By Marcy Clark
Exciting news!!! Our favorite makeup artist, esthetician and hilariously truth-telling New Jersey author and spa owner Lora Condon has won for the 4th time in a row in the National SPA WEEK awards! This is her 3rd year winning best facial, and her 4th year winning Best Treatment. I wanted to know, what makes the best facial in the nation?!?
What Constitutes “The Best” Facial?
Two times a year Spa Week runs a national program where spas around the country offer customers spa treatments for only $50. Customers then vote for their favorite spa in different categories and Lora Condon’s, Magic Hands Skin & Body Spa recently won for the 4th time and 3rd time in the category for Best Facial. Lora, The Beauty Buster, now shares her secrets on how to give the best facial and what customers should look for and expect while visiting the spa. Lora will also reveal the number one mistake estheticians make during a facial.
- Choose An Esthetician with Advanced Knowledge – The more knowledge the esthetician has at her fingertips, the better result you’ll get from your facial. Just like a college graduate won’t have the experience and knowledge of a CEO, the same goes for your facialist. A quality esthetician will take a few classes every year to learn new techniques and stay on trend.
- Use Your Senses – A quality esthetician will use all five senses to send you to heaven and back in an hour. She should have a firm but gentle touch with massage as well as extractions. The products should smell good with essential oils as the natural fragrance not artificial perfume. One of the most important senses is actually hearing and listening to what the client asks for and give it to them if possible. If they have acne and want deep cleaning, focus on cleaning not massage. Talking during a facial is a “touchy” subject. The client should determine how much talking goes on during a facial. Conversation should be about the client’s skin, beauty needs and beauty goals.
- Educate the client – An educated client is the best client and many times it is the esthetician’s job to dispel beauty magazine or internet myths. A great esthetician helps with homecare in a non-pushy way and show them the benefits of using professional products.
- Passion For The Job – You’re in luck if your esthetician actually owns the spa or has an incredible reputation aside from the spa. Big name spas tend to hire people right out of school with no experience; basically because they’re cheap labor and they make their money on volume not returning clients. If the esthetician is the owner or highly regarded, you’re more likely to be in good hands.
The biggest mistake that estheticians make is over-steaming the skin. Some estheticians say the reason for steaming the skin is to open the pores. This is false. Pores do not open or close like gills on our face. This is a lie that salespeople made up to sell products like toners. Steam or warm, moist heat is used to soften the dead skin cells and should not be used for more than three minutes far away from the skin in order to make the skin pliable enough for extractions. After three minutes, the skin starts to become irritated, red, more sensitive, flushed and dehydrated. This is the reason that people are often red and blotchy after a facial. Warm, moist towels are the perfect way to achieve the same result without irritating the skin. Clients might miss the steam, but they sure won’t miss the blotchy, red patches.
For more on Lora Condon, her beauty and esthetic services and her spa Magic Hands Skin & Body call visit www.makeupwithme.com
Tel. 973-467-0992 Salon Hours
Tel. 973-715-3826 After Hours
Also, check out her amazing SPA WEEK specials starting October 10th:
Spa Week Specials Starting October 10, 2011
Check out these incredible $50 spa treatments for only $50 each
1) Semi-permantent mascara called Lash Dip with FREE gift – 55 min.
2) Partial eyelash extensions with FREE gift
3) Organic medical ultrasound facial with FREE gift – 55 min.
