Monday, August 1, 2016

skoah | Facialiscious Facial Experience

Disclaimer: This was a complimentary facial.
A few days ago, I had the pleasure of visiting my local skoah to try out their popular Facialicious facial. Founded in Vancouver 15 years ago, skoah strives to provide a relaxing, non-intimidating, and laid-back environment where women and men can experience deeply cleansing and nourishing facials customized to their skin. Along with the facial services, skoah also offers a full range of potent yet gentle plant-based products, all made in Vancouver. To read all about my experience, click......

Currently, skoah has quite a few locations in the Greater Vancouver area, along with several stores in Calgary, Seattle, and Boston. I visited the Metrotown skoah, which is tucked away in a quieter area of the mall near Sears. When I got there, I was greeted by the staff, who poured me some water before I was introduced to my esthetician for the session.
skoah Metrotown Store
Dimly lit with calming music playing quietly in the background, the spa room felt super cozy and comfortable. I wasn't able to get a nice photo due to the lighting but the room basically looked the same as the photo on skoah's website.
The heated spa bed had a thick blanket that really helps your body wind down. Since right now is summer, the esthetician kindly turned down the heat but I can imagine how the experience would feel extra comfy and luxurious during the winter time.
The treatment I was going in for is called the Facialicious, this is a 75-minute classic skoah facial that includes the following:
-deep cleansing
-exfoliation
-extraction
-custom masks
-soothing massage
skoah Spa Room | Image via skoah
After the esthetician gave me some time to settle into the bed, she helped me cleanse my face with the Gel Kleanser ($35 CAD), a super gentle cleanser made without oils, sulfates, or alcohol. Afterwards, she helped me tone my skin with the Turbo Tonik ($42 CAD), made with malic acid, a gentle AHA exfoliative, and oleanolic acid, a potent anti-inflammatory ingredient. My esthetician was super knowledgeable about all the products and ingredients, and she was very keen on explaining every step of the process so I was aware of what everything was for.
After cleansing and toning, she applied a thin layer of skoah's best-selling AHA Mask ($38 CAD), a gentle exfoliating mask containing apple and grape-derived glycolic acid. The mask felt quite tingling but it did a really good job at melting away dead skin cells to prevent congestion. After removal of the mask, the esthetician did some extractions (removal of black and white heads using a sterilized extraction tool). The process is admittedly not pleasant but it does work effectively at declogging stuffed pores.
skoah Turbo Tonik
During the extraction process, my esthetician carefully viewed my skin under a bright light and she was very good at identifying some of my key concerns. I have combination/oily skin and since it's been pretty hot these days, my sebum production has just been through the roof. She advised that I should be moisturizing more, with oil-free products to ensure that my skin stays hydrated but not oily. I do admit that when the weather gets hot, I become more reluctant of applying a good moisturizer. The increased sebum production gives me a false sense of being "hydrated". When in reality, being hydrated and being oily are not the same thing (unfortunately).
After the extraction, my skin was toned and treated with the Klearity ($48 CAD) and Hydradew Mask ($48 CAD). Both felt very pleasant and soothing. When the masks are working their magic, the esthetician also provided me with the most relaxing leg, feet, arms, hands, and shoulder massage. I like how everything is incorporated so seamless into the experience, there's no waiting around for the masks to set.
skoah AHA Mask
Finally, my esthetician applied the Skin Boost Serum ($88 CAD), the Eye Kandy Gel ($55 CAD), the Face Kream ($48 CAD), and the Face Lotion 25 ($55 CAD) to finish things off. Because I had a few blemishes going on, she dotted each area with the Kick It Kream ($35 CAD), made with salicylic acid and tea tree oil.
After the Facialiscious Facial treatment, my skin felt so refreshed and clean. I felt super pampered and learned quite a few useful tips for combatting my oily skin in the summertime.
The Facialiscious facial is very much a personalized experience. Becuase I have combination skin and am prone to congestion and blemishes, my skoah esthetician chose all the products that best targeted my issues. So if you have other issues like dryness or dullness, the skoah esthetician would then choose products that would better cater your concerns. Overall, I loved my facial at skoah! The staff was super knowledgeable and the entire experience was very relaxing and calming. I rarely go to spas because they can sometimes be intimidating, but at skoah I definitely felt comfortable and welcomed.

Currently, skoah has locations in Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, and Boston. To check out their product range and available services, click here.
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