In April’s issue of Psychologies (out now), our editorial team became our Beauty Community panel, testing and whittling down a plethora of facials to bring you the top five available nationwide.
A few weeks after the trial had gone to press, the beauty team were invited to experience a facial available exclusively at the AWAY Spa at the W Hotel in London with Su-Man Hsu, a highly renowned facialist, whose innovative techniques we thought were certainly worth a mention.
The philosophy behind Su-Man’s treatments? Skin looks its most radiant when your body is balanced – any muscle or joint problems must be addressed in order for your skin to glow. She draws on her expertise in the fields of Shiatsu, Pilates and oriental facial massage to work on enhancing inner beauty rather than focusing entirely on the surface skin flaws; spots, pigmentation, wrinkles.
After an initial skin analysis, Su-Man deeply cleansed, streamed and exfoliated my skin. She thoroughly worked out the tension that had built up on the right side of my body all the way up to my temples – months of hunching over a keyboard and years of carrying my whole life in my handbag had hindered my circulation and caused my skin to droop and look rather dull. She repeated every massage stroke 36 times in accordance to the ancient Chinese belief that the number six is lucky and helps lead the individual to a perfect state of health and happiness.
A soothing botanical placenta mask and a toning and moisturising later, I had reached this state. I left with a pair of cheekbones I never knew I had, brighter, firmer, younger looking skin but, most importantly, I left with my equilibrium – body and mind restored.
Su-Man’s Signature Facial – £200 for 60minutes. Thursdays Only.
AWAY Spa is open daily from 9am to 9pm. For further information or to make an appointment call 0207 758 1071 or visit www.wlondon.co.uk/away-spa.