This Really Works: The Kiehl’s Spa HydraFacial
Give your skin some TLC with the Kiehl’s HydraFacial Treatment.
Do you ever feel like your skin has reached a breaking point? That every single pore is clogged? It’s irritated, blotchy, red, and dull? We’ve all been there and I was fully there by the time my fashion week countdown began. Summer was tough on my skin, to say the least. Sunscreen, makeup, chlorine, and salty shore air — you name it, my skin came into contact with it. I needed to hit the reset button, but I’m a bit apprehensive when it comes to facials. I’ve never really had a great experience. I usually leave feeling like my skin looks good for the first 30 minutes, and then it ends up more irritated than before the treatment. And if extractions are involved, forget about it. I’ll be red for days. When it comes to skincare, I trust the team at Kiehl’s, so when I heard about their new HydraFacial treatment, I thought I would give it a go.
My aesthetician, Joanna, put my skin under the magnifying glass and made it clear that I was in need of help. She promised me that I wouldn’t leave with a red face — that I would be glowing when I walked out the spa. The voice inside of my head said, ”Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard this all before.” But you know what? She was completely right.
The HydraFacial Treatment at the Kiehl’s Spa in Manhattan is 60 minutes and starts with a face massage using Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (if you haven’t used it or are new to the Kiehl’s world, this is a must-try product) and then it’s right into the good stuff. The HydraFacial MD device comes equipped with multiple Vortex Vaccum tips, which sounds super space age, and it kind of is. It’s like a mini vaccum going over your skin while infusing treatment solutions at the same time. The tip pushes a cleansing solution into pores and pulls it back out to wash and exfoliate the skin. Next up, a glycolic and salicylic acid peel is applied with the tip, focusing on the forehead, nose and chin. Then come the extractions. A triangular Vortex Vacuum tip is used to extract the summer gunk from your pores — it’s like a pore strip on steroids. (If needed, your aesthetician will also perform manual extractions following this step. Full disclosure: I needed it.) Once this step was completed, my skin immediately felt lighter. The fifth step is a serum infusion made up of vitamin A, C, and E that instantly hydrates the skin. The facial ends with a healthy does of Kiehl’s products to the skin: The new Daily Reviving Concentrate, an SPF, and an eye cream.
Joanna looked down at my skin and said, “You’re glowing! Do you want to see?” At which point I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and braced myself for a glimpse in the mirror. Amazingly, my face wasn’t red or blotchy or irritated. It was bright. It was smooth. I was glowing. She then offered to show me what had been removed from my skin during our treatment (and hygienically stored into a plastic container attached to the HydraFacial machine). At first I didn’t really want to see it, but then I had to see it. She held up the container and inside was cloudy, debris filled water. I admit it was gross, but also weirdly satisfying. It was similar to that feeling you get after you look at a pore strip when you pull it off your nose — but better. If your skin is in need of some TLC, and you’re looking to kill an hour on Lexington Avenue, make yourself an appointment.
Each HydraFacial Treatment is customizable and adapted based on your skin needs. It’s recommended that you go in every 4-6 weeks for a treatment.
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