The 13 best luxury London facials to try in 2023
London is home to some of the best beauty treatments in the world, but which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cash? From kneading, needling and cupping to high-tech topicals and glow-giving lasers, we round-up the capital's most sought after facial treatments for beautiful skin.
With celebrity facialists and luxury spas all making Hello! Fashion's tried & tested list, these are the ones guaranteed to give you that glow...
You may also like
We tried London's most luxurious manicures, here's what we thought… We tried London's most luxurious manicures, here's what we thought…
The best blow dry bars in London The best blow dry bars in London
Advanced Facial, Aman Spa
Why we love it:The luxurious Aman Spa, tucked inside The Connaught hotel uses innovative therapy tools so that each treatment embodies a decadent sensorial experience. Their new indulgent ‘Aman Advanced facial’ uses powerful Japanese ingredients expertly blended with the latest technology to create a 90 minute facial.
Rice bran and indigo extract are used to achieve noticeably lifted, radiant, healthy and glowing skin. An ultrasonic scrubbing device removes cellular debris from pores, while their EMS device stimulates targeted muscles, lifting and reducing fine lines and wrinkles, finally cryo bulbs and a manual lifting technique restore and plump the skin. The facial culminates in three sumptuous masks; a mineral mask to hydrate, an Aman x111 Skin nourishing gold algae sheet mask to brighten and a 15 minute LED to enhance the complexion. This is Aman’s most functional and results-driven facial to date, and we are here for it.
How long: 90 minutes
Where: Aman Spa, The Connaught Hotel
Cost: £300
Ultimate Facial, Su-Man
Why we love it: Want a non-surgical alternative to botox? Sofitel London St James has welcomed world-renowned facialist Su-Man as its new resident spa practitioner. Su-Man’s own technique blends her unique fusion of TCM, Asian wisdom and Western science to her facials which are beloved by A-listers. Su-Man’s ‘skin sculpting’ method is based on shiatsu massages and delivers an ‘instant face lift’ effect.
Before her Sofitel residency she took pride of place at the W Hotel and attended to private clients. Su-man was known as London’s best-kept beauty secret and saw a small circle of clients in a studio at the foot of her garden. She was previously the personal facialist of Juliette Binoche, no less. Now her regulars include the likes of Freida Pinto and Anne Hathaway.
How long: 45 minutes
Where: Sofitel London, St James
Cost: £220
The Detox Facial, Augustinus Bader
Why we love it: Victoria Beckham's favourite skincare brand has just opened a spa in London. Professor Augustinus Bader, has launched a spa for his devotees to get an even more tailored experience of the cult-favourite products.
The company’s very first brick & mortar destination, which officially opened its doors in January 2023, is the next step in the brand's commitment to "state-of-the-art healing and optimising well-being through clinical innovation, all in beautifully designed surroundings". We recommend 'The Detox Facial'. The profound experience utilises microdermabrasion, lymphatic massage, LED light technology alongside a gentle extraction and the brands first detox mask, exclusive to the location.
How long: 60 minutes
Where: Lanserhof's The Skin Lab, Dover Street
Cost: £350
The Hydrafacial, Elenique
Why we love it: Need a deep clean right into the nooks and crannies of all your pores? Elenique’s spa located in the heart of London’s trendy Fulham area delivers on the ultimate HydraFacial.
Combining six treatments into one, it is every beauty editor’s best kept secret. The treatment has no down time and is highly effective yet painless. The procedure employs advanced vortex technology, using water to extract dirt and oil, then hydrates with antioxidants and peptides. The treatment then finishes with LED light therapy to stimulate cell renewal and provide a relaxing finale. An unbeatable glow, and watch all your blackheads disappear. Ask for facialist Elena if you can, she is a master at her craft.
How long: 60 minutes
Where: Elenique Skin Clinic, 957 Fulham Road
Cost: £180
The Juana CBD Signature Facial, Lanserhof
Why we love it: Arguably London’s finest medical and health facility, Lanserhof at The Arts Club hosts its fair share of incredible treatments but if you’re truly in the mood for relaxation you’ll want to try their latest facial.
The iconic wellness club has partnered with ultra-clean CBD skincare brand Juana Skin to develop a result-driven facial using their highly potent, clinically-proven and lab-tested formulas. The deep cleansing, toning and lifting treatment that uses high concentration of CBD, combined with face relaxation and sculpting techniques. The aim is to provide a lifting effect by decongesting the skin and stimulating its regeneration whilst combating signs of stress-induced fatigue.
How long: 60 minutes
Where: Lanserhof at the Arts Club, Dover Street
Cost: £220
The Iconic Facial, Sarah Chapman at Skinesis
Why we love it: Who does The Duchess of Sussex visit when she needs a refresh? The answer is Sarah Chapman, who tended to Meghan’s famously freckled visage during the Platinum Jubilee and countless times before. Her inimitable results have earned her a long list of loyal clients, from A-list celebrities and beauty editors to socialites. The facialist and founder of Skinesis clinic on the ultra swanky Pavillion road in Chelsea, has over 20 years of knowledge and expertise.
Chapman is widely regarded as a premier skincare authority, making her one of the most respected and sought-after experts in the beauty industry – and is practically revered by her clients. Her hands are insured for £1 million to give you an idea of how exalted she has become at her craft. If you want to see her you’ll have to be patient, to meet Chapman herself you are looking at a 12-week waiting list for a much-coveted appointment. Thankfully she has other practitioners on site. With Skinesis the bespoke treatments are tailored to the needs of each individual. We recommend the Iconic facial which combines micro-needling with Stem Cell Collagen Activator, advanced Radio Frequency and LED Light Therapy. This treatment plumps skin instantly and stimulates collagen production for long-term lifting and tightening.
How long: 90 minutes
Where: Skinesis Clinic, 259 Pavilion Road
Cost: £525
Soho Skin Advanced Facial
Why we love it: Luxury members club Soho House has now forayed into the world of skincare, and we couldn’t be more glad. Its Advanced Facial delivers a radiance boost, recommended in particular for those with tired, lacklustre, and stressed-out skin.
The hour-long treatment combines microdermabrasion and high-frequency technology with Soho Skin’s hardworking product range, leaving you with a complexion that is visibly more glowy - the ideal treatment for banishing that winter dullness. Plus, it is now available to non-members too.
How long: 60 minutes
Where: Shoreditch House, Ebor Street
Cost: £130
FaceGym, Signature Hands Facial
Why we love it: Think of it as circuit training for your complexion. Just like a regular gym workout, there’s a warm-up, some cardio, strength-training and a cool down. Your ‘trainer’ starts by gently kneading around your jawline and ears to loosen you up, before whipping your muscles into shape with high-speed knuckling and stroking motions.
The pressure is cranked up during the strengthening phase (don’t be surprised if you get an entire forearm in your face) and it finishes with a refreshing jade roller to calm down any post-workout redness. Not exactly a relaxing treatment, but expect a firmer, plumped-up face.
How long: 35 minutes
Where: FaceGym studios across London
Cost: £80
Kichi Signature Facial
A-list favourite skin specialist Natasha Clancy
Why we love it: Ex-model Natasha Clancy is the skin specialist Poppy Delevingne, Iris Law and Sienna Miller go to when they want to look radiant on the red carpet. Kichi, the skincare brand she founded is built on her love of Asian ingredients and South Korean tech. Her facial combines deep hydro cleansing, to suck out dirt and pollutants, medical grade radio-frequency and gentle baby micro-needling to stimulate collagen production and improve your skin’s natural elasticity.
The radio frequency heats skin using a massage tool to trigger collagen production and the tiny channels created from the micro-needling are then pumped with a vitamin infusion. That’s followed with 15 minutes under a LED light, while you listen to sound therapy to leave you feeling deeply relaxed. Skin looks plumped, fines lines appear smoother and the jawline visibly sculpted. The best bit is the contouring continues over the next few weeks as your collagen is rebooted and into action.
How long: 75 minutes
Where: Kichi, Hanover Square
Cost: £400
The Bradden Method
Why we love it: Cosmetic acupuncturist Sarah Bradden starts every appointment with a tongue diagnosis, so she can understand what’s going on with your body on any given day. Her Method is a highly bespoke (and in demand) needling treatment that comes with a side of LED light therapy, activated oxygen (administered via nasal cannula), facial massage, reflexology and reiki. “It gives you that fullness of face,” explains Sarah.
“The needles remind our muscles what they’re supposed to be doing. I can make cheekbones pop and it gives skin that glow we all crave.” Sarah doesn’t disclose her client list, but she tells us: “I just had somebody in for the Emmys. Before a big red carpet, I recommend two treatments in the week leading up to the event.”
How long: 90 minutes
Where: Hershesons, Belgravia
Cost: £295
Pinpoint Wellness Treatment by Ada Ooi
Why we love it: Facialist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Ada Ooi, who is booked by the likes of Rooney Mara, Ellie Golding, Emma Mackey and Lily Allen, can hone in on parts of the face and target specific lines and wrinkles with her bespoke treatment. “With frown lines, I start with a massage to relax the muscles around the forehead and eye area and then I use cupping to stretch out wrinkles. After that, I ‘surround the dragon’,” - this is where the area gets hemmed in by a zig-zagging line of needles.
As long as the wrinkle in question isn’t deep-set, Ada insists she can lift it away. “And with nasolabial folds, I gua cha to alleviate the masseter (chewing muscle) so it’s not weighing down the cheek and folding over the mouth. Then I needle around the line and switch on a microcurrent machine to tone up the skin. A fine line can quickly become a faint shadow,” she says.
How long: as long as it takes
Where: 001 Skincare, Harley Street
Cost: from £500
You may also like
How to get a non-surgical eyelift: This new procedure is going to save you from going under the knife How to get a non-surgical eyelift: This new procedure is going to save you from going under the knife
Bespoke Skin Treatment at Mortar & Milk
Why we love it: Pamela Marshall, a clinical aesthetician and co-founder of Mortar & Milk, says she strives to bestow skin with a ‘juicy thickness’: “We’ve got to have lines, I don’t understand not having them - it’s about expression. Yes I can microneedle someone with deep perioral lines and eventually I can make them 75-80% better. But very often, if I just get them using the right skincare and treatments - they don’t need to go to that extreme.” First timers at Mortar & Milk can expect an hour long lifestyle assessment. And as well as microneedling, Pamela’s facials comprise mesotherapy, LED light therapy and clinical skincare.
“When it comes to topicals, I use products with a low molecular weight and PH, such as Neostrata and Exuviance - so they can actually pass the stratum corneum - no high street brand can, they just deal in dead skin cells. But when you pass the stratum corneum, you can actually change skin for the better and build collagen and elastin. I would say 95% of clients who come in saying they’re trying to delay Botox, don’t go on to have it.”
How long: 60 minutes
Where: Mortar & Milk, Spitalfields
Cost: £300
Pietro Simone Endospheres Eva Express
Why we love it: Pietro Simone, a skincare expert and brand founder who has clinics in London and New York, has a refreshingly progressive approach to ageing: “The face is not just about skin, it’s also down to diet and lifestyle. The aesthetic markers I’m striving for are texture, tone and plumpness.” His treatments incorporate several different technologies but he’s a big advocate for endosphere therapy, where a roller with small silicone spheres generates low frequency vibrations.
“It gives an incredible, natural result. It’s not commonly used on the face, more often it’s a body treatment - but it stimulates muscles to give shape and definition, and it works on the lymphatic system, enhancing blood and oxygen circulation.” We also highly recommend Pietro’s Signature Organic Cotton Thread method - the most innocuous form of exfoliation, but your skin feels brand new after.
How long: 90 minutes
Where: Pietro Simone Clinic, The Flemings Mayfair Hotel
Cost: £350
Like this story? Sign up to our Hello! Fashion newsletter to get your weekly 'Fashion Fix' delivered straight to your inbox.
