KNUTSFORD isn’t short of beauty establishments. I spotted at least half a dozen when visiting new boutique La La Spa on King Street. They take beauty seriously in this Cheshire town.
I suppose given its reputation for botoxed, pumped up, nipped and tucked, veneered persons who may or may not have a footballer companion, there’s a supply and demand element to spa offerings.
My skin has vastly improved since adolescence but the scars of experiments with Clearasil and tube of tooth paste has remained
And when I arrived I spotted not a hair untamed and not a nail unpolished. There’s nothing like the perfectly preened to make your flaws seem a little more obvious.
First off, on my first visit to the salon I ended up stranded in Buxton, although the journey on the correct train is quick and simple enough.
The second time I arrived make up less and bared my imperfect skin marred with acne blemishes, an uneven skin tone and hormonal break-outs. My skin has vastly improved since adolescence but the scars of experiments with Clearasil and a tube of toothpaste has remained.
As a salon that specialised in skin facials, La La Spa planned to help me out.
Specialist facials at La La Spa Knutsford
As a boutique salon, it’s welcoming in the way we’ve come to expect from the beauty industry. There’s smartly uniformed staff with perfect smiles and there’s that familar serene calmness mostly founds in spas, churches, meditation centres and libraries. While the name would suggest an overtly girly-girl place of business, La La Spa is modern and sophisticated.
Maddy Sowerby, owner of La La Spa in Knutsford
I was to get La La Spa's Active Resurface Facial by Dermologica (£55). The facial promised to tackle my issue with pigmentation and promote an even skin tone. It was to involve an intensive resurfacing of my skin to tackle scarring.
Dermologica is a skincare brand as ubiquitous to spas as models and actresses are to the Hollister clothes store. As Dermologica can be even more expensive than big skin brands Clinique and Clarins, I’ve never made a purchase.
Dermologica Active Resurface Products.
A Dermologica patient fights melasma with Active Resurface
Still, my therapist and spa manager, Julie Snyed, claimed with monthly skin brightening facials I would see an improvement and the facial would also promote anti-ageing.
Of course, the proof would be in the results. Much like my forever-young parents, wrinkles are likely not to be an issue for me for awhile. Pigmentation is my problem.
Taking me into La La Spas charming treatment room, Julie encouraged me to get comfortable. The facial was to include a massage and as well as tackling my skin issues, relaxation was also the aim.
The treatment room
My skin was examined under blue light for key problem areas around my forehead, cheeks and chin. Comfortingly, Julie was confident that my skin was already in good condition and that the facial would just give it a boost.
Then, a succession of oils was massaged into my face, neck and chest.
At some point Vitamin E was spritzed onto my skin and startled me in my sleeplike coma state. It felt as if it had began to rain.
"I won't use the spritz next time, " Julie laughed.
Those with beauty know-how have long championed Vitamin E extract as a proven treatment for lightening spots of discoloration and tackling anti-ageing. Once rubbished along with the old wives technique of rubbing raw lemon on bare skin, it's now commonly hailed as a super vitamin across the board.
For one hour, there was a combination of warm, cold and tingly sensations that I was reassured were all normal.
L'Oréal's post brightening skinMassaging my hands and applying pressure to my chest Julie was done.
On reveal, my skin was noticeably brighter and I glowed in a ‘just spent two weeks in the Algarves’ sort-of way. Those pesky pigmentation spots hadn’t dulled as of yet, but overall my complexion looked even.
There was hope that with regular treatments, my leopard spots would fade and I could retire the concealer stick.
Contrary to when I arrived, I could leave bare-faced and with my head held high. And on the right train home this time.
Find out more about La La Spas treatments on the website here.
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