Sure, we may live in a hot and humid country but most of us are already well familiar with the fact that this doesn’t mean that our skin is naturally hydrated. Thanks to air-conditioning and some potentially drying skincare products, many of us find that our skins are actually dehydrated despite producing so much oil everyday.
Why is dehydrated skin so bad? For one, dehydrated skin shows visible signs of ageing faster than well-hydrated skin! Aside from that, it’s also more easily irritated, and can lead to itching, rashes or even painful patches.
Facial treatments are one way that we can try replacing all that moisture on our skin, so we’ve tried and reviewed four places with hydrating facials that claim to be able to do just that. Are they worth the price? Read on to find out!
1. Pürovel Spa & Sport
Reviewer: Kristen Juliet Soh
You’ve probably dreamed about spending time in a Swiss wellness resort to rejuvenate yourself – I know I have. But since I can’t simply drop everything, pack my bags and fly to Switzerland, checking into Pürovel Spa & Sport at Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore is probably the next best thing possible.
What hydrating treatment do they have?
The Intraceuticals Intense Hydration Rejuvenate Facial isn’t just a recommended hydrating treatment, it is also the treatment to go for at Pürovel & Sport if you’re heading there for the first time. This signature treatment offers intense hydration and is able to help lift, tone, and hydrate skin all at the same time. The best part? You can expect instant results – something you don’t normally see in non-invasive treatments.
All Intraceuticals treatments combine professional grade skincare with anti-ageing ingredients that contain vitamins and antioxidants to deliver great results. This is probably why Intraceuticals treatments are loved by top celebrities.
The Intraceuticals Intense Hydration Rejuvenate Facial is no different. I was treated to some of the best products from the Intraceuticals range, including the Rejuvenate Cleansing Gel, Rejuvenate Enzyme Exfoliate, Rejuvenate Serum, Rejuvenate Hydration Gel, and Rejuvenate Moisture Binding Cream. To boost the efficacy of these products, the treatment also included the use of the Intraceuticals Oxygen Machine.
After a basic cleanse and exfoliation to prep my skin so it can receive the goodness of the treatment that was about to follow, the Oxygen Machine is administered on my skin. This is the highlight of the entire treatment, and it’s not surprising why.
A probe is used to deliver pressurised oxygen into my skin and it felt cooling and calming. This step helps to increase the absorption of the Rejuvenate Serum, and is able to allow better infusion of the vitamins and antioxidants from the product. My skin’s moisture level is also improved at this step.
The process feels very soothing that you can expect to fall asleep at this point – like I did.
Following this step, the therapist applied the Rejuvenate Hydration Gel. This provides another hydration layer to seal in the hydration level that helps to prevent hydration loss.
Finally, the moisture-rich Rejuvenate Moisture Binding Cream is applied. This layering process ensures that moisture is locked in once again while the vitamins and antioxidants in the formula work extra hard to protect skin from any environmental stress, which can cause visible signs of premature ageing.
Final thoughts
The treatment was extremely comfortable, so besides helping me achieve better skin, I also felt like I was treated to a much-needed respite from my busy lifestyle. My face felt a little oily right after the facial, but the greasy feeling didn’t last long. I observed that my skin looked firmer and plumper. Lines that were under my eyes and around my lips were no longer as visible, thanks to the intense hydration that’s been delivered to my skin. My skin also felt bouncy, smooth, and rejuvenated – its thirst has finally been quenched.
What’s even more interesting, though, was that besides delivering instant results to skin, I noticed that my skin’s condition continued to improve in the next few days, as I used the home care products that were given to me after the facial. I find that my complexion looked more radiant in the following days, and my skin continued to feel healthy and bouncy.
Pürovel Spa & Sport
Website: Pürovel Spa & Sport
Address: 20 Merchant Rd, Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore 0582811
To book appointment: Telephone (+65 6239-1780) or Email ([email protected])
2. Mirage Aesthetic
Reviewer: Mandy Wong
Mirage certainly lives up to its name, as the entire atmosphere and design of the spa create an oasis of soothing greenery in the concrete jungle that we live in. The moment you step in, you are invited to choose from an impressive variety of complimentary drinks, and offered a warm towel to really get you into a relaxed state of mind before your treatment begins.
What hydrating treatment do they have?
I did the award-winning Korea Stem Cell Skin Booster Treatment at Mirage Aesthetics, which is most suitable for those with dry, dehydrated skin, sensitive skin, or those with eczema. It is said to utilise all-organic ingredients. The Skin Booster Facial treatment emphasises strongly on stem cell products, which is meant to repair damaged DNA in the skin. It makes your skin look brighter, softens up rough skin, and ensures better absorption of the active ingredients in the rest of your skincare products!
The facial begins with a choral opening, where your auditory senses are stimulated to really soothe you into a state of complete relaxation. After double cleansing, my facialist Anna applied a scrub, which is formulated with very fine particles such that it would not hurt the skin.
The signature steps of this treatment came next: a stem cell activator was applied, and it was a very pleasant-feeling gel-like texture. A cool steamer was switched on in order to activate the stem cells in the following steps. A very pleasant massage for the chest, neck, shoulders and face followed, which complements the stem cell activator and helps it to work better.
Anna chose the aloe vera gel as the base for my massage, as I have oily skin, but she mentioned that a thicker cream can be used for those with drier skin. However, for facial massages, all customers would receive the Stem Cell Hydro Cream, which works in conjunction with the stem cell activator. I felt a tingling sensation with this cream, which Anna informed me was because my skin was dehydrated. The sensation faded quickly, however!
She next applied a cream mask, which is customised to each individual customer. As my skin is easily congested and had a bit of acne at the time, she used an organic green tea mask for its anti-inflammatory properties. The Skin Booster Mask is then applied on top of that, and it also contains green tea to decrease the irritability of the skin. It is formulated with their stem cell toner, which requires refrigeration, so it cools and soothes the skin when applied. After relaxing with the mask on for 15 to 20 minutes, it is removed and a stem cell serum is applied to finish up the facial.
Final thoughts
Overall, I did feel that my skin felt smoother to the touch after the facial was completed. The masks applied felt deliciously soothing to the skin, and certainly did leave my skin feeling plumper and more hydrated after the treatment.
Mirage Aesthetic
Website: Mirage Aesthetic
Address: 1 Tanglin Road, Orchard Parade Hotel, #04-08, Singapore 247905
Email: [email protected]
To book appointment: Telephone (+65 6262 3358 / +65 6262 3378) or online.
3. Indulgence Beauty
Reviewer: Mandy Wong
Tucked away in a quiet yet accessible corner of Tanjong Pagar Plaza, Indulgence Beauty is a cosy boutique face spa that delivers no-frills quality facial treatment and top MD Dermatics authorised retailer. My facial process was facilitated by friendly and helpful senior beauty aesthetician Anna Chye.
Your face is first cleaned of all makeup, impurities and grime before you are led to the skin analysis station. Anna first analysed the texture of my skin, which they usually do for all clients.
As skin texture can change drastically in a short period of time, this is done before all facials so that they would be able to best tailor the type of products used to the client’s current skin concerns.
What hydrating treatment do they have?
As my face was dry (as you will witness in the following photographs), I was slated to do the Hyaluronic Hyalogy Treatment Facial.
You can see in the above image that my skin definitely fell into the ‘dry’ category. It was lacking in moisture and sebum, and showed signs of pigmentation and enlarged pores.
My face was photographed in a special machine that captured my skin surface under intense bright light, as well as under UV light. It’s shocking to see how much pigmentation lies underneath my skin, usually invisible in normal light, but which became darker and more obvious in UV light!
Anna first began with cleansing my face with an oil cleanser that contains hyaluronic acid to help moisturise my skin, followed by a gel cleanser to prepare my face for extraction.
I was then left under the hot steam for about 5 minutes or so, before extraction began. Facial extraction was done by hand, and assisted occasionally by a surgical needle to pierce the pesky blackheads, creating a canal to funnel them out. It was generally more painless than most of the extractions I’ve gone through!
After extraction, a hyaluronic acid essence was massged onto my skin and a soothing hyaluronic gel mask was applied. Then, another layer of hyaluronic soft mask was applied to seal moisture into my skin. These double masks help to intensify hydration in my skin. The process was so soothing and relaxing that I immediately fell asleep during this step.
Though the mask is solid, it did not feel drying at all on the skin as clay masks do. The application and leaving-on process was comfortable enough that I did not wake up at all until it was almost time to take the mask off.
Anna then did a 5 to 10 minute neck and shoulder massage that was a great and relaxing way to wake up at the end of a soothing facial.
Final thoughts
This is me, looking relaxed and happy after the facial was completed.
You can compare the before and after pictures for yourself! Though Anna had done an extraction on my congested areas, like my cheeks and jawline area, my face ended up looking less red than before. My face does appear more radiant and brighter than before, even if you discount the higher shine from all the products that were used on it.
Indulgence Beauty
Website: Indulgence Beauty
Address: 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #02-34, Singapore 082001
To book appointment: Telephone (+65-6225-8980), email ([email protected]), or the booking form on their website.
4. Bon Aesthetics
Reviewer: Mandy Wong
Bon Aesthetics was established in 2013 by a group of practitioners with more than 20 years of experience, and besides facials, they also provide body treatments, body contouring and hair removal services. They are centrally located, and the receptionists and therapists were very warm, friendly and professional when I went down for my facial!
What hydrating treatment do they have?
My skin oils up during the day, but I have a dehydrated deeper layer which is not adequately moisturized. In other words, the hydrating facial offered by Bon Aesthetics was almost perfect for my skin type and I was excited to see the results. I did the Hydration Essentialle Treatment with them, which is a facial that aims to hydrate and plump up dehydrated skin.
It’s suitable for all skin types (even those with sensitive skin!), genders and especially suited for mature skin where dehydration may even contribute to the visible ageing process. The treatment uses a combination of premium products from Payot and Decleor, both renowned skincare brands from France.
It began with a prelude that uses mandarin essential oils to unlock the senses. After makeup removal and double cleansing, my facialist Debbie used a Velvet Sensation Peeling exfoliation, which contains oatmeal extract, and which combines both physical and chemical exfoliation for a doubly effective treatment. It tingled slightly, but felt generally pleasant, and my skin was not left feeling dry.
A lifting massage which also detoxified pressure points was then performed by Debbie, using a Tea Tree Hydrating Elixir. This was then followed by a Professional Bio Cellulose Collagene Masque done after that, with aloe vera, fucogel, hyaluronic acid, and collagen as active ingredients. The mask really crowned the hydration part of the facial.
Overall thoughts
Immediately after the Hydrating Facielle Treatment
Going for a facial at Bon Aesthetics was quite the premium experience. Their interior is clean, simple and no-fuss, but their service was excellent and the facial was so relaxing that I fell asleep almost as soon as it began, excepting the extraction part which I’m fairly sure no one could sleep through. The facial massages were especially soothing, as Debbie uses a right amount of pressure that lulled me straight to dreamland. My skin, which had been dry during this period, felt like it could settle down at last.
The treatment package is SGD 1,250 for 5 sessions including a Collagen Eye Treatment (usual price is SGD 350 per session), but a trial session will only set you back SGD 88.
Bon Aesthetics
Website: Bon Aesthetics
Address: 360 Orchard Road #03-24/25, International Building, Singapore 238869
To book appointment: Telephone (+65-6733-2338 or +65-9828-4677) or email ([email protected]).
