Facial/Spa/Hair/Nails

Aquacell Treatment @ Cres Wellness

December 31, 2013

1971

My last visit to Cress Wellness @ The Gardens was several years ago. I remembered that it has a nice ambiance, above average service without excessive hard selling of their packages and this is one of those salons I’d revisit if the price was right. So when I was offered their complimentary Aquacell Treatment (introduced 3+ months ago), I made the appointment faster than you can say “Cres Wellness”.

As the name of the facial suggests, this facial is all about boosting hydration, something my skin so badly needs all the time. It’s not easy to maintain or increase hydration once you get to a certain age. That contributes to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles but it is an uphill battle all the time which is why I always have hydration skincare within arm’s reach.

In any facial room, I am always appreciative of the fact that they have duvets instead of towels and Cres has a very comfortable and snug duvet which kept me nicely tucked in during this 2 hour session. I just wish I had a pillow under my legs though. Maybe I could have fallen asleep with an extra pillow!

The session began with cleansing and Cellnique Vital Repair Cleansing Milk was used followed by Seaweed Cleansing Gel which smells really nice as it contains Algae, Pennywort and Cucumber Extracts. The Seaweed Cleansing Gel was very soothing and refreshing. The therapist applied the Advanced Bio Renewal Masque which smells of pineapple and everything tropical. It does contain pineapple enzymes and the beautician added cleansing milk so I don’t feel that it is harsh. The reason cleansing milk is added to this product is to make the texture smoother and although the scrub granules can be felt when the therapist massages it on my skin, it doesn’t feel rough.

Cotton pads soaked in softening lotion were placed on various parts of my face and a cold steamer was placed over my face. They don’t use hot steamers as that has a drying effect on skin, good point actually. I believe this is the first time I’ve been in a facial where a cold steamer is used. Their softening lotion has the effect of bring blackheads to the skin surface making them easier to extract.

The extraction process was relatively painless or else I have grown accustomed to the “pain”. In any case, it wasn’t that unpleasant. Most of the blackheads are on my nose, there is always a colony of blackheads there and I’ve given up extracting them myself. Better leave this task to the professionals.

The therapist then brought in the oxygen machine. She proceeded to use the device attached to the machine to blast a very fine mist on my skin which contains a collagen ampoule, this helps with the penetration of the serum into my pores. There are 2 parts to this process. The second time the device was used, stronger blasts of air were pumped on my skin after a layer of hydrating serum had been applied on my skin. At one point of the process, I inhaled pure oxygen which made me feel as if I was on top of a mountain. The total time the oxygen machine is used is about 5-6 minutes.

After the oxygen treatment, the Aquacell Mask was used for a short massage. A set of Aquacell skincare is used specifically for this treatment and some of the products are for salon use only. The therapist’s massage skills are one of the best I have experienced, making me wish the massage time was a bit longer. I simply love facial massages!

Two masks were used – firstly a sheet mask for 5 minutes during which time I received a shoulder massage which was again excellent and kept me wanting for more & secondly, an oxygen gel mask for another 5 minutes. That’s a lot of hydration and no wonder my face still had a glow after I came home.

This is a fantastic treatment for dehydrated skin like mine because I can still feel the hydrating effects 24 hours after the facial. I heard their latest facial involves “guasa” which some of you may be very familiar with. I think it would be great to detoxify skin so I am rather curious about that one!