tan applied with an airbrush gun or spray system. The active ingredient, DHA, reacts with the top layer of the skin to develop a tan over a few hours, without UV exposure. The therapist works quickly over the body in sections, adjusting the depth of colour and paying attention to knees, elbows, hands and feet where tans tend to catch.
Read more →Make-up
Professional make-up for weddings, events and lessons
Professional make-up is booked for occasions: weddings, proms, parties, photoshoots and black-tie events. A make-up artist preps the skin, then builds a look to brief — from soft and natural to full glam — using professional products chosen to last through a long day and photograph well. Most also offer strip or individual lashes as part of the application.
Read more →Chemical Peel
Acid exfoliation for brighter, smoother-looking skin
A chemical peel applies an exfoliating acid solution to the skin to loosen and remove the outermost layer of dead cells. In beauty studios, salons and clinics, peels are superficial: glycolic, lactic, mandelic and salicylic acids, or blends of them, chosen according to skin type and what you want to improve — dullness, uneven tone, congestion or rough texture. Deeper medical peels are outside the scope of this directory.
Read more →Dermaplaning
Removes dead skin and facial fuzz with a sterile blade
Dermaplaning is a manual exfoliation in which a trained therapist holds the skin taut and glides a sterile surgical-style blade across it at a shallow angle, removing the top layer of dead skin cells along with fine facial hair, often called peach fuzz. The result is skin that looks smoother and brighter straight away, and on which make-up sits noticeably better.
Read more →Eyebrow Wax & Tint
Shape with wax and define with a tint in twenty minutes
An eyebrow wax and tint is the classic brow appointment. The therapist maps the shape, removes stray hairs with warm or hot wax, tidies the result with tweezers and trims long hairs, then applies a tint mixed to suit your hair colour and skin tone. The tint colours even the fine, pale hairs at the edges, so brows look fuller and more defined without daily pencil.
Read more →LED Light Therapy
Coloured light panels used alone or to finish a facial
LED light therapy exposes the skin to specific wavelengths of light from a panel or mask positioned over the face. Red and near-infrared light are used with the aim of supporting a calmer, plumper-looking complexion; blue light is used on oily and congested skin. Nothing touches the skin, the light is not UV and there is no heat, so most clients simply lie back with eye protection and relax.
Read more →Electrolysis
Permanent hair removal, one follicle at a time, for any hair colour
Electrolysis removes hair permanently by inserting a very fine sterile probe into each follicle and applying a small electrical current to destroy its growth cells. Each hair is treated individually, which makes it slow over large areas but very precise, and it works on every hair colour, including the blonde, grey, white and red hairs that laser cannot see.
Read more →Nail Art
Hand-painted designs, chrome, French tips and embellishments
Nail art covers everything that goes beyond a single colour: French and micro-French tips, chrome and cat-eye finishes, ombré, hand-painted designs, foils, stamping and embellishments such as small crystals. It is usually added to a gel, BIAB or acrylic set and priced per nail or per design, from a simple accent nail to a full set of hand-painted artwork.
Read more →Body Contouring
Non-invasive radiofrequency, cavitation and wood therapy for the body
Body contouring in a salon or clinic means non-invasive treatments aimed at the look of the skin and body outline: radiofrequency to warm the deeper layers and help skin look firmer, ultrasound cavitation and vacuum treatments applied to areas such as the abdomen and thighs, and manual techniques such as wood therapy and lymphatic drainage massage. Nothing is cut or injected.
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