Our Facials FAQs

Why should I have a facial?

Regardless of your age or gender, if you want yourskin to look its best you have to take care of it. A facial does for your skin what a month of exercise and good nutrition does for your body, noticeably improve its look and feel. Through exfoliation, deep-cleaning of the pores, stimulating improved circulation, and use of professional-strength products, your estheticiancan makes a lot of progress towards improving your skin in a single session. Like the personal trainer, she has experience, techniques, products and equipment that cannot be replicated at home.

Why should I have regular facials?

While a month at the gym will achieve great results (as willa facial), if you stop exercising and eating well, your body will start heading back to its previous condition. You're still better off than you would have been without that month of conditioning, but if you keep up the program, you will continue to improve your appearance and your health. Likewise, regular facials (especially with an active home-care regimen) will help prevent breakouts, keep your surface cells newer and healthier, and thereby ensure that your skin looks its very best. Your esthetician can recommend the optimal frequency for your particular skin - it will vary from person to person.

Why should I choose New Buffalo Spa to have my facials?

Your facial will be as effective as the training of your esthetician, and the quality of products and equipment at her disposal. New Buffalo Spa offers licensed estheticians who are both clinically skilled and possess a nurturing, client focused approach to skin care. Every individual's skinis unique, and therefore, each service is customized to the individual. Regardless of the type of facial you select, your esthetician will select the products used following complete skin analysis. Further, all products used in New Buffalo Spa facials contain the most effective ingredients available, and have received the stamp of approval from our Board Certified Esthetician Lisa Werner, RN, MMT,. Finally, all standards of hygiene and sanitation are rigorously followed for your safetyand comfort. 

What is involved in a facial at New Buffalo Spa?

First, you will be asked to complete a brief intake form, so your preferences, needs and current product usage can be properly considered. Most of ourclients choose to change into a robe prior to service,and upon entering the treatment room, your esthetician will step out so that you can undress and make yourself comfortable under the linens on a special‚ facial table., Some or all of the following steps will be performed, depending on the analysis and the facial selected: cleansing, skin analysis, exfolation (removal of surface cells), disencrustation (dissolving of surface oils), extractions (see below), application of skin-balancing mask and/or other treatment products, massage, hydration and skin protection.Suggestions for home care will be provided.

What is an extraction?

Extractions are considered the heart of a clinical-style facial - they are the manual removal of sebum (oil and dirt) from your pores. It is the sebum, trapped within the pores beneath the skin's top layers, which can cause breakouts. Once your esthetician performs exfoliation and disencrustation, she will proceed to apply pressure to congested areas on your face, using either her fingers, cotton swabs, or a metal extractor in order to remove the sebum from your pores. Sebum-free pores not only don't develop pimples, they appear much smaller, making your skin look clearer and brighter.

I've heard a facial can cause you to breakout - is this true?

Properly performed, facials generally do not cause breakouts - rather, they speed up the healing process and prevent future breakouts. Improperly performed, the reverse can be true. This is one reason you should carefully select where you choose to receive your facials. The most common cause of post-facial breakouts is incomplete extractions (see above). If an esthetician chooses to extract a pore which is not ready, or if she begins to extract a pore and does not finish the extraction process, this can bring the sebum to the surface and cause a pimple to form. This boils down to the expertise of the esthetician. The facility's investment in products and equipment also play a role. Low-quality products and unnecessary ingredients can cause negative skin reactions. Finally, the use of high-frequency, equipment (to kill bacteria and close the pores at the end of a facial) will decrease the likelihood of post-facial breakouts.

What if I just want to relax and drift off during my facial?

We encourage it, and our estheticians are trained to follow your cues as far as how much talking and information you want during your treatment. New Buffalo Spa facials are designed to be a mix of clinical treatments and relaxing spa experiences. You are under no obligation to make conversation with your esthetician - this won't hurt her feelings! However, please do communicate any discomfort, preferences or questions you may have at any time.

Am I going to be pressured to buy products?

No. We do not spend our facial sessions trying tosell you stuff. However, if you have indicated to your esthetician that you would like to see a change in some facet of your skin - whether it's less acne, better hydration, fewer lines, reduction in sun dam-age, etc. - she can act as your partner in achieving your goals. If you truly want to see a difference inyour skin, you have to participate in taking care of it. Often this means that for best results, a daily home regimen is required.

Choosing the right facial for your skin:

If you select a facial, and your esthetician feels that it is not the right choice for you (following skin analysis), she'll let you know and recommend something else. Please see our service menu for full descriptions and pricing information.

First-timers:

Signature Facial (sensitive, normal, normal-to-dry, normal-to-oily, or combination skin)

Deep-clean Facial for Men (sensitive, normal, normal-to-dry, normal-to-oily, or combination skin)

Special Occasion:

Vitamin C Booster Facial (all skin types)
Rejuvenating Facial (very dry or mature skin)
Epicuren facial (experienced facial recipients)

Oily/Acne-prone:

Clarifying facial (combines relaxing elements with clinical)
Glycolic facial (primarily a clinical treatment
Microdermabrasion

Anti-aging:

Rejuvenating (dry skin)
Epicuren facial (all skin types, intensive treatment)
Microdermabrasion (see brochure)

Teen skin:

Signature facial for teens, 45 min. (all skin types)
Glycolic facial (acne-prone skin)