No one hates going to the gym more than ME but guess what? I've found a kind of gym I can definitely get on board with. The FACE GYM. As I explained in last weeks blog post, I've signed up to Face Camp, the new facial exercise concept at the Face Gym beauty concession at Selfridge's.
I booked in for my first signature Face workout last week and to be honest I didn't know what to expect. Is it a workout, is it a facial, is it face yoga, it is just a load of rubbish?? Read on and find out.
We started off with a light head massage, with my Face Trainer gently pushing on the pressure points around the scalp and along the shoulders. Like a super comfortable squeeze, it was so relaxing - I wish that part lasted longer!
My face was then cleansed with a lovely smelling Rosehip Seed cleanser before being wiped off with fresh hot cotton pads. Lovely, like a hot towel after a meal, but in cotton pad form. I might try heating up my cotton pads..
After the cleanse, was a session of long, sweeping strokes across the face in order to get circulation going - essentially, this was the warmup. My face was massaged in the direction of the lymph nodes, in order to remove congestion from around the face
These long strokes then started to speed up and we moved into the cardio element! This cardio session involves a series of flicks, pinches and light taps across the face. Sounds quite brutal, and I tell you, it's not gentle.
With my eyes closed it was difficult to work out exactly what the therapist was actually doing but my face was definitely buzzing and feeling warm afterwards, very much like when you go for a run (not that I would know much about that)
Next the interesting part. It was time for the face ball! So I was a bit dubious when I found out about the face ball as it's essentially a teeny face-sized version of the big purple Swiss balls that I try and do ab crunches on. I must emphasise the word TRY - imagine a turtle overturned on it's shell and you get the idea.
Now the million dollar question. How were they going to use the face ball on me? Were they going to make me do chin situps? Jaw rises? Well actually the answer was not as weird as I thought it might be.
The ball is pressed firmly into the face before being slowly twisted on the pressure points around the eyebrows, the cheekbones and the jawline. It's meant to be incredibly effective at stimulating the facial bones and trust me I think I felt it! It wasn't painful or uncomfortable but it wasn't exactly relaxing - an inflatable is literally being pushed around your face. Personally I actually really liked the pressure and it was surprisingly satisfying but I think face balling is not necessarily for everyone. It's like a deep tissue massage for your face.
Next up, a Derma roller (little spiky paint roller) was rolled around my face to stimulate the skin and keep the circulation going. My face trainer said that I could do this every day so I'm actually quite keen to get a derma roller to do at home!
Finally, to cool and calm the skin, a chilled Jade roller was rolled around my face in upwards motions. Rather unusual, I've never had anything like that in a facial treatment. Quite pleasant really, given that it's essentially a giant polished rock.
A quick spritz and a gentle moisturiser applied, and I was done! My skin was quite red from the circulation, but the texture was lovely and smooth.
I had a 9am Sat appt as it was so popular to book!
The next day, my face seemed firmer and less puffy in the morning but I'll report back after my course of 4 treatments. So far, so good. THe Face Gym workout is definitely something different - much more of a mini muscle workout rather than a facial. Also, it's done in the Beauty Hall in Selfridges, not in a separate treatment room so it's not very relaxing.
If you're a big fan of medi-pedi's and the 'science' behind beauty, then I think you'll really enjoy this. But if you're a spa and scented oils kinda of person, then you might want to try a facial.
Will be back to report once I've done the next treatment, the ELECTRICAL LIFT. Yup, a high watttage tool will combine fat burning and face sculpting technology to give instant lift.... let's see shall we?
You can book a session at the Face Gym here.
Are you a fan of the science, or do just want something that smells nice? Tweet me your thoughts @FaceValueBlog or send me a comment on Facebook!