Sassy Mama Review: Elemis Power Booster Express Facial, one for all you time-stretched mums!

We love EDS Day Spa’s fabulous treatments (who doesn’t?)… but what about when you don’t have the time to indulge in a luxurious facial at the spa itself? Well, we have the perfect solution for all you time-tight stressed-out mamas out there – the Elemis Power Booster Express Facial!

These facials only take a super-speedy 30 minutes – but with results so amazing, you’d expect them from double the time! They take place in Lane Crawford so are ideal for fitting around a shopping trip – leave dad and the kids at Ben & Jerry’s whilst you enjoy a quick bout of much-need R&R!

First up, you’ll have a consultation at the counter with your beauty-therapist to suss out your skin problems and work out which areas to target. If you’re extra-pushed for time, you can just tell your therapist what issues you have (tiredness, dryness, specific areas on your face you’re worried about!) but otherwise, they’ll do a quick questionnaire to work out which of Elemis’ products would be best for your skin.

You’ll also have a photo taken in a slightly-scary high-tech machine (above) to show a close-up of your skin. Whilst my wrinkle count was reassuringly low and my problem pores were entirely expectedly based around my blackhead breeding ground of a nose, my UV spot picture was horrifying – like one of those cancer-warning photos from a sunscreen advert. As someone who thought they took pretty good care of their skin in the sun, this was a total wake-up call – even if Mandy, my therapist, assured me it wasn’t so bad compared to some clients she sees! I’ll be slapping on the SPF 50 and only leaving the house in a burkha from now on!

You’re then led to one of the ‘secret’ treatment rooms in Lane Crawford, behind what I had previously assumed was a wall! The Elemis Spapod treatment room was actually much nicer than the one I had my Helena Rubinstein facial in – quieter, with a more luxurious feel, and with plenty of Elemis’ trademark scrumptious scents and soothing sounds to welcome you in.

What followed next was half an hour of utter bliss. As someone more used to wallowing in loooong spa treatments, I was surprised by how un-rushed the Power Booster Facial felt. Each step felt smoothly and evenly paced and not as if you were skimping or being short-changed on any aspects; although I wished it lasted longer, that’s pretty standard for me with ANY spa treatment, even if they last all-day!

The Power Booster Facial is essentially your usual cleanse, tone, mask and moisturise kind of facial – but all done with Elemis’ top-quality signature products, which all smell and feel lovely and work wonderfully. There’s also a nice little massage built in, beginning with your feet right at the start (your ‘welcome touch’) before an utterly fantastic, stunningly relaxing hot stone neck and shoulder massage done whilst a mineral-rich face mask does its work. I could have let Mandy roll those warming soothing stones on me until the end of time!

What sets this apart from your average quickie facial for me was the range of scrummy-smelling essential oils used. These filter through your room throughout and you’ll want to breathe in huge lungfuls of the stuff (especially from the scent-infused hot cloth that steams your face); mine was a mixture of lavender, rosewood and lime – I know because it was so divine, I asked about it so I could recreate the scent at home!

Obviously, if you’re looking for a heavy-duty extraction session, this isn’t going to be the facial for you and I feel the mineral mask might have had better results if it had set for an extra ten minutes – but even so, it was astounding what just 30 minutes of total relaxation and fantastic products can achieve! I emerged looking and feeling recharged and raring to go, with my complexion notably brighter, lighter and more even. Thankfully, the Power Booster Facial isn’t one of those treatments that’s going to leave you looking a bit pink and greasy afterwards; the gorgeous glow is instantaneous, leaving you to get on with the rest of your day immediately, but with an added extra radiance.

Elemis have done a fantastic job of recreating their spa atmosphere behind-the-scenes at Lane Crawford and the results really are much better than I’d ever have expected from an ‘express’ facial. So if you want to get your glow on but don’t have much time to spare, I suggest you hit up this Power Booster Facial stat!

Elemis Power Booster Facial, $510 for 30 minutes, available at Lane Crawford in Times Square, Hong Kong (Tel: 3101 0779) and Pacific Place, Hong Kong (Tel: 2918 0818).