What a HydraFacial Is and Why You Need One
by Cat Dugan
Hi. My name is Cat, and I almost never take the time for a facial.
Every few months, you can find me at Ulta Beauty buying my tried and true skincare items. I cleanse almost every morning and night with Cerave’s Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Face Wash for Normal to Dry Skin, and sometimes I do myself the disservice of skipping makeup removal at night. To bring my skin back to life, I use The Ordinary Caffeine 5% + EGCG Depuffing Eye Serum, The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution as needed, The Ordinary Rational 5% in Squalene, and the IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Anti-Aging Hydrating Moisturizer. Every week or two, I will throw on the bloody scary The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Exfoliating Peeling Solution to clear up any developing zits and give myself a healthy glow. The worst part is, as a redhead, I do not intentionally use sunscreen unless I’m using a tinted moisturizer with SPF.
TLDR: I deal with redness. I have a few wrinkles. My forehead, cheeks, and lip corners are dry and sometimes even flaky. My nose has clogged pores and oil… but also sometimes flakes. Knock on wood, but I rarely get acne since entering into my 20’s. Overall, my skin typically behaves but sometimes leaves an uneven, patchy canvas for makeup.
As I said, I don’t get facials. Before this week, I’ve had only one Express Facial at Salon361. That’s it.
As I checked out clients on my first shift at Salon361, I noticed the undeniably refreshed, clean, and glow that each HydraFacial client donned. Think 2022 glazed donut skin. Coming out of a sickness that caused an unusual level of dryness, flakiness, and acne, I was influenced. So, after staring at my face for too long in the mirror, I booked the one opening esthetician Taylor Shoewalter had left for the week.
So… what is a HydraFacial?
Like a lot of clients, I initially was drawn to the Deluxe HydraFacial tier but ultimately upgraded to the Platinum HydraFacial for the lymphatic drainage massage to ease my congestion and puffiness during this allergy season. This upgrade was a well-spent $20 step up from the Deluxe HydraFacial. Trust me… when your esthetician works her massaging magic, you’ll pat yourself on the back for making the upgrade.
Deluxe and Platinum HydraFacials are truly tailored to your skin type and skin goals. It’s not a one-size-fits-all bandaid fix to your skin concerns. Your certified HydraFacialist will assess your skin for concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles, dryness, congestion and acne, redness, oversized pores, hyperpigmentation, and loss of elasticity and firmness.
She will then complete a three-phase process — cleanse, extract, and hydrate.
Cleanse
First, she will cleanse your skin to remove residual makeup, excess oil, and surface-level contaminants.
Second, she will provide a relaxing, deputing, and sinus-draining lymphatic drainage massage.
Third, she will dermaplane to remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells.
Fourth, she will exfoliate with a 7% chemical peel and with the suction tip, softening the pores to more easily extract any black heads, white heads, and oils.
Extract
Fifth, she will extract any black heads, white heads, and oils from your pores with the suction tip — even in the places that are otherwise impossible to extract.
hydrate
Sixth, she will provide a relaxing, moisturizing, shoulder and neck massage.
Seventh, she will apply a booster with the suction tip. The booster is the component that provides you with the elevated, long-lasting glow that lasts days longer than the glow after a typical facial. The booster she will use varies by your skin type in order to target your key skin concerns. My booster was hydrating.
Eighth, she will incorporate LED light therapy by using one of two colors — red to help soften wrinkles and to reduce redness or blue to help kill bacteria and fight breakouts. She used the red light on me.
Ninth, while your face absorbs the benefits of the LED light, she will massage your scalp to ease tension and to promote hair growth.
Tenth, she will moisturize with the suction tip to seal benefits into your skin for long-lasting results.
Add-ons
Optionally, you can select a targeted Eye Perk or Lip Perk treatment that also includes a 30-day take-home treatment to extend the benefits. I chose the Lip Perk, which exfoliated my dry, chapped lips and plumped them. The Eye Perk softens under-eye wrinkles and brightens dark circles.
Another optional add-on to the HydraFacial is a targeted HydraFacial Neck & Décolleté Treatment to plump and hydrate. With this add-on, you will notice a more youthful appearance, sculpted features, enhanced volume, and visibly softened fine lines and wrinkles.
Finally, you have the option to add on a Jelly Mask to top off your relaxing spa day. The liquid jelly will solidify before your esthetician massages your skin with a chilled jade roller. This add-on further improves circulation, drains your sinuses, reduces puffiness, and brightens your complexion.
As always after a facial, before sending you off to your next stop, she will walk you through next steps such as rebooking to maintain your renewed complexion and finding products tailored to you.
How long do results last?
HydraFacial clients book out their facials every four, six, or eight weeks to maintain their glow and to continue this clinical treatment of their skin concerns.
“While still beneficial to the skin and rejuvenating to the client, our more basic facials’ glowy results last 24-48 hours, whereas the HydraFacial glow can last up to two weeks,” Taylor explains. “The HydraFacial’s suction technology is revolutionary as it penetrates the facial’s clinical skincare deep into the skin. This is so much more than a surface-level treatment that you can replicate at home with peels and serums.”
As I am writing this, it has been three full days since my facial. My skin is still smooth, a zit on my left cheek completely disappeared, and my everyday skincare and makeup glides over my face without clinging to any patches.
Beyond the complexion benefits, I have noticed that my sinuses have cleared — especially around my nose. Having previously tried the at-home lymphatic massages with no results, I can attest to the HydraFacial’s relieving of puffiness and stuffiness. As someone who always suffers from seasonal allergies, the Platinum HydraFacial was a game changer for my overall wellness and complexion.
Swooning? Let’s get you booked.
To book this service, select “Me Only,” “Spa,” and “Platinum HydraFacial.” Our booking platform will walk you through the rest. Or, call or text us at 740-392-3616.