I was invited by a PR company to attend an Introduction to HydraFacial event called World Tour 2.0 in nearby Salem, MA (yes, the city known for the witch trials).
To introduce women in my area to HydraFacial, they had a HydraFacial truck that was outfitted to look like a spa, and they did some of the facials in the truck.
In addition, they had a couple of open tents where other parts of the HydraFacial experience took place. Luckily, it was a nice afternoon since much of the event was outdoors.
The appointments were scheduled for every 20 minutes. You had a sign a release in order to participate saying that you didn’t have certain medical conditions. I got there a little bit early for my 2pm appointment. A young man greeted me, and checked me off a list on his tablet. He told me I was one of their VIPs – I was hoping that meant I got champagne or something, but it was very nice even without champagne.
BTW, I had a HydraFacial a couple of years ago at a spa in Boston where I describe the procedure in some detail. You can read about it here and learn more about the procedure. Here’s my quick description of HydraFacial from my post a couple of years ago:
What’s a HydraFacial, you ask? A HydraFacial is a facial that combats dryness, redness, acne, fine lines, pigmentation using a unique machine and HydraFacial tip that sucks impurities from the skin while delivering antioxidants and hydration. And there’s no downtime afterwards. You can go about your business looking bright and rested.
Back to HydraFacial World Tour 2.0. I was ushered over to one of the tents and given a seat in front of a tablet. I went through a number of questions about my habits, my skincare routine, and my own assessment of my skin. At the end, the algorithm gave me/my skin a score of 69 out of 100, where a higher score is better. I fell down on the number of hours I sleep (not enough) and the amount of water I drink (really not enough). Frankly, this part of the assessment didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know. Nevertheless, they gave me a vial of Intensive Spot Corrector to use in the HydraFacial process based on my skin issues.
Next, they brought me over to a station under one of the tents where an esthetician was waiting for me. Sarah works at a salon called Bella Mano in Wakefield MA, not too far away. She asked if I had had a HydraFacial before, and I said yes.
The HydraFacial uses a screen (though I didn’t look to see what was on it), and a small “hose”with applicator wand to which different nozzles were attached, one at a time. Different liquid solutions were added to the applicator. There were several steps to the process.
- Exfoliation with lactic acid
- Exfoliation with salicylic and glycolic acids
- Extraction and dark spot treatment
- Hydration with hyaluronic acids
- Fuse and protect with antioxidants and peptides to maximize glow
The applicator wand and tips created a sucking sound and sensation on my skin. The tip used during the extraction process was rougher, like the scrubbing side of a scrub sponge you’d use to wash the dishes. None of the tips felt painful on my skin. This process took about 15-20 minutes.
I was filling out a survey card that they gave me when I arrived, and it mentioned a “Perk” for either lips or eyes. When I asked about that, I was sent over to another tent where I selected the eye treatment. There another esthetician, Ashley from Age Less Salon in Woburn MA, put another vial of a hydrating solution into the HydraFacial machine and ran the tip back and forth all around the outside of my eyes – underneath, on my crow’s feet, on the skin under my brows.
I was amazed when Ashley showed me all the dead skin that ended up in the jar that came off of my eyes. While I exfoliate my skin at home regularly, I avoid my eye area. The gentle spongey suction tip that she used on my eye area did an amazing job.
I was allowed to keep the Eye Replenishing Serum that has a rollerball at the top to use at home. I also got to keep the vial of Intensive Spot Corrector to bring to a salon if I have another HydraFacial in the future. They also gave me a coupon for $50 off my next HydraFacial.
So I left the HydraFacial event in Salem feeling relaxed and cleansed. My face felt clean and hydrated, and it was not red at all like it was when I had a HydraFacial a couple of years ago. I don’t know if it was because this was a shorter session or because they used gentler nozzle tips, but I felt great.
I was told to wait 48 hours before using retinol, AHAs, glycolic acid etc.
HydraFacial recommends having the treatment once a month, but sadly that’s out of my budget. Sarah told me that a half hour HydraFacial session at her salon is $175. With the $50 off coupon, that may be doable. I also want to look into cryotherapy to see if that might be more effective at getting rid of my two major dark spots.
You can learn more about HydraFacial on their website!
Have you had a HydraFacial? Would you consider it?
What a fun event, Allison!
Lola Seicento recently posted…SPACE NK END OF SEASON SALE UP TO 50% OFF | ONLINE ONLY
Wow! This sounds so nice and relaxing! I want to go to one!! Send them here to AZ – we need help with dryness on a whole other level.
This sounds great. I’d love to be able to do something like this. With the $50 off I’d probably want to have this done one or two times a year.
MarciaF recently posted…Coconut oil head to toe with COCOOIL from Australia
Sounds like a fun event. I’m going to ask my esthetician about HydroFacials.
Cindy Ingalls recently posted…City Beauty Luxury, Anti-Aging Skincare
I would love to go to one of these events!
Courtney recently posted…Easy Viking Twists Hairstyle Tutorial
How interesting about the dead skin on your eyes! I tend to avoid mine as well, but maybe I should find a good way to gently exfoliate it.
Glamorable recently posted…My Experience with the New NOW® Solutions Long-Lasting Deodorant Sticks
Frankly, I have never heard of a product to gently remove dead skin around the eyes, nor have I ever had an eye treatment like this. Quite novel, and in a good way!
How interesting! Plus it being an event is neat!
The HydraFacial event really was a lot of fun, and I really appreciated getting the facial!