By Vesi Maslenishka
Recently, I popped into The Milestone Hotel, Kensington to try out Sothys new Youth Intensive Facial. I’d never had a facial before, it was my first time and I didn’t really know what to expect. I walked through the lobby, down through a gorgeous swimming pool area and into the spa where I was greeted by the lovely Minna. There was no messing around, she was straight to work on my face.
Minna explained that our skin starts ageing at 20. By the age of 25, we start to see expression lines appearing ever so slightly, but only 20% of this is actually purely biological. The rest 80% is down to the environment we expose our skin to, i.e. UV rays and pollution. This gave me some hope that actions can be taken to slow down signs of ageing.
The treatment is made up of 5 key steps. First, there’s the cleansing and renewing. Minna used a creamy milk cleanser to start and had I been wearing makeup, this would have been the first step to strip it off. When I asked her why they use a milk cleanser as part of the treatment, she told me it was the most traditional way which is not surprising for a brand with 70 years of heritage. She then followed with a pre-exfoliating lotion containing rice derived phytic acid and pure glycolic acid for cell renewal. After this, she used an exfoliating paste. I must admit this was the most uncomfortable part of the whole treatment. You can feel the volcanic rock powder scrubbing away any impurities but I’m glad this was at the beginning because everything that came after was pure euphoria.
Step two targeted areas for youth action. Using two different serums, one placed on your wrinkle zone (your forehead, around the nose and mouth) and the other on your lift zone (everything below the cheeks and mouth), these were massaged into the skin. They smelt divine. Not too strong but lovely and refreshing. The thing about too much fragrance in skincare products is that I tend to stay away. I’m not great with strong smells but this was just right.
At this point, I was so relaxed from Sothys Digi-Esthetique technique used throughout the facial. I barely remember step three – the toning and modelling balm. The Digi-Esthetique technique is trademarked by Sothys. It’s a combination of acupressure and modelling – a type of massage that feels like your face is devouring a whole chocolate cake, it’s indulgent and you never want it to end.
Step four, the multi masking, snapped me right back to reality. At this stage Minna was mixing up all sorts of potions in the background, I wanted to take a peak but I trusted her as she explained she was going to be putting on a mask and leaving it to set. I could feel it tightening but was afraid of how it would peel off. We’ve all seen those scary Instagram videos of people screaming in pain while peeling off their face masks. Luckily though, this did not happen.. phew! Instead, my skin felt fresh and clean, ready for step five – the end of the personalised treatment, where Minna applied additional youth and mattifying serums.
I wasn’t ready for the facial to be over just yet. I didn’t want to open my eyes but I knew I had to. My skin was left feeling delightful with a slight glow to it. Minna recommends up to three sessions, you can see results after just one treatment but you get even better ones with a course of three. Since I had my facial, I’ve been recommending it to everyone. It’s not just the products that are so well thought out, I can see why it’s called the Youth treatment. It’s all the delicious relaxation that comes with it, just that alone will lift off a few years instantly.
Sothys Youth Intensive treatment is available at Sothys spas. Book here.