Buccal, Kobido and Aerolase: Where to get the best facials in Melbourne
image via @hudskinandbody/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAEVE KERR-CROWLEY and fashion journal
Our favourite spots for glowing skin.
The almighty facial is the point where self-care and skincare meet, marrying indulgent rituals with health and self-improvement. A facial could be a once-in-a-while treat to celebrate an achievement or brighten up a bad day, or it could be an integral part of your routine that you schedule in like clockwork.
Either way, sitting in a chair for an hour while a trained professional works their magic is never a bad way to spend an afternoon. But ‘facial’ is also a very broad term, covering a whole host of treatments like peels, masks, infusions, massages, laser sessions and more.
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Add to that the unfathomable number of salons, clinics and spas around the city and making the right appointment can be stressful enough that you need a facial just to recover. To help you out, we’ve gathered some of our favourite spots around Melbourne to get a facial – whether you’re a novice looking to try something new or an old hat in need of a new local.
Swan Light
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For anyone unfamiliar, kobido is a form of facial massage that began in Japan in the 15th century and it’s known for a range of aesthetic and therapeutic benefits, with some fans calling it the ‘French woman’s facelift’. It was in France where founder Madeleine Iona Lukács Smith first learnt the art of kobido, training in Paris with Institut Takumi Finch. Though it includes very effective lymphatic drainage techniques, it’s achieved through fast, light fingers tapped across your skin, akin to “ballet on your face”.
April Brodie
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An integrative facialist, specialising in gua sha and the Buccal facial, April Brodie known across Sydney, Melbourne and London by skin devotees, bloggers and celebrities alike. She’s fairly hard to book in with (you’ll need to join a 12-week waitlist), but let’s just say if you’re patient, the end result is well worth it.
Hüd Skin + Body
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With spaces in St Kilda and Northcote, Hüd’s studios are fitted out with high-tech lasers, offering Aerolase Neo, LED, skin needling and more. The facials are separated into four tiers, starting with a beginner’s session to get your blood flow going and your skin’s nutrients at an optimal level, then moving on to more intensive treatments. This does mean you’ll need to schedule more than one session to get the full benefits, but what wonderful benefits they are.
Little Company
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Based in Collingwood, Little Company has several facials to choose from. With a focus on sculpting, its ‘Structure’ treatment focuses on breath work, face sculpting massage, intra-oral buccal massage and lymphatic drainage to enhance circulation, softening of deep lines and skin texture. Other options include the ‘Amber’ facial, featuring a vitamin-rich pumpkin peel, the ‘Remedy’, which offers a relaxing reset or ‘Nano Fusion’, which incorporates skin needling.
Skin Angel
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Based in Armadale, Skin Angel is a luxurious, light-filled skin clinic in Armadale. Its menu features a range of offerings, including corrective treatments and facials, clinical facials, and corrective and clinical peels. And if you’re not sure what to book in for, you can opt for a virtual or in-person consultation or skin analysis.
Grown Alchemist
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Grown Alchemist’s Retail Lab in Carlton is a meticulously designed holistic beauty destination, made up in an industrial-inspired style and fitted with an air-purifying filtration system that detoxifies and improves your skin from the second you step through the door. The treatment menu includes targeted facials for dehydration, ageing skin, rosacea, sensitive skin, blemishes, pigmentation and more, all of which can be packaged up with other treatments for a full pamper experience.
Clinica Lase
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Specialising in an extensive range of skin and laser treatments, Clinica Lase’s Carlton outpost is worth a visit if you’re someone with a list of targeted skin concerns. Highlights of the treatment menu include a celebrity-favourite Oxygen Facial, which uses a hyperbaric oxygen machine to infuse serums deep into the dermal layers of the skin. There’s also the laser-based Pico Genesis facial, designed to reduce the appearance of uneven skin tone and pigmentation.
Mecca Aesthetica
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And we’d be remiss to share any facial directory without a nod to Mecca’s new flagship on Bourke Street. Fit with an entire wing dubbed ‘Mecca Aesthetica’, the beauty giant is now offering an entire menu of dedicated skin treatments. From customised clinical treatments to laser renewal, Meso skin needling, oxygen facials and more, there’s a whole skincare playground waiting for you to try it out.
Comma
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Cremorne boutique bathhouse Comma has a signature facial on its menu dubbed ‘The Calm Visage Facial ‘. It’s billed as “a facial without the new age fancy”, relying on good old-fashioned massage to create a relaxing and rejuvenating spa experience. The process as a whole involves cleansing, exfoliating, a vitamin infusion, a hydrating face mask and a whole lot of massaging. While you’re there, you can also treat the rest of your body with add-on treatments, the sauna and some time in the bathhouse.
NU28 Medical Aesthetics
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NU28 is a medical aesthetics company based in Armadale, bringing Korean beauty technology to Australia. Designed to help maintain a 28-day cell turnover cycle, its tailored programs can reduce the appearance of ageing, pigmentation, fine lines and vascularity.
Me Skin and Body
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Me Skin and Body is staffed by a team of consummate professionals, offering up a wide range of facials from the salon’s extensive treatment menu. This includes detoxifying treatments, infusions (including a blueberry infusion, which sounds delicious), laser toning, lactic peels and more. For newbies who aren’t sure what they need, the Therapist Choice is a guided experience that involves a complimentary skin analysis to figure out the most effective treatments for your skin.
Melanie Grant
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Melanie Grant has launched herself to near-cult status in the beauty world, thanks to her individualised approach to skincare and her focus on clinical beauty. Her Los Angeles studio is a favourite among celebrities but you can also visit the Armadale outpost for Melanie’s range of clinical and organic treatments. Prices vary depending on what options you choose and can err on the steep side. That said, testimonials don’t lie and a host of followers swear by the clinic.
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