I’m the first to admit I’m not a beauty blogger.
Don’t get me wrong, I love make up, getting my hair done and I’m as vain as anyone else, but I have dry sensitive skin, I dye my hair so often it’s a pain to maintain – too much to trial shampoos and conditioners often and I like to think of myself in this case as pretty low maintenance. So long as my hair is red, my face done and my nails… I’m pretty much happy with myself.
And to be honest, I’d insist on learning *everything* about the product and the process used to create it and how it works. I need to know the science behind it. So I’ll happily leave it to those who can devote time to beauty blogging.
My skin is ageing and I’m OK with it. I have a few lines, but at nearly 36, it goes with the territory. I moisturise regularly, cleanse carefully, I rarely use toner as my skin ends up too dry and, well, I’m allergic to random things. I can’t put cucumber on my skin, or it puffs up. I can eat it, stick it in my Hendricks and tonic, but it doesn’t do my outside any good. Grass too – yes, plain old bog standard lawn. I have to put something on it to lie on in the summer or I break out in a rash. And that bastion of sensitive skin, witch hazel? It’s sucks the moisture from my skin like a sponge and makes it scaly.
My skin is just plain odd.
So when Skin Health Spa asked me to pop in for a treatment, I was unsure. The treatments on offer sound amazing, but given how peculiar my skin is, were they going to suit?
To be on the safe side and because all the training I was doing was causing my skin to suffer terribly with dryness, I opted for the Transderm treatment – a facial with a difference – and available separately to the Ultimate Facial.
Most facials take around an hour – your skin is cleansed, then your therapist examines your skin, chats to you about your skin care routine and will select a suitable treatment. 40 minutes or so then are devoted to massage, treatment and letting the product soak into your skin.
Transderm offers to speed up that process by using electrical pulses to push the cosmetic treatment into your skin, deeper than a standard treatment would, or just letting it soak in. I was sold on the concept and so one sunny afternoon I tracked down the salon, just off John Dalton Street.
Inside it’s soothing. Aromatherapy oils scent the air, soft greys and muted purples greet the eyes. It’s instantly relaxing, so when I’ve completed the standard medical form (most spas and treatment salons have these now), I was greeted and taken through to the treatment room.
After discussion about my skin regime (pretty good), about the state of my skin (also pretty good), I lay back to enjoy. There’s something blissful about a facial. Closing your eyes, the massage of your skin, soothing music, relaxing fragrances. I’ve often dozed in an hour long treatment. And then worried if I snored afterwards.
The Transderm is relaxing, but there’s no chance of sleep. Or even a half doze. The cosmetic cream is smeared onto your skin and then the peripheral part of the machine is massaged over your face, the little electrical impulses flowing through your skin.
It’s odd, but certainly not unpleasant. It tingles, tickles. And when it runs close to your hairline, there’s the sensation akin to someone stroking your hair. Science tells me that it’s the muscles under my skin contracting and relaxing, but it still feels like someone gently stroking your hair.
It’s lovely.
And less than 30 minutes later you’re left to relax and let the last of the product sink in. I was relaxed, happy, and with plump, refreshed skin, left with a smile on my face and lovely glow.
But of course, there are the killer questions. Did it last? Would I go again?
It lasted around a week. Which for me is the kicker. At £95 for a session (£495 for a course of 6 and I believe there is a 40% off offer running currently too) it’s a little more expensive than my usual Espa Facial which is £60 and lasts for around the same amount of time.
But maybe, it’s more than that. A facial for me is a treat. It’s a reason for me to lie back, turn off my phone and zone out for an hour. At 30 minutes, despite the treatment being as effective, I felt I was missing out on that extra half an hour.
Would I go again? Absolutely, but I’m going to give one of the aromatherapy facials a go – I think they’re possibly a little more me.
This treatment was received at the invitation of Skin Health Spa. The service, staff and treatment were excellent. However receiving this treatment for free had no bearing on my review of it, which I believe is apparent from the above.
