For the longest time, I’d wanted to try out a facial at 128 Faubourg Salon by Sothys but somehow never got round to it. Some of the beauty salons and spas in Klang Valley (I’m not sure whether there are any outside Klang Valley) offer facials using Sothys products but there’s nothing like having a Sothys facial at the 128 Faubourg salons. I’ve always thought that the facade of the 128 Faubourg salons speaks of pure luxury facials inside.
When I read about Seema Viswanathan’s experience at the Salon in the December issue of Female magazine, I called the Salon to make an appointment immediately. She’d raved about their Vanilla Caramel Calming Treatment with a promotional introductory price of RM130 (normal price RM260) plus a tube of Melting Caramel Cream worth RM115 to boot. I guess I was the earliest bird, as it were, because the receptionist had no idea that there was a promotional introductory price for this facial. She had to call me back to confirm after checking with the Salon Manager.
Other than a good massage, there’s nothing I like more during facials than the scent of the products because they can really make the difference between an excellent facial and an average facial. On the appointed day which was a gloomy Monday morning, I headed out for the Salon located on the 1st Floor of Bangsar Village II. I was given a registration form to complete since it was my first visit and the beautician asked me a few questions like my preference of massage strength to which I said I liked firm strokes. She also asked me if I could withstand pain, no doubt alluding to the extraction process. I’m not the sort who’ll flinch when any beautician goes about ridding my face of blackheads and other impurities.
The beautician ushered me into the facial room and said that I should place my feet into their foot massage spa after I got changed into the robe. After submerging my feet in the warm water for a few minutes, the beautician came back into the room and dried my feet. Then, it was time for the luxury facial. With a pillow under my knees and a duvet over my body, it was comfort to the max.
After double cleansing, the beautician applied the exfoliator (biological skin peeling) on my face. This wasn’t the usual instant scrub, this exfoliator applied wet and would only be removed once it was dry. During the few minutes while waiting for the exfoliator to dry, the beautician massaged my back and shoulders. The massage, administered with strong, firm strokes at my request, was excellent and relieved my tense muscles. Once the exfoliator was dry, the beautician placed tissues around my shoulders and started rubbing off the exfoliator. That part was quite messy and I can’t imagine doing that at home. For DIY scrubs, I prefer the types that don’t require rubbing off slowly once dry.
The next step was “steaming” to open up the pores for extraction. After the steamer (presumably that’s the correct term?) was turned off, the beautician applied their deep pore cleanser on my face in preparation for extraction. The extraction process was very thorough and although it stung a bit, it was by no means painful. Better to endure a bit of discomfort for the sake of beauty!
Once the extraction process was complete, it was time for the best part of the facial, i.e. the facial massage with their Vanilla and Caramel Modelling Cream. It’d be accurate to say that the scent was divine. After a few minutes of the massage, the beautician applied Melting Caramel Cream and this was followed by the Vanilla Peel Off Mask which purpose, according to the beautician, was to open up pores to allow better penetration of the Vanilla and Caramel Modelling Cream and Melting Caramel Cream and promote blood circulation.
A nice touch was having a pillow inserted under my head for the duration of the mask which made the next 15 minutes a lot more comfortable. When the mask was removed, the final step was to apply a hydrating serum and moisturiser. I was expecting my skin to feel very moisturised but instead, it felt rather dry so this facial wasn’t as hydrating as I thought it’d be. Throughout the rest of the day, my cheeks felt dry. To be fair, the beautician did recommend that I take a more hydrating facial during the consultation but I passed on that because the purpose of my making the appointment in the first place was to try out this particular facial.
According to the beautician, the Vanilla Caramel Calming Treatment is actually a seasonal facial, meaning it’s available in accordance with the winter months in France. Another seasonal facial which is available simultaneously is the Rhubarb Berry Facial (1st session RM188) and comes with a complimentary Raspberry Smoothie Emulsion worth RM115.
Has anyone tried a facial at 128 Faubourg Salon by Sothys or any Sothys facial at other facial salons? Did you find it better than other facials you’ve experienced?
Sothy’s is fantastic. I’m talking about the products only. I was introduced to it by a friend a couple of years back.As for 128 Faubourg/ Malaysia, we beg to differ. As of now my friend’s family has been denied service and her credit retained( thousands of RM !! ). All because she questioned their illegal operations and racism. Yes it’s true. The matter should go to court soon where 128F can defend themselves for us to see who actually is right. The staff also told us that there are no non-Chinese staff because the chinese don’t want to be ‘ touched’ by ‘ black ‘ !!! Outrageous in these times don’t you think !!! Anyway just found out that Sothy’s will not reveal all their ingredients in their products and this raises the ‘ halal’ certification that 128 F claim they have. Terrible management but love the products. Just info for your readers.