I discovered this place through the SXSW Wellness Expo. I was asked to schedule an appointment for a free facial and opted in since I worked just down the street and thought it might be nice to pop in for a quick relaxing facial on my lunch break one day. Boy was I wrong! From the beginning the vibe when I walked in seemed very cold and pretentious. I was asked to sit down and then given an ipad to fill in details about myself, however was not asked how my day was, welcomed in, or asked for any refreshment. Once I completed a lengthy questionnaire I was taken to another room very close to the waiting area where there were several chairs grouped together where I was to get my facial (I have never experienced this before, in the few times I've had facials in the past I was always taken to a private room where I could lie down with dim lighting and candles, etc). The facial was OK, although it did not include any masks and stung a bit. I thought the burning/tingling was normal as there was another woman in the same room having the same treatment commenting how she was experiencing the same sensations. That evening I noticed was my skin was still quite red but thought it would look better in the morning. I was shocked when I looked in the mirror the next day to see my skin was dry, red, and peeling along my nose and cheeks. It has been a little over a week since this and my skin is just starting to get back to normal (which is generally very good, supple, smooth, even toned skin). In addition, after my facial I was shown the myriad of products they had used on my face and asked if I would like to purchase any of them to take home. When I asked for the prices I received once again a very irritated and quiet response. I decided to get four of the 6 which were priced somewhat reasonably at $28, $32, and $60, or so I thought. After I had provided payment I asked for a receipt (again annoyed response) and after looking at it noticed my bill had come to $250, a little more than I was prepared for in that moment. When I asked for the prices again I found it one item was actually $160 not $60. After finding this out I asked if it would be a problem to return that one item as it costed significantly higher than what I had thought. Now she was really irritated! She said, and I quote "You should have told me when you gave me your card". I explained that I had heard her wrong and that she had said it was $100 less than the actual cost. She stated she was unable to return it at the moment as she was filling in and didn't know how to do that but that someone else, who was in a meeting at the time, would do it later. I agreed and left. I received a call about 10 minutes later stating that the return had been processed, when I asked for a receipt I was told it would be sent to me via text. After a few hours with no text I asked again and it was sent in a snip, no text attached.
Anyway getting back to post-facial skin issues, I am aware that I have a sensitivity to salicylic acid, however as I don't have problems with breakouts it's not really an issue for me. During the facial I was asked what kinds of concerns I had with my skin and I mentioned dryness and the sensitivity. I was told not to worry about any of their products as they are all all-natural, however it turns out that the cleanser they used and I purchased had salicylic acid as the main ingredient, ie the peeling. I ended up calling and talking to someone about my experience and I was asked to first take a picture of my skin and text it to them (as proof I guess since I could be lying just to be mean) and to return in a few days so they could take a look at my skin in person (in case I had sent a photo of someone who was not me?). After looking at my face with gloves for about 10 minutes they determined (shocker) I have a sensitivity to salicylic acid! They offered to return the cleanser I had purchased, but not the other items. I still have two of their products, but honestly I am afraid to use them. I checked the ingredients and although they do not contain salicylic acid I can't pronounce half of the other ingredients. I think I will just have to chock all of this up to experience, throw away the products, and go back to my trusty lush (where all of the ingredients are not only pronounceable but generally foods I digest). read more