Day Spa Review: Hydrodermabrasion at Bodhi J Health + Beauty Spa, Wembley, Perth.

My skincare routine has really been ramping up lately. I’ve started a course of LED light treatments at mi:skn (15 minutes of blue light to kill acne bacteria, then 15 minutes of red light to rejuvenate the skin and get the blood flowing), have been seeing a lovely naturopath, Marnie Downer, for the past 6 weeks who has prescribed me some hormone balancing herbal remedies (more on this to come!), have been drinking copious amounts of green juices and water – and am about to get back into exercise in a serious manner by way of a new personal trainer!!

The next step was to try something I’d been wanting to experience for a long time – microdermabrasion! Buoyed by all the positive reviews our other contributors have had (check ’em out here, here and here!), I was super excited to try hydradermabrasion – which is microdermabrasion, with a h20 twist!

♥ ♥ ♥

My experience started with a deluxe treat, a 90 minute ‘Retreat for One‘ that was my gift for starting a new full-time job last month. This is one of my all time favourite pamper sessions, I recommend it to everyone.

But back to the facial: it starts with an orchid filled, dimly lit room. My head resting on one of the comfiest pillows of all time, with another pillow under my knees and a deliciously cosy blanket – no chance of getting chilly here!

I have combination skin, so my face is cleansed with the Sodashi Clay Cleanser with Lime (this is the one I use at home too) to balance it out.

Next, the microdermabrasion machine comes out to play, it’s kind of like the tube at the dentist which sucks up your saliva, but with a little abrasive brush on the tube so the dead skin cells are brushed off then sucked up like magic. The second part of the process is where the hydro comes in, it feels a bit like a cats rough tongue as the tiny stream of high-pressured water is applied and then sucked up, flushing the pores clean with pure water.

At this point I touched my skin and it felt SMOOTH. Smoother than I have ever felt it. I didn’t have too long to think about that though, as the Sodashi Recovery Boost was applied, along with a calming mask to reduce any redness (which was minimal). My scalp was then whisked to heaven with a dreamy massage… at this point I was struggling to stay awake, and as the hot towels enveloped my face to take off the mask, I felt like snuggling into the bed and staying there all day.

♥ The Bodhi J Relaxation Lounge

Unluckily for me there were other people with much deserved pamper time waiting for their time in the gorgeous room, so with a hydrating Sodashi serum applied, I dragged myself out of there and into the comfortable relaxation lounge for a cup of mint & chamomile tea, a strawberry and some reflection on the blissful 2.5 hours (including my retreat for one) that had just passed.

The verdict? My skin LOVED the hydrodermabrasion. 24 hours+ later, it’s still feeling super smooth. My chin is prone to some pimples, and it hasn’t cleared those up, but the rest of my skin is looking great and I’ll definitely be adding microdermabrasion to my skin maintenance routine 4-5 times a year.

The Hydrodermabrasion treatment is valued at $140 and was provided complimentary for review, read our review policy here!

Find out more about Bodhi J Health + Beauty spa on their website.

Have you tried microdermabrasion before? What about hydrodermabrasion? I’d love to hear anyone elses experience with either of these treatments!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Beauty Treatment Review: Diamond Flower Peel at Willow Advanced Beauty Therapy, Jindalee, Perth.

The Diamond Flower Peel system at Willow Advanced Beauty Therapy in Jindalee is a first for Perth, and the buzz that it’s generated is considerable. As something of a microdermabrasion novice (I’ve had it done, without really knowing what it was), it took me a little puzzling to clarify the difference between regular microdermabrasion and DFPS – in layman’s terms, the material that comes in contact with the skin is organically sourced, thus gentler, and comes in three options: Lavender for sensitive skin, Rose for older or dehydrated skin, and Tea Tree for oily or acne prone skin.

Lauren (my ultra friendly beautician and proprietor) recommended Lavender for my oily, sensitive skin – she also explained that depending on my skins response to this session, we could switch to Tea Tree in a later session.

The options are based on more than scent, though – the small, airborne particles in the microdermabrasion handset are also derived from the plant chosen, meaning that everything going on your face is naturally derived – and hygienic, the particles are ejected and collected in a waste chamber on the machine.

The treatment commences much like a normal facial – a deep cleanse, toning, light exfoliation, then the microdermabrasion. Lauren used a tool that was similar to a narrow air chamber with a suction nozzle on the end – the idea being that a circle of skin is gently sucked into the air chamber, where the flying particles within remove the dead layer of skin and polish the new layer beneath. Afterwards Lauren put a mask on me, massaged me (I’ve had shoulder massages and hand massages, but I had NO IDEA arm massages were so good) and applied serum, eye cream and moisturiser. It’s roughly a one hour session, in a low-lit room, under a heated blanket. And yes, it was just as awesome as it sounds.

We’d ascertained fairly early that I was far more touch-sensitive than product sensitive, so I emerged rather pink – but my skin felt really plump and refreshed, and I was extremely mellow all the way home. You really can’t overestimate the wellbeing you get from just an hour of being tended to – massage, facial, whatever. Once my skin had paled back out, over the next few days I noticed how easily makeup slid on and stayed put, and how much more easily it removed. My face felt and looked – tighter, and had more of an even tone than it usually does.

Microdermabrasion traditionally takes place over a set number of courses, and I can only imagine the results after a full six. This is a process I’d absolutely be happy to do a full row set of when my skins looking dull – beyond brightening and lifting the skin, it’s a full on sensory luxury. Visit Lauren in the Jindalee clinic for a similarly blissed out experience.

Lauren has also extended a Microdermabrasion special to Wellness WA readers – book in for a six-session run and pay $540, a hefty saving of $210

Add a product infusion treatment to the procedure and pay $700, saving $380. This is good stuff, kids. Give them a call on 9562 7362 and tell em Wellness WA sent you.

Review by Suzanne from Don’t They Know Who I Am?

Do you like the look of this treatment? Fancy having some flowers on your face? Let us know in the comments below!

Be well,

xoxo

Beauty Salon Review: Microdermabrasion @ Ella Retreat Salon (Ella Bache), Floreat Forum.

Treatments undertaken on: 10th, 17th, 24th November 2009

Aside from the obvious rewards of being on the Baskin Robbins email subscriber list which entitles me to one free icecream scoop per year, this is absolutely the most rewarding subscriber list I have found myself on: Ella Express.

I’ve long been an Ella Bache user, but in recent times have found it to be a little expensive for the contents of my purse. This is more a reflection on my own personal financial situation, but that is a can of worms that is best left unopened. Let’s just say that being on this particular database has been a lifesaver and a joy.

So anyway, back to the whole Microdermabrasion thing. Every so often, I’d get an email from Ella Express with some kind of special they are advertising. This could be a Napoloeon makeover session, waxing deal, facial special, whatever. All good and I’ve taken them up on a number of these. I’d been thinking about trying micro for a while but it was unfortunately out of my price range given that they advise you do them in a series of sessions.

Then I got the email: Half price microdermabrasion for the month of November. Hurrah! I promptly booked in for 3 sessions, each costing $60.

The first session was interesting as I’d never had the procedure done and didn’t quite know what to expect. Firstly she cleansed my skin, did the microdermabrasion, then popped on a soothing mask for about 15mins before removing and moisturising. It took about an hour, was quite relaxing and the beautician explained everything well. She also did a skin analysis under the black light and showed me my problem spots and what I could do about them. I was very happy with the result and my skin felt very smooth, clean and even had a glow to it.

The second and third sessions were done by a different beautician who did all the above with the only difference being that while the soothing mask was on, I was given a very lovely hand massage. This was a nice touch! Who would have thought a hand massage could be so relaxing?

The salon itself, was well-presented. The music was fine, your typical relaxation cds I guess and the room smelled all essential oil-like, which I love. The lighting was perfectly dimmed and the bed very comfy, to the point where I could have just rolled over and snoozed the rest of the day away. I don’t think that’s allowed though.

The whole experience was very positive from my perspective, my skin tone visibly improved after 3 sessions and I am eagerly awaiting the next email I receive alerting me to this half-price deal again. As much as I was very pleased with the experience and result, it still remains out of my price range for the time being, but hope that this won’t always be the case.

Editors note: I have personally viewed Sheridan’s skin & it indeed, was glowing after her treatment sessions! I was very impressed & am extremely keen to try this procedure myself – Annette

Sheridan is an enterprising lass who runs music quizzes around Perth, check out “The One Thing Quiz” for more details!

Essential details:

Floreat Forum WA
Floreat Forum Floreat, Western Australia 6014

Phone: +61 8 9284 9777

email: floreat@ellaexpress.com.au

Opening hours:

Mon – Wed & Fri: 9.00 am – 5.30 pm
Thursday: 9.00 am – 9.00 pm
Saturday: 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

Ella Bache products are available online at StrawberryNET!