I've just started my own beauty biz, just a room sectioned off from my hubby's hair salon. I've devised my own treatment menu and would like to know if I've included enough in my facial treatments.

I start off asking the client to fill out a consultation form then I will discuss and recommend a suitable treatment.

Once lying on the bed, I begin by asking the client to take a few deep breaths inhaling and exhaling with my palms above rubbed with a relaxing essential oil. That's how I begin and ending is with a motivating or revitalising oil.

1.Cleansing
2.Skin analysis (i prefer to do this when the skin is clean)
3.Skin peeling/exfoliation (with steamer + ozone for some clients)
4.Mask 1
5.Shoulder & neck massage while the mask is setting
6.Remove mask
7.Facial massage with ampoule/essence suited to client's skin condition
8.Cleanse face with warm water + refresher (rose water)
9.Mask 2 (applies depending on treatment selected)
10. Remove mask
11. Eyebrow trim (i don't provide waxing so this is when i just trim and tidy up the brow)
11. Tone & moisturize
12. Essental oil to finish off (as mentioned above)

That's what I generally include in all my treatments, do you think it's sufficient. I don't include machines in my treatments as the professional line I use calls for the manual massage method. My treatments goes for an hour to an hour & 15 mins at the most.

I would love any advice or comments, thanks in advance! Striving to improve and keep my clients happy.

Im no skin geek, but it sounds wonderful to me, almost got me nodding off just reading it.

I start off with an eye and lip cleanse,superficial face cleanse then skin analysis. I then do a deep cleanse to remove every last trace of debris and make up before exfoliation. The rest of the routine is roughly similar to yours.

However, you are offering an in-depth service and certainly not missing any thing out!!!!

In college I was never taught to get the clients to enhale essential oil from the palms, but I know they were taught this in aromatherapy and I had it done to me when I had a Germaine facial last week ....... and it was heaven.

I would follow your initial cleanse by a quick tone which will help to freshen up the skin for analysis. The 2nd mask I would leave until after the eyebrow trim as it is a final theraputic and relaxing treatment just prior to final cleans and tone. I would also leave the massage until after the trim but just before the mask because cleanse, tone, analysis, exfoliation and trim are really functional procedures, whereas the latter are functional but relaxing.

Of course, much depends on the products you are using and what is required, but there is certainly enough there in your treatment to make it worthwhile.

I would leave the trim out altogether. I can't remember the last time I had a facial and that was included.

Is it common practice to do 2 masks during a facial? At college I was taught eye area and lip cleanse, superficial cleanse, tone, deep cleanse, tone, exfoliate, mask and moisturise. Is this wrong?

No its not wrong at all. I think its the norm to do 1 mask.

Different skin ranges use different gimmicks, some use 2 masks, I've even seen one range use a mask with another mask on top of that!

I personally do what you do.

Hi hun i love the idea of you getting your clients to breathe before the treatment.
I have noticed that you haven't included extraction and also you have two masks? A mask should be applied after massage as this warms up the skin to allow penetration of the mask. I think one mask is enough if left on for the correct amount of time.You dont have to apply just one all over, you can put different masks on different parts of the face. Also if your client has dry skin it is really good to carry out your massage and put the mask on top, without wiping the massage medium off.
I also pre cleanse and after skin anaylisis, cleanse again .
Hope this helps
xxxx

Decleor do something similar in the Aromaplasty facial, where after the oil & balm have been massaged in a skin specific mask is applied, onto which gauze is placed & a seed poultice applied. Besides the benefits to be had from the seeds included, it also has an occlusive effect, enabling deeper penetration of the mask's active ingredients.

You could not have worded that any bettr Martin....actually applying the mask on top of the massage medium is quite a common occurrrnce in facial treatments with French brands....

Also,letting the client smell the products and inhaling the benefits of the oils is a sensorial pleasure for the facial,and can stimulate the olfactory system,which in itself is having a benefit on the mind and body as a whole

Wow thank you all so much for your valuable advice and suggestions. It really has helped me out a lot!

I will definitely be changing the steps around a bit to make it flow better, especially with massage then mask. I apply a second mask mainly as the skin care line I use suggests it in the treatment but I also think that it's a gimmicky thing too so the client feels they are getting more value for money. The first mask I apply is always a cleansing one with mud or mineral mask, so the second would be either a hydrating, whitening or collagen rich mask whatever the skin condition calls for.

I usually spend approx. 10 mins on the shoulder & neck massage and no less than 15 mins for facial, is this adequate? All in all, my treatments take at least 70-90 mins, as sometimes I spend more time massaging or letting the mask set. Oh and I do do extractions just after or sometimes during the steam and I tend to keep it short and light handed as much as possible unless I'm doing a deep cleansing/purifying facial. It's the least enjoyable step of a facial and I don't like to get my clients all teary eyed..hehe!

I've gained so much from the responses to my thread, thank you again for taking the time to comment. Have a good day!

Hi there. Sometimes while i put an enzyme peel or a mask while waiting for it to set , I exfoliate the hands and apply an oil or a deep moisturizing mask ,wrap in a towel till the end of the treatment. I usually do that for my regular clients as a treat. THey love, since hands are usually ignored.

Good luck

wow! excellent idea.