FACIALS USED TO entail someone else doing the cleanse, tone, mask and moisturise mantra, without you having to give much thought to what they were slapping on. Today, the plethora of spa treatments makes it hard to know which facial is suitable for you. Could a Botox facial leave you with swollen Mick Jagger lips, or smooth out those stubborn wrinkles on your frown-filled forehead? Does adding caviar to the mixture really help? And is a diamond-peeling machine really what you want at work on your sensitive skin? Therapists say women in Hong Kong should take facials seriously, and that new tailored treatments help. 'In Hong Kong, the pollution and humidity mean faces can become sticky, dark and dirty,' says Kala Thapa, therapist and manager of Sense of Touch's Hollywood Road shop. Jamie Chiu, spokesman for the Japanese MTM Skincare salons, agrees that the outside environment and air-conditioning can take their toll. She recommends that women have facials once or twice a month, depending on skin type. Some of the treatment names sound as if they'll have you looking 10 years younger, but what do therapists actually do to you? Here are some of the newest offerings in town: Botocare Facial The Firm and Retreat 60 minutes, $1,500 Botox is popular for its ability to smooth wrinkles by limiting muscle contraction, but the botulin elements of the product - which is injected into the skin - make some people nervous. Botocare skin products, based on plant proteins, are said to offer a non-toxic, alcohol-free Botox equivalent. 'We can achieve an effect similar to that of botulin, but without having to use a needle,' says therapist Jenny Brewis. She says clients get more out of the Botocare serum, cream and mask - which together cost more than $4,300 - because they're professionally applied and massaged deep into the skin. A cleanse and steam exfoliation is followed by an eye massage with repair cream. The first of the three-step Botocare treatments is a serum, which is massaged in for 10 minutes before massage cream is applied to the face, neck and upper chest. Then the face mask is applied and left on for 15 minutes, while you're given a clay-based scalp massage with scalp and hair treatment cream. Once the excess of the mask is removed, moisturiser and another dose of serum are applied. Inquiries: 2525 6696 Facial and Intense Diamond Peel Sense of Touch 75 minutes, $800 This upmarket scrub involves tiny particles of diamond powder encrusted on a steel ring and drawn across the face. The diamond peel sloughs off dead skin cells and boosts circulation. The spa uses Dermalogica products. Thapa begins by cleansing your skin so she can assess its condition and decide which of the intense diamond peel rings and degrees of abrasion best suit you. Depending on skin condition, she uses the peel for up to 20 minutes, avoiding the lips and area around the eyes. The session leaves you with tingling skin, which Thapa calms with Dermalogica's soothing additive booster, before giving you a thorough face and neck massage. To finish, she applies toner, an eye cream enhanced with multi vitamins to soften dark shadows and fine lines, and moisturiser. Inquiries: 2517 0939 Q10+ Collagen Lifting Treatment Facial with Caviar Extract MTM Skincare Two hours, $1,650 This is said to be the Rolls-Royce of facials, and was launched here this month. MTM custom-blends its products for each client. Combining Q10 cream and caviar extract gives two strong anti-oxidants and anti-ageing treatments in one facial. Be prepared to have your skin - warts and all - revealed, as the therapist inspects it with a machine that magnifies it by 10 times. Your face is then cleansed with a deep-penetration cleansing massage, before being steamed and toned. An eye massage helps moisturise and increase the elasticity of the skin around your eyes before the Q10 cream is massaged into your face. The caviar collagen mask is applied and left on for 30 minutes. Inquiries: 2811 5885 White-Bright Extreme Whitening Treatment SE Spa 75 minutes, $780 Women in their 30s are said to get the best results from this treatment, but it's suitable for all skin types. The facial is intended to help prevent and neutralise dark spots and brighten skin, restoring 'lost radiance' and 'toning down pigmentation'. It begins with a 10-15 minute aromatherapy back massage, then your face is cleansed with Bright Make Off cream, and Aromessence White Even Toning concentrate is applied. It contains lemon and wheat germ to help lighten and nourish the skin, and parsley to help with de-pigmentation. The Phyto drainage massage includes face, neck and shoulders, then the whitening bright treatment mask is applied. Marketing director Susan Yarburg says the white-clay base has absorbent properties and rids the skin of impurities, and the Brightening C+ Essence lightens pigmentation marks, stimulates cellular renewal and stops the formation of dark spots. Mattifying Fluid Moisturiser is applied to protect, purify and whiten the skin. Inquiries: 2530 3898 O2 Lightening Facial Indulgence Spa 90 minutes, $700 'Clients see an immediate effect,' says spa manager Serena Lui, of the facial that promises to lift, firm and lighten your complexion. Only products free of artificial colour or fragrance are used and the facial suits all skin types: sensitive, dehydrated, aged and those with recurrent acne. 'Clients have glowing and rejuvenated skin after just one treatment,' says Lui. 'The treatment increases the collagen in your skin and the elasticity to minimise fine lines.' The facial starts with a standard cleanse, exfoliation and steaming to open the pores. While your face is being steamed, the therapist gives a 10-15 minute relaxing neck and shoulder massage using aromatic oil. After an optional extraction, O2 Optic Serum is either massaged in or applied with a galvanic machine, which uses electric currents for better penetration and to stimulate cellular respiration. An intensive moisture mask is applied, followed by a toner and moisturiser. Inquiries: 2815 6600 Chantecaille Flower Facial Lane Crawford IFC 60 minutes, $800 (redeemable towards Chantecaille products) This is a gentle, hydrating facial with no frills (except when rose petals are dotted over the mask). It starts with a rice and geranium foaming cleanser and flower-infused cleansing milk. Then comes a pure rose-water rinse, and an acupressure facial massage with Flower Harmonising cream and Biodynamic Lifting oil free fluid. A jasmine and lily healing mask calms irritated skin. Back, shoulders, arms and hands are massaged with organic oils, and there's an optional head rub. This is ideal for stressed office workers who need to switch off for an hour, and for those with dry skin, because it gives a dewy look. Inquiries: 2234 7698
