February 2008’s Featured Article:

Designing the Ultimate Facial

The treatment you’ve just got to have.

Every spa needs the Ultimate Facial on their menu. It’s a longer, luxurious and pampering facial that produces immediate, visible results and provides for a very special experience.

It’s the spa’s Cadillac treatment, reflecting its philosophy of care, love and respect for its clients. The Ultimate Facial sets the tone of the spa’s services by pampering regular clients and also works as a luxurious introduction for new clients who have chosen it, prompting their return. This facial is touted to the press—you offer them the experience, they love it, they shout its wonders in print and other media, and they bring new clients in the door every time they mention it.

So, do you have a facial you can say provides the ultimate experience in your spa? Do you have a public relations facial to flaunt to the press? If not, allow me to help you design that facial.

Creating the dream facial

The Ultimate Facial is not a seven to eight step monthly cleansing treatment, nor is it a therapeutic facial with a particular focus. It is a lengthier facial with many upgrades that incorporates abundant relaxation but also visible skin enhancement. This is your menu’s ultimate treatment oriented facial with several exfoliations, muscle toning, minor extractions, customized masks and plenty of massage. It shows immediate results while emphasizing a unique and rich experience, sending clients out raving about your spa and your care, and calling back for more.

The treatment takes 75 to 90 minutes, or a time frame that is longer than what is usually allotted for a basic facial. (Note that the average facial in the United States lasts one hour.) It includes all the comfort nuances. For instance a grouping of candles is lit in the room to enhance ambiance and special, more luxurious linens and blankets should be used. Think ultimate as the driver of your creative process when designing this facial.

Pricing and marketing

The price range may be $175 to $295, maybe more. At my spas, the Ultimate Facial starts at $195, as it is customized for the individual client. It goes up from there. Whatever you charge, I suggest you charge the highest price in your marketplace and at least double the price of a regular facial. If your highest priced facial or treatment is $100, you must charge $200 or more for this facial, accordingly with the design of the treatment. Then, your clients will see it for what it is, The ultimate, as they should. However, don’t just create it, get everything together, set the price, put it on your menu and start waiting for appointments. First, you must train your front desk staff who perform your bookings to sell this facial for what it is—the best of the best anywhere. I suggest you allow them to experience the true facial. Then, design a script for them to follow and turn them loose. Their love of the experience will come through in their voice, and they will sell, sell, sell this service.

Second, you must market it to your clients, and to the media. Call in a professional photographer or take a high resolution digital picture that reflects the relaxation and care the treatment provides and use it in your marketing. Design a postcard and/or an e-blast describing the Ultimate Facial, and then send it out to your current clientele. E-mail the picture with a press release to your area media and invite specific media persons to experience it. Once your very best esthetician performs this facial on them they will write about it profusely. What more effective publicity is there?

Use medium sized
beauty globes to gently
massage the face.

Then, market this facial directly to your employees—all of them. First train the estheticians to perform it, explaining its benefits to them and to the other spa employees: relaxation, treatment, client return, results. Give all employees the experience through a limited time gift certificate. The estheticians get the experience of performing the service, and the employees get the ultimate experience and become sold on the unique nature of the facial. Getting your employees excited about the Ultimate Facial is the best marketing technique you can employ, as they talk up what they love in the spa. And this facial should be the one you want them to love most!

Lastly, include this facial in your spa marketing for packages offering it as the Ultimate Facial experience. Write the description dripping with relaxation and luxury, as well as stating its immediate results, and you will be rewarded with gift purchases galore.

I suggest you include a free kit of product samples with the facial as your only compromise to the price. I don’t recommend discounting this service, ever. Market it well, and they will come!

Those little extra touches

Every facial can be upgraded with more in-depth treatments, even the Ultimate Facial. For example, to take this facial to a complete head to toe experience and to further the results, offer a lymphatic drainage treatment with a compression unit as an excellent upgrade. A simultaneous foot reflexology session takes the treatment to new heights. An eye treatment is another potential add-on technique. Use a specific eye ampoule serum and/or mask and perform a specialty massage. Treatments for the hands and chest can also be developed as little extra touches. Many add-on services can be offered and are limited only to your skill and imagination in their design.

Introduction to spa services

This extended and luxurious facial introduces your client to many of your spa modalities while providing a beautiful finish to the face. But one of its very best aspects is the opportunity it presents to introduce clients to treatments you perform that can enhance and treat their skin. When clients ask about the treatment and its obvious results, you, the wise and well trained esthetician will take the opportunity to recommend an appropriate custom treatment program. The program may include an alpha hydroxy acid and microdermabrasion exfoliation series for hyperpigmentation and aging, light emitting diode (LED) and ultrasound for rosacea and sensitivity, lymphatic drainage and microcurrent for aging skin and laxity and beta hydroxy acids and LED for acne, as well as many other modalities and combinations of treatments you know will be of benefit to the client. The pleased and relaxed client will be prepared to commit to a program designed for him or her, as you have proven yourself in a relaxing and nourishing setting to be an expert in your field.
Yes, the Ultimate Facial takes time to create and add to the menu. Consider, however, the rewards it will bring you, your estheticians and your spa if it is well designed, mastered by your staff and properly marketed. The rewards will include a higher income for everyone and an enhanced reputation for your spa.

A Most Unique Treatment

To follow are the basics of the Ultimate Facial we provide at my spas, La Belle Day Spas and Salons. It can aid you in designing your own, though yours should be customized to your spa’s treatments and products. Ours contains those special nuances that show our clients we care while transforming their skin.

All in-service treatments during the facial focus on hydration and relaxation as well as incorporate anti-aging techniques, multiple exfoliations and in-depth hydrations. Be sure to closely review the pre-service questionnaire for potential irritation and heightened responses.

Apply a warm, fragrant compress on the skin to introduce the spa experience and relax the client. Allow the client to de-stress for a few minutes.
Dampen the skin and begin the makeup cleansing process. Perform a gentle cleansing massage under steam with a nonirritating cleanser that effectively removes makeup, such as a gel mousse or soufflé type product. Remove the cleanser with 4x4 cotton disposable squares or disposable sponges. Repeat the cleansing, if necessary.
Follow with a light mechanical scrub, such as one with jojoba beads to lift and remove dirt and debris. You may use a sonic brush for two minutes. Rinse and turn off the steam.
Apply a light acid of your choice, such as a red wine peel or glycomer (15 percent). For more sensitive skins use lactomer (20 percent). Allow the acid to penetrate for two minutes, which is the industry standard for gentle, safe exfoliation. Remove with disposable 4x4 sponges and cold water until all tingling subsides. Take care to monitor redness or irritation.
Mist the skin with an oxygen spray and use an ultrasound spatula for two passes, then pat dry.
Apply an aloe barbadenesis gel blanket, a skin softener mask with intense hydration. Cover the face and neck with a cotton facial mask and a neck strip, both steeped in chamomile tea. Apply an additional layer of the aloe barbadenesis gel over the face mask and the neck strip and allow them to hydrate and plump the skin for eight to 10 minutes.
Perform a relaxing hand treatment, beginning with a gentle mechanical exfoliation, a light acid exfoliation and an application of a mask that includes brighteners to address hyperpigmentation and aging (see step 3). Apply paraffin to the hands and place them in plastic covers and terry mitts.
Perform gentle extractions only where necessary. Follow extractions with an oxygen mist and an herbal toner, then finalize this step with high frequency.
Dry the skin thoroughly and then perform one to three passes of diamond head microdermabrasion. Watch for skin sensitivity and do not overdo it!
Apply a compress of European cotton soaked in cool Bulgarian rose water for three to five minutes. Massage the client’s shoulders, neck and décolleté while the compress is on the face.
Remove the compress and perform a microcurrent lifting treatment over a hyaluronic acid serum mixed with peptides or a collagen ampoule for 15 minutes. Concentrate the treatment on the eyes and on areas indicating low muscle tone.
Apply a layer of a rich cream. (It must be water based to support step 13.) Massage the face using a light touch, preferably lymphatic drainage or acupressure. Massage for eight to 10 minutes.
Perform two passes of ultrasound to penetrate the product applied in step 12 and conclude with 10 minutes of a light emitting diode (LED) treatment on sensitive or dry skin, according to the condition of the skin.
Massage the eye area with cold, beauty crystal fingers over a vitamin K eye gel to drain fluid, then roll medium sized beauty globes on the remainder of the face for an additional two minutes. This is the final stimulating step for the skin that serves as a cool down.
Conclude with a soft brightening, hydrating and nourishing mask, applying it with massage movements to support penetration of the ingredients. Occlude it to the face for a few minutes with a cellophane wrap while you perform massage on the neck, décolleté and shoulders.
Finish with a seaweed and bilberry rubberizing mask for its immediate lightening and lifting effect. Remove paraffin from the hands and apply a hand cream with SPF 30. Remove the seaweed and bilberry mask when it is formed.
Wipe the face with a fragrant, cold compress and allow the client to relax for a minute or two.
Apply postfacial products, such as a lip plumper to lips, an eye product and a neck serum with moisturizer and lifting peptides. End the facial with an application of an SPF 30 formula.
Sit the client up and offer him or her a mirror to see the fabulous, immediate results of the Ultimate Facial. Most will notice the change and comment that their skin is so radiant or make a similar statement. Here’s your opportunity to explain and offer a series of appropriate treatments specific to your client’s needs, as well as to prescribe all of the necessary products to follow the Ultimate Facial and enhance its results.

About Bella Schneider

Bella Schneider, an esthetician with more than 30 years of experience, is CEO and founder of La Belle Day Spas and Salons in northern California and of 5 Star Formulators in Palo Alto, CA, a worldwide distributor of esthetic products and technology. Due to her passion for the industry she also founded the Center for Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Esthetics to provide advanced skill and success training to estheticians. To contact 5 Star Formulators, call 888.200.3977 or go to www.5starformulators.com.