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.
The result is skin that looks clearer, brighter and better hydrated for a week or two. Facials suit almost everyone, from a first visit to a monthly habit, and salons usually offer variations by concern: hydrating, brightening, calming for sensitive skin or deep-cleansing for congestion.
Expect 45 to 75 minutes. Many salons offer an express thirty-minute version that skips the mask and massage. Avoid exfoliating at home for a couple of days beforehand, and arrive without make-up if you can.
There are relatively few large salons: much of the market is independent technicians and small salons with a loyal, repeat clientele, and a good number of nail and lash technicians work from home salons. Kelham Island has the newest and youngest end, in converted industrial blocks, with brow and lash studios and nail artists; Ecclesall Road is the busiest corridor, lined with established salons, skin clinics and nail bars, and the easiest place to find weekday availability; Broomhill serves the university side of the city with student-priced nails and lashes. The hills matter more than the map suggests, and mobile beauticians often add a travel supplement for addresses a couple of miles out.
Prime
Verified listing