London is the best city in the world, but no amount of greatness should ever distract us from its grimey, polluted air. When I was younger, I remember coming into London for the day and my snot would literally be black by the time I got home. TMI? Probably. But now imagine what that means for our skin, particularly if you’re living in the city, or travelling in regularly for work.
SKINWORK in Soho has the perfect solution to all the gunkiness that reaches our pores: and that’s their signature City Cleanse facial. They invited me in to try it out, and I didn’t hesitate to accept. I’ve always been curious about facials, but never allowed myself to make my skin a priority.
As a skincare novice who is very new to the land of serums and hyaluronic acid, I wasn’t sure what to expect of my trip. I arrived barefaced and doe-eyed, initially just in awe of how beautifully understated the reception is. As soon as you walk in, you feel immediately at ease: and the space’s minimal vibe heroes their lovely, sage green skincare products.
My lovely therapist Erin was great, and ever so patient when I told her how little I knew about what is essentially her bread and butter. My skin story is boring but significant, in that I never had huge problems growing up (aside from the odd mountain that would always appear at the most inconvenient of times – school photos tomorrow? Spot! First date tonight? Spot!) — and actually, it has only been in recent years that I’ve experienced acne and other unwanted lumps and bumps on my face.
The session started off with a personalised skin assessment, where we discovered that my skin was quite dehydrated and the area around my nose was particularly sensitive. It was also clear that Erin had quite a lot of work to do after I’d not been giving my face the TLC it deserves. SKINWORK‘s City Cleanse was the perfect detox as it extracted any nastiness from my pores using a sort of hoover-like instrument, and an acid peel that seemed to start me off on a clean slate. There was rather a lot of pinching and squeezing, some of which wasn’t very pleasant, but that was counteracted by a glorious arm and shoulder massage that could have sent me to sleep.
I’d absolutely recommend the experience, especially if you’ve never had a proper facial before — the results really did surprise me. I noticed the difference straight away, but a week later my skin felt softer then ever before. Facials are never cheap, but if you’re after a ‘me moment’ and/or have been feeling discontent about your skin for a little while – let me be the one to tell you that you deserve this.
Erin was able to recommend specific products to me after getting up close and personal with my skin, and the whole experience has also motivated me to wash my make up brushes more often and DRINK! MORE! BLOODY! WATER! So, if nothing else, it was the kick up the arse I needed to do better. Now excuse me while I switch tabs to book myself another treatment.
SKINWORK have very kindly offered Secret London readers £50 off a SKINWORK Signature Facial*, and all you need to do is book online and quote ‘SECRET50’ in the studio at checkout. Head to the SKINWORK website now before you change your mind.
*Not valid to redeem against a Skin Fix Facial, skincare, facial add-ons, vouchers, courses, or in conjunction with any other offer. Must be redeemed by 29th December 2023.