A facial is a proper deep cleanse. Skin is cleansed, exfoliated, worked on by hand, left under a mask, then finished with something that holds water in. Done carefully, it leaves skin clearer, softer and calmer than it was when you walked in, and the hour itself is pleasant.
V&F Beauty Lounge is on London Road in Headington, a few minutes from the hospitals and the shops. Our facials run from £45 to £99, and we also offer bleaching for fine facial and body hair. Which facial suits you depends less on the name on the price list and more on what your skin is doing that week, how much time you have, and whether you want a result for Saturday or a routine you keep to.
What a facial can and cannot do
A facial cleanses skin more thoroughly than you can at home, lifts away dead surface cells, clears congestion, and puts water and oil back into the skin barrier. That is a real and visible difference. Skin looks brighter and more even, it feels smoother, and make-up sits better on it for several days.
What a facial does not do is change your skin permanently. There is no detox, because skin does not work that way. One treatment will not remove lines, close pores for good, or alter anything happening under the surface. If a skin problem is genuinely bothering you, a GP or a dermatologist is the right person to see, and we will say so rather than sell you a course of facials.
The difference that lasts comes from repetition. A facial every four to six weeks, alongside a simple routine you actually keep to at home, does far more than one expensive treatment the week before a wedding.
The facials on our list, and what each one is for
The Express Facial (30 Minutes) is £45. It is a cleanse, exfoliation, mask and moisturiser with no time for extractions, which makes it the one to book on a lunch break. Deep Cleansing (45 Minutes) at £50 adds the time to do extractions properly and a longer massage, and it is what we suggest if you have never had a facial before. The Spa Facial (1 Hour) at £75 is the slowest of them, with more massage through the face, neck and shoulders, booked by people who want the hour as much as the result.
Four sit at £55. The Anti-Ageing Treatment (1 Hour) is a richer, more hydrating facial with a firming mask; skin looks plumper and feels softer for a few days, and no facial removes lines. The Oily & Acne Treatment (1 Hour) is a deep cleanse with careful extraction for skin that is oily and congested, and it is a beauty treatment rather than medical care. The Gold Facial (50 Min) finishes with a gold leaf mask, which people enjoy; the real work is done by the cleanse, the exfoliation and the massage underneath it. The Ayurvedic Facial (50 Min) is new to the list and draws on Ayurvedic tradition. Ask us what goes into it if your skin reacts easily, and judge it, like the others, by how your skin looks and feels afterwards.
V&F Skin Whitening (1 Hour) is also £55, and the name on our price list is older than the way we talk about it now. It is a brightening facial. It exfoliates and hydrates, so skin looks fresher and less dull, and the effect fades like any other facial. It does not change your natural skin tone, and nothing applied to the surface for an hour could.
The machine treatments: 3D-Hydra and the Glow Package
The 3D-Hydra Facial is £99 for an hour and the most thorough thing we do. It uses water and a spiral tip to cleanse and exfoliate at the same time, with suction lifting the loosened debris out of pores, and serum going back in afterwards. It is comfortable, there is no downtime, and most people look brighter the same evening.
The Glow Package (4 in One) is £65 for 45 minutes and puts four steps into one appointment: dermaplaning, a LumiSKN hydrofacial, LED light therapy and a professional treatment mask. Dermaplaning uses a fine blade to take off dead surface skin and soft facial hair, so texture feels smoother straight away and make-up goes on better. Skin is more sensitive to sun for several days afterwards, so sunscreen is not optional, and it is not the treatment for skin that is broken, sunburnt or actively breaking out.
If your skin reacts to things easily, or you simply do not want anything vigorous done to it, start with one of the facials done by hand rather than a machine treatment. Tell us when you book and we will suggest the gentlest option on the list.
How often to come, and what matters at home
Every four to six weeks suits most people. That is roughly the time skin takes to turn over its surface cells, so coming much more often is rarely useful, and with the stronger exfoliating treatments it is a bad idea. If you are working towards a particular date, three or four sessions spaced properly will show more than one big treatment the week before.
Nothing we do in the salon competes with what you do on the other twenty nine days. A cleanser that suits you, a moisturiser you like enough to use twice a day, and sunscreen are worth more than any single facial. Ask your therapist to look at what you already own and say what is working and what is doing nothing. We would rather do that than sell you a shelf of products.
Your first facial at V&F: what happens
Tell us when you book if you use a retinoid or an acid exfoliant at home, if you are on a prescription skin treatment, if you have had recent sun or sunbeds, if you are pregnant, or if your skin reacts to things easily. None of that rules you out on its own. It changes which facial we would suggest, and occasionally it means waiting a week or two. Where a product is new to you or your skin is sensitive, we patch test, and a patch test needs to happen at least 24 hours before the treatment.
Your therapist will look at your skin and ask a few questions before starting, so the treatment you leave with may not be the one you booked. That is normal. If we move you to something cheaper, you pay the cheaper price.
Timing a facial before a wedding or an event
Do not book a facial you have never had for the day before something important. Skin can come up slightly pink, or push out a spot in the days after a deep cleanse, particularly the first time. It settles, but it settles on its own schedule rather than yours.
The sensible order is a first facial six to eight weeks ahead, so you know how your skin responds, then the same treatment again three or four days before the day itself. For the 3D-Hydra Facial and the Glow Package, leave a clear week. Call us on 01865 741333 and we will work backwards from the date with you.
Bleaching for fine facial and body hair
Bleaching lightens fine hair on the face or body so that it blends in with your skin, rather than removing it. Prices run from £22 for the Full Face, Full Stomach or Full Back to £100 for the Full Body, and each area is on the price list. If you have not had bleaching with us before, or your skin is sensitive, we patch test at least 24 hours beforehand, and it is not for skin that is broken, sunburnt or irritated.
