Ever wondered what’s the secret to celebrities’ flawless skin? Well, apart from a little Photoshop here and there, it could be regular visits to some of London’s most in-demand facialists and clinics. Read on and book in (quickly! Slots fill up fast) — your skin will thank you for it.
• This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue
Teresa Tarmey
There’s a time and a place for a lovely holistic facial that involves someone stroking cream into your face for an hour while some generic “Earth sounds” music plays in the background. Teresa Tarmey’s clinic, an impeccably designed space that could pass for a luxury Scandi furniture store, is not that place.
Tarmey, who has honed her craft over 27 years of practice (including serving as Dior’s global skincare expert for two years), is all about harnessing the best techniques and technology to truly transform skin. Her Advanced Facial involves a lactic acid peel, manual extractions, IPL to target thread veins and sun spots, microneedling and finally LED to help to soothe the skin, which after those steps is bound to be a little red. Despite sounding fairly hardcore, it’s actually suitable for all skin types — Tarmey will just tailor things to be either gentler or more intense.
If you’re hungry for more, you can add on Radio Frequency (to boost collagen and tighten) or go big with Fractional Radio Frequency, which resurfaces the skin and — after the redness dies down and with a few days’ wait — gives great results including decreased pigmentation, smoothed texture and minimised pores.
Teresa Tarmey Advanced Facial with Teresa Tarmey, £380 (other therapists £289), teresatarmey.com
Sarah Chapman
Ask a beauty editor which facialist gives the best glow and we’d bet a fair few of them would say Sarah Chapman, who became famous for treating a host of celebrities (including Victoria Beckham and Meghan Markle — the latter apparently saw Chapman for her pre-wedding regime). The facials at her Skinesis clinic just off Sloane Square use a combination of massage, tools and tech to leave your complexion beaming, and are the perfect balance of efficacious and indulgent thanks to the use of her well-honed manual techniques. The Bespoke facial is our go-to at £170.
Chapman is a busy woman, what with her ever-expanding skincare line to watch over too, but she does see existing clients and take new ones on recommendation. Otherwise her team are all trained by her, also at the Glow Zone tucked away at the back of the ground floor of the building, offering speedy facials that give complexion-boosting results in as little as 20 minutes.
Sarah Chapman Skinesis bespoke facial from £170 for 60 minutes (from £340 with Sarah herself). Glow Zone treatments from £65 for 20 minutes, sarahchapman.com
Adeela Crown
It might not sound appealing to be slapped and kneaded, but Adeela Crown’s “skin dance” techniques will have you coming back for more. Her treatments start with her super-speedy and surprisingly strong hands and end with them too, using luxury and clinical skincare, including her favourite hand-blended cocktail made up of four face oils, three serums and two masks.
Her preferred gadgets (which she sees as her “third arm”) include an oxygen-infusing gun and radio frequency devices, all tested on herself and picked for their proficiency. Your session is booked by time, not from a menu, might include some of the devices or none, and no two treatments are ever the same as Crown follows your skin and her intuition. Securing an appointment might require some patience: she hops all over the world to cater to her international clientele and the waiting list for her residency at the Bulgari hotel (where she takes over a room every other month) is currently 18 months long, although it’s worth joining in case of a cancellation.
Adeela Crown facial at the Bulgari hotel, £1,500 for up to 150 minutes; private sessions with Crown from £4,500. To book visit adeelacrown.com or email hello@adeelacrown.com
Katharine Mackenzie Paterson
Paterson, or KMP, as she’s known to her friends and clients, has been quietly beautifying complexions for more than 15 years but it’s since she has opened a permanent studio in a renovated Georgian townhouse in Mayfair that she’s really gained attention. But it’s not about the location, really — more that word of KMP’s brilliant treatments started to spread fast. An excellent choice for someone new to facials or perhaps prepping for a wedding, she has a gentle but thorough approach to getting results and refuses to buy into fads or trends. She does like a little tech (such as her beloved Dermalux LED arch and nifty microcurrent device), but mainly uses her instinct and efficient manual work to get results.
Perhaps the most special aspect of KMP’s facials is her sincerely kind personality. Being on her treatment bed is truly comforting, even when she’s extracting some nasty blackheads. You’ll be offered hand or feet massages while masks are on, a natter (as little or as much as you like) while you sit under LED lights — and even a cuppa and a hug if you end up a bit tearful, which has happened many times, she says. A team of one, with a fast-growing following … we suggest getting on her books before they get out of control.
Facial from £285 for 60 minutes, kmpskin.com
Dr Barbara Sturm
Getting touched by the hands of Dr Sturm herself is a privilege reserved for a handful of celebrities. However, a facial at her impressive flagship Mount Street boutique is still a treat for your skin. After a consultation with an aesthetician to assess your needs (from pigmentation to pore size or just perking up a sallow complexion) you’re led downstairs to the treatment suites, which are quite clinically bright and white but feature beds that practically swallow you up in comfiness (we’d put good money on you not staying awake for your full 60 minutes).
Sturm firmly believes that inflammation is the number-one enemy of your skin, so all her products and facials focus on being anti-inflammatory — getting rid of redness, soothing sensitive skin and slowing the aggressive factors that cause signs of ageing. The Signature Sturm Glow Facial aims to increase blood and oxygen flow, and features a shedload of hyaluronic acid, followed by her own blend of antioxidants. If you do want something a little heftier, add-ons such as microdermabrasion or microneedling are possible to help exfoliate and stimulate the skin.
Dr Barbara Sturm facials from £225 for 60 minutes, add-ons from £50, en.drsturm.com
Maison Sisley
Many skincare brands offer facials, but few offer them in such a beautiful setting as the new Maison Sisley, the French giant’s first ever standalone home in London. On the ground floor you’ll find art handpicked by the D’Ornano family (Sisley’s founders and owners) hanging above display units overflowing with luxury skincare, plus a “salon” space (a fancy waiting room) worthy of an Architectural Digest feature. The three treatment rooms downstairs also have unique touches, including hand-printed wallpaper and ceilings washed with light that subtly changes colour to soothe you, like some sort of demure disco.
There are several facials to choose from, but our favourite has to be the Sisleÿa Anti-Ageing Facial, which involves the brand’s most premium line of products being massaged into your face using gua sha techniques that sculpt and smoothe. For those wanting even brighter and better results there’s the Jet Peel add-on, where Sisley serum is pushed into the skin via a tiny but powerful stream of air. You’ll emerge looking as fresh and new as the maison itself.
Sisley facial from £220 for 60 minutes, sisley-paris.com
Minimal by Hadda
Stepping out of the hustle and bustle of Brompton Road, a feeling of relaxation washes over you as you enter the Minimal by Hadda Studio. It is often easy to feel as though you need to stand a little straighter in these spaces, but you are immediately made to feel at ease in Minimal. This is not only because of the salon, located within a beautifully converted apartment in the heart of Knightsbridge, but from Hadda too, whose warm-hearted personality has a calming effect.
With ten years of dedicated skincare experience plus four years in beauty therapy in Holland, where she grew up, Hadda’s reputation as one of London’s go-to therapists is warranted, and the results of her treatments speak for themselves. She analyses your skin before giving a bespoke session using a fusion of advanced technologies and holistic techniques that could include lasers, peels, extractions and micro-needling (whatever your skin is yearning for). As a bonus, the deep-tissue massages that accompany all this are sure to lull you into a dreamy state. And your skin? Transformed into a far healthier and glowier version of itself for days after. Being a one-man band means you should book in early to avoid disappointment (and sad skin).
Total Sculpt Facial £275 for 55 minutes, minimalbyhadda.com
Orveda at Harrods
Harrods, as luxurious as it is, is not the most relaxing place in the world. So the idea of having a facial there might not be appealing. However, if you give it a chance, and head down the sweeping stairs at the back of the fragrance department, you’ll find the peaceful haven of the Harrods Beauty Suites. Within those calm corridors is the Orveda Facial Suite. Kitted out by the luxurious, green biotech skincare brand, this is its London home and the only place in the UK where you can experience its facials.
An especially good choice if you have sensitive skin, the philosophy at Orveda is to work with your skin, not against it. Its products are formulated to help heal, strengthen and future-proof. During the Omni-Solution Facial you’ll have these lotions massaged over your skin for 90 minutes, with techniques to lift and tone your skin while relaxing your mind. A nice touch is the inclusion of its Youth Glove Protocol, a hand care ritual that works to erase and prevent signs of ageing on your mitts (the second most likely place to find those signs, after your face). You should leave looking refreshed and smelling delightful (all Orveda products have a green, bright scent) — and certainly not feeling like you’ve spent an hour and a half in a tourist-filled department store.
Orveda Omni-Solution Facial, £270 for 90 minutes. To book visit harrods.com or call the Harrods beauty services team on 020 3036 6119
Su-Man at Sofitel London St James
Su-Man Hsu might not get as much airtime as other facialists who are newer on the scene, but she has been beloved by her loyal fanbase for years. With a new home at Sofitel London St James hotel, she’s worth getting on your radar too. A former professional dancer (she still teaches when she’s not treating clients) she uses her knowledge of the body and training in traditional Chinese medicine to form her unique facial protocols. What people return to her for is her manual work — she has perhaps the strongest hands in the business. Her slapping, pinching, pushing and pulling of them across your face results in lifting and depuffing that seems almost miraculous.
Her newest offering is a Digital Damage Resculpt Facial, a ten-step treatment designed to combat the effects of digital strain — staring at screens, with constricted neck and hunched shoulders. Not only does this boost glow, smooth frown lines and lift the chin, but there’s also a big focus on the neck and shoulders — including some quick lessons in stretches and lymphatic drainage you can do at home.
Su-Man Digital Damage Resculpt Facial, £350 for 70 minutes, sofitelstjames.com
Izabela Pawlitka Facials
Izabela Pawlitka, the resident aesthetician at Dr David Jack’s clinic, takes a root-cause approach when thinking about her facials. Before deciding how to approach your skin concerns, Pawlitka first talks through any hormonal imbalances you might be facing, what your lifestyle is like and what your nutrition looks like. All this helps her to create a treatment that delivers the best results. Because Pawlitka works closely with Jack, the facials are tested and signed off by the doctor and can incorporate the machines used at the clinic like Morpheus8 and IPL to maximise effectiveness.
This approach was part of the inspiration for Pawlitka’s newest offering, the Microbiome Facial. The facial is perfect for those suffering with acne, looking to tackle inflammation or redness in the skin and boost collagen. It begins with a light peel, before Pawlitka applies Lumixa Fluorescent Light Energy (FLE) Technology. This is a photoconverting gel that claims to “supercharge” the potency of the LED lights your face will go under, thanks to the wider-spectrum of wavelengths it can generate. This makes your time under the bacteria-busting blue light more potent. The microbiome facial also includes a Cold Plasma machine using ionised gas. According to Pawlitka this can help to deliver the active ingredients of the products more effectively and reduce inflammation.
Pawlitka has also worked closely with Jack to build the clinic’s streamlined skin care range, which includes moisturising creams, retinoids and SPFs, so you can keep taking great care of your skin between sessions.
Microbiome Facial, £350 for 50 minutes, drdavidjack.com
