My favourite facials in London
It’s no secret that I love a good facial. I’ve been conscientiously looking after my skin since I was thirteen years old, and have gradually educated myself on various skincare products over the years, and learnt what works well for my skin. In the run-up to my wedding, I wanted to find the perfect facial that would leave me glowing and radiant, ahead of the big day. See below for recommendations of my favourite facials in London.
I was invited to Romilly Wilde for a facial at her Notting Hill pop-up (her permanent location is inside Harrods), which exclusively uses the all-natural, vegan skincare products from her skincare range. The facial is a glowing and hydrating one: your face muscles are expertly massaged and moisturised, preceded by 15 minutes of LED. I left with my skin feeling plump and firm, and was glowing for the remainder of the day.
Perfect for: plump and hydrated skin
Pfeffer Sal view facials as an ‘investment in your skin’s health’, and this is immediately evident when stepping inside their hushed, underground clinic near Fitzrovia. The treatment rooms here are spacious and elegantly dressed, and you’ll begin your facial with a quick consultation, going over your lifestyle habits and which products you’re already using. The facial covers all bases, and includes a skin scan, extraction, and a hydrating face mask at the end. The entire clinic runs a slick and luxurious operation, emailing you with a shopping list of recommended products for your skin after you leave. Go here for an extremely professional and thorough experience, but expect to pay through your nose for the service.
Perfect for: getting rid of all the nasties hidden under the skin surface
Skin Laundry rose to fame in Los Angeles for their revolutionary Light & Laser facials, offering rejuvenated, refreshed skin in just 15 minutes. Their first London outpost is housed inside Liberty, and amazingly, your first facial here is always free. The ‘laser’ part of the facial comes first, and includes laser energy which targets any pigmentation and blitzes bacteria from your skin surface (basically sucking out all the dirt from your pores). This is followed by the ‘light’ part of the facial, which is a bright light that is zapped across your face to target redness and inflammation. The service is quick, provides glowing results, and surprisingly, doesn’t hurt at all. Once you’ve had a couple of sessions, you can graduate to a slightly higher frequency of laser, and try their other facial offerings. The only downside is that due to the length of the facial, it’s very much an ‘one out, one in’ operation, and you won’t feel particularly looked after here (despite the high prices you’ll be paying). Then again, that’s part of Skin Laundry’s appeal: the ability to get a speedy and rejuvenating facial without any of the frills.
Perfect for: a quick rejuvenation of your skin surface
In the end, I settled on a Bespoke Luxury Facial at Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis clinic in Chelsea as my pre-wedding facial. After reading rave reviews online, and hearing my best friend’s glowing testament, I booked myself in for a 60 minute facial at their sleek and light-filled location on Pavilion Road. The facial is equal parts hydrating and massaging, with a sheet mask and ten minutes of LED treatment thrown in too; I fell asleep as I was so relaxed, but the therapist evidently did some kind of magic on me, as I left radiant, with plump and firmed skin. You can really ask for anything you want here: I specifically clarified that I didn’t want any extraction as I didn’t want to be red in any places, but I’ll be coming back as a regular occurrence from now on.
Perfect for: radiant skin before a special event
Okay, so this one isn’t a facial, but a consultation at Lion/ne was one of the best things I’ve booked this year yet. After hearing about Lion/ne from my colleagues, I was intrigued by the concept: an in-depth skin consultation for £90 where you can ask as many questions as you like, and receive a thorough list of product recommendations tailored for your skin (unaffiliated to any brand, so there’s no worry that you’re being sold anything on purpose). The session also includes an in-depth scan of your skin to diagnose exactly what your skin concerns are, and how to tackle them. I learnt that my skin type was not in fact, combination, but dry, and that the build-up of oil that I usually get around my T-zone is my skin’s way of combatting dryness. The session is incredibly friendly and informal, and co-founder Megan was able to let me know which of the products I was already using that were beneficial for my skin type, and which ones were actually harmful. Afterwards, you’ll receive an incredibly thorough breakdown of products and recommended skin routine to follow: it’s safe to say that I bought everything on the list, and haven’t looked back since.
Perfect for: understanding your skin
