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It's time to plump for a naked facial

Getty Images
Getty Images

Along with panpipe whale music and the persistent scent of ylang-ylang, being subject to ritual application of mystery potions is part and parcel of any facial.

Or at least, it was. Nowadays, the capital’s foremost authorities on skincare are prioritising process over products with treatments that are light on lotions and heavy on the transformational power of massage. In essence, it’s the naked facial — a stripped-back approach to beauty that’s got Londoners lining up to try it.

Among the pioneers of the naked facial movement is skin expert and author Abigail James, who is currently in residence at the spa in Mayfair’s Beaumont Hotel. Having perfected her iconic James method over 15 years of learning about facial muscles and discovering therapies from around the world, James likens her trademark treatment to a “power yoga” session for the face, which sculpts and contours using hands-on lymphatic drainage combined with acupressure, Japanese massage methods and cranio-sacral therapy.

“The focus is on skill rather than reliance on product,” says James. “The holistic methods benefit your overall health so it’s more of a therapy than a facial. Massage impacts us physically — from our muscles to our lymphatic systems and blood flow — but it also has the power to change your mood. No product has the ability to achieve all that.”

Another to turn the naked facial into a trademark is cult facialist Alexandra Soveral, who specialises in delivering “non-surgical facelifts” in her hidden skincare oasis in Maida Vale. “For a long time treatments have been more about selling products than achieving results,” says Soveral. “Our treatments are mainly focused on massage, manual drainage and pressure points — this is what people come for and this is what they really need.” Limiting her products to just the essentials, Soveral relies on her cult cleansing balm to prep the skin, followed by exfoliation using raw honey and facial oils that are hand-blended in small batches. But it is her expert kneading, sculpting strokes and deep- tissue manipulation that she believes is the key to beautiful skin, working to activate circulation, decongest skin and flood cells with oxygen and essential nutrients. “Anyone can do a mask at home but giving yourself a decongesting neck and face massage is impossible to achieve without the experience and technique of a professional,” she says. “After just one treatment you can see the transformation — only healthy skin can give you that.”

At a time when consumers demand more transparency, from what goes into their food to what they put on their faces, the naked facial makes perfect sense. It’s also why such no-nonsense treatments are among the most in-demand in the capital right now.

Among the other experts to swear by a hands-on approach include FaceGym, which is due to open a new studio-cum-spa in King Cross’s Coal Drops Yard at the end of the month. With a menu of facial workouts delivered by a team of trainers, FaceGym’s treatments are designed to target the 40 often forgotten muscles in our face using techniques described as “high-energy knuckling movements” and “whipping strokes”. Come next year, the studio will also expand to include a new Freestyle Barre, which will host a schedule of facial exercise classes for those who want to learn how to do the facial workout techniques at home.

Renowned facialist Nataliya Robinson also performs a host of massage-first treatments from her Chelsea residence, including one performed on dry skin using a silk powder to help fingertips glide over skin with a deep but gentle pressure, while legendary skin whisperer Nichola Joss’s signature bespoke sculpting inner facial puts products second to an innovative method that involves massaging inside the mouth.

While it might sound strange — and takes some getting used to — beauty buffs swear by her approach, which involves lifting and recontouring sagging jaw muscles and works to leave complexions plump, radiant and

youthful — quite literally — from the inside out.