I tried April Brodie’s famous $700 Golki facial, here’s my honest review

“It was like being woken up from a dream.”

A few weeks ago, I pulled up to Melbourne’s luxurious Pullman Hotel to meet April Brodie. An integrative facialist, specialising in gua sha and the Buccal facial, April is known across Sydney, Melbourne and London by skin devotees, bloggers and celebrities alike. She’s fairly hard to book in with – there’s no room for last-minute, impulse bookings. To even see her, you need to join a 12-week waitlist.

When the offer to come and try her Golki facial landed in my inbox, I naturally jumped at the opportunity. In fact, I’d even taken the whole day off so I could fully lean into the novelty of having a two-hour, $700 treatment.

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Having first launched her own skin clinic, Beauté The Facial Destination, in Melbourne 1998, she has since travelled around the world, constantly expanding her knowledge and combining holistic modalities with cutting-edge technology.

After arriving, I followed April into the elevator and up several floors to the luxe hotel room she has reserved while seeing clients in Melbourne. From the branded April Brodie robe and slippers to the skyline views of the city, every step of the treatment was unlike any other facial I’d experienced.

What exactly is a Golki facial?

Though April is perhaps most known for her Buccal facial (also referred to as being like ‘a natural face lift’), I opted for her slightly lesser-known treatment, the Golki facial. Having spent years developing the treatment, she travelled to Korea to undertake further training before launching it in 2024.

The session is two hours and described as “a deep tissue remedial massage for your face”. Part of what makes it so unique is its combination of influences: the massage draws on Eastern European techniques, while incorporating Korean cleansing methods and skincare, including the Sophie Cabonari S serum, designed by Sophie Cabonari and developed in Korea (which retails for $480).

This is combined with LED therapy and, of course, April’s signature gua sha. The goal of the Golki facial, aside from being incredibly relaxing, is to offer tension relief, lift and sculpt your face, and stimulate blood flow, leaving you with an enhanced glow. All up, the treatment costs $700.

What happens during a Golki facial

First, April begins with a four to five-step Korean cleansing regimen. From there, she dedicates a large portion of the session to targeted Golki and Eastern European massage techniques, designed to lift and refine your face’s natural contours. Then, she will apply a series of hydrating serums and masks featuring Korean ingredients, as well as the Sophie Cabonari S serum. Afterwards, you have a round of LED therapy, before finishing with her signature gua sha treatment.

My honest review of the Golki facial

Getting a facial from April Brodie felt almost like a bucket-list experience, so I’d been counting down the weeks until my appointment. After changing into a strapless towelling gown and slippers, I padded over to the pre-heated massage bed. Though I’d had my fair share of facials and massages before, I’d never had a two-hour treatment designed purely for my face.

Though the Golki facial involves a round of massaging, it was at no point painful or uncomfortable. She worked through with her fingertips, applying pressure to specific points of my face, like my jaw and cheekbones. It felt like an exhale, the release of long-held tension. When the two hours were up, I slowly came back down to earth and she drew the blinds, revealing a rainy, grey Melbourne. It was like being woken up from a dream (one, despite already being two hours, I did not want to end).

I took a photo in the bathroom before the sessions and snapped another one once it had finished. Though I felt the most relaxed I had in a long time, the aesthetic results felt undeniable. Where my skin was softer and rounder pre-facial, it now looked more refined, sharper and a lot more glowy.

Would I recommend the Golki facial?

The Golki facial is the kind of treatment that leaves you feeling like the best version of you – not altered, but like you’ve just come back from a two-week-long retreat. Happier, healthier and well-rested.

While it’s not the kind of experience most people can make a recurring reservation for, it feels like the kind of treatment everyone should be able to experience at least once in their life. It would be perfect to try before a special event like a wedding, or as a one-off treat that you can spend weeks looking forward to.

For an explainer on the different types of facials, try this.