Last month we recommended Singapore’s best facial salons in 2015. Well, these salons are not just for women – they are for us men as well.
You may think that going for a facial would be highly embarrassing and compromise your masculinity.
But just as your car needs servicing by a mechanic every once in a while, your skin needs a professional to ensure your skin is healthy and slow down aging as well.
So before you suffer from skin discoloration, wrinkles and a whole host of other skin issues that make you look older than what you intended, we give you FIVE solid reasons why you NEED to get a facial!
1. You’ll Get a Smoother Shave
Whether you shave everyday or once every fortnight, the continuous dragging of a razor across sensitive facial skin can cause irritation. Trust me when I speak as someone with significant growth in facial hair after 8 hours: I relate to this skin irritation after my shave.
Photo: Flickr
According to Shiori from NUA Singapore, razor burn, inflammation, and irritation from shaving over pimples are common occurrences that happen after shaving in men.
And that is how a facial solves these problems – it deep cleans bumps and soothes irritated skin.
Here’s how it works
The combination of exfoliation, essential oils, masks, and moisturizers that a therapist typically applies, will reduce the shaving’s side effects, making your skin smoother than ever. And the smoother your skin, the better and less painful your shaving experience will be!
2. Effective removal of blocked pores and blackheads
According to Grace from Geranium Skin Boutique, men generally experience a higher oil production in their skin due to higher testosterone levels. This would then result in men’s skin being more susceptible to blocked pores and blackheads than women.
This additional oil in men’s skin is the main cause for clogged pores. And as it is often known that men don’t always focus on cleansing well, these clogged pores eventually become blackheads and pimples.
Here’s how it works
During a facial, the aesthetician will perform an extraction, which is the precise removal of oil and dirt that’s clogging pores.
However, you may cause serious skin damage if the extraction is not done properly so always seek a skin professional.
The extraction process may sound painful, but it all depends on the therapist who is working with you.
At Geranium, the therapists are well-trained to ensure an almost painless extraction. In fact, a lot of customers fell asleep under these skillful hands during extraction!
3. The Pros help you understand your skin type better
Just because it is commonly known that men produce more oil, doesn’t mean that your face is “oily”. There are times when excessive oil is produced to compensate for those of you with dry skin.
Facials are therefore very useful in helping you to identify and understand your skin type better.
Here’s how it works
For men with dry skin, you’ll need a facial that leaves your skin hydrated and moisturized. Conversely, for those of you with oily skin, you will need a facial that decreases your shine, shrinks your pores and exfoliates your skin.
Other than giving you the right facial that suits your facial needs, knowing your skin type can be very helpful in choosing the right facial products for your face!
That is why we love NUA Singapore so much; the facial therapists at NUA go the extra mile in introducing new techniques in applying facial products. In addition to that, they provide a great explanation on why the order in which to use them is important.
Good facial therapists should be engaging and patient. So it would be a good opportunity for you to ask them any questions with regards to your skin type and the reasons behind why the facial product(s) is beneficial to your skin.
4. Slow down aging
Facials are also known to significantly slow down aging!
It takes a good amount of muscles to work in our faces when expressing ourselves in conversation. And with that happening on a daily basis, it is no surprise that wrinkles start to appear, even in our 20’s!
Although this is no miracle pill to stop that from happening, facials do ensure proper skin care! And with proper skin care, the body will undergo aging at a somewhat slower rate.
If you are thinking of which anti-aging facials to try out, here’s 3 that we recommend!
1. ION REMEDY by Queen’s Market
The ION Remedy includes deep pore cleansing, exfoliation, lymphatic massage technique and an additional ION Cream pack. On top of the exfoliation process, which uses PG Kinuhada Komachi to clear dead skin and stubborn blackheads: Queen’s Market uses PG Uruoi Komachi. This is a bonus because PG Uruoi Komachi contains hylauronic acid, collagen, placenta and proteoglycan, which hydrates the skin and makes it firmer. The lymphatic massage that follows from the exfoliation process helps to clear away excessive water retention from the face. And finally, ION Cream pack contains ingredients to help reduce wrinkles, acne and facial sagging.
Microcurrent Facial and Eye Treatment by NUA Singapore
NUA Singapore is already frequented by quite a few Office Professionals in-the-know during lunchtime for their Microcurrent Eye and Facial Treatment!
How the treatment works:
Essentially, the microcurrent delivers tiny electrical impulses that mirror the body’s own natural bioelectrical field. This, in turn, helps to re-educate the facial muscles and increase blood and lymph circulation. It will also heighten the production of collagen and elastin.
This is an effective treatment for puffy eyes, dark circles and visible wrinkles for men. It promotes circulation and strengthens the eye muscle whilst ensuring that the chosen vitamin serum penetrates well.
It is so good that Shiori (founder of NUA) promises visible results, even after 1 session.
At an affordable price of $40 for their microcurrent eye treatment, this fast process is quickly becoming an ideal treatment during lunchtime.
You certainly won’t want to miss out!
Guasha Facial by Geranium Skin Boutique
The signature facial in Geranium, the Guasha facial has won many awards in Beauty Magazines for their effectiveness even within a single session!
How the treatment works:
Highly experienced therapists will use a guasha board made of water buffalo horn to gently stroke the face— stimulating the facial muscles and lymph nodes. This, will in turn give a visible lift to the skin, reducing dark circles, puffiness and even revitalizing tired sagging skin!
Here’s the part you would want to pay attention to: Beauty Undercover readers are offered 85% off their Guasha Facial at $18 (UP: $120).
This is for first time users, so it would be perfect to try if you haven’t!
5. Great time to rest and relax
This is perhaps the greatest reason why you need a facial.
You may feel that it is a little bit out of your comfort zone when going to a facial salon for the first time. But given that our recommendations are located in private areas of Singapore, away from the public eye, it is also a great way to relax and ease the stress during your lunch hour or after work.
Both NUA Singapore and Queen’s Market are located in Tanjong Pagar, on the second floor of a shop house, which is a good location if you work near the CBD.
Geranium is located just behind Lavender MRT station, in an area which is not so easily visible!
Expectations on the facial experience for those not in the know
Here is a clip notes version on what to expect (from a good facial salon) if you’ve never gone for a facial before.
- You will feel like you’re being brought into a room of wonders in low light with soothing music ululating.
- Your therapist will figure out upon closer inspection, the type of skin issues you are faced with and will subsequently recommend products that will best suit your skin type and inform you on problem areas.
- She may then use an exfoliating product on your skin. At this point, I will assure you that you haven’t lost your manhood – only some dead skin.
- She may then proceed to perform the necessary extractions to remove those nasty blackheads.
- Depending on the treatment plan designed for you, the therapist may then use facial machines such as microcurrent or guasha to help achieve the promised facial effects.
- Now here are the perks– a neck, scalp and arm massage. An integral part of most facial appointments, these massages are responsible for making your wives and girlfriends come back for more. As your stress melts away slowly (and you sink comfortably into your chair), you may begin to snore (which I’m told is a compliment to the cosmetologist.)
- Finally, a mask will be applied to hydrate and soothe the skin.
When you finally convince yourself to get out of the chair – you will feel clean, rested, stress-free and younger.
In short, you will feel wonderful.
Facials shouldn’t be dubbed ‘for women only’, and it definitely extends to us men. After all, it is all about treating your face the way it deserves to be treated!
If you are still a little shy, it is perfectly okay to get your partner, who is probably a lot more familiar with facials, to accompany you on your first time.
Have you tried a facial before?
Share your experience with us below!