Aesop Facial Suite: A Soul-Cleaning Expertise
Prestige pays a visit to Aesop’s Facial Suite in its new Fashion Walk location to find out what it’s all about.
Aesop, with its amber-coloured bottles, black and white labels and non-gender approach to beauty has inspired countless copycats in the industry. You can spot an Aesop bottle even in the most darkly lit of bathrooms, or spot its shops a mile away. But more than just revolutionising package design, Aesop’s minimalist approach is also a lifestyle choice. Its values on sustainability, equality, culture and environment permeate through all its collections. Its stores too are thoughtfully designed to integrate into its environment, resonate with its neighbourhood and welcome clients, old and new, into its enclave.
That’s the feeling you get walking into the brand’s Fashion Walk store in the middle of always loud, always bustling Causeway Bay. But here inside Aesop’s space is a sense of calm and retreat. It has a lot to do with the creativity of MLKK Studio, Aesop’s longtime design partners, who drew on their own memories of growing up in Hong Kong to carve out this new sanctuary that, in its cloudy light blue shade, was at once new and familiar.
While exploring materials for the new space, MLKK Studio came across this cloudy blue pattern that was a ubiquitous household furniture finishing product in the ’70s and ’80s. Discovering a stash of dead stock from old factories and distribution centres, the architects at MLKK were able to transform them into something new, the vintage veneer runs from the walls to the ceiling, where Aesop products proudly stand on open shelving.
The purpose of our visit this time, however, was not to browse its products, but to try out its Facial Suite. We’re greeted at the door the moment we step into the store, invited to wash our hands in the large copper sink and then promptly whisked upstairs towards the Suite, which is housed inside an antechamber on the second floor of the shop. Before we step in, our therapist sits us down in a small alcove just outside, and we sip on hot tea while she gives a thorough consultation to identify any skin concerns and preferences that we might have. Once inside, the room is gently lit and vast. As we lie down for our treatment, our therapist goes through the steps again.
The 75-minute facial is an all-encompassing one that includes a double cleanse, exfoliation, dry skin brushing, and custom-blended products (all depending on your consultation beforehand) that are applied on your face under a gentle steam to open up the pores. Then a quick, painless extraction, followed by a purifying clay mask and a vitamin-rich hydrating mask, both of which are complemented by an extensive and deeply comfortable massage of the face, neckline, arms, hands and scalp, using a technique that’s developed exclusively by Aesop to help with circulation, de-bloating and de-stressing. It’s not entirely an exaggeration to say it’s probably one of the best massages we’ve ever gotten at a facial. Maybe, even one of the best massages we’ve ever gotten, period.
We leave the Facial Suite not only with a hydrated, dewy glow and a sharper jawline but a deep calm and a sense that our soul’s been cleansed too. Your therapist, like ours, might even leave you with a few sample packs of masks and creams to continue your skincare journey at home.
Or maybe, if you’re like us, you’d be tempted to pick up a few products on your own too. Aesop is proudly cruelty-free and vegan, championing an uncomplicated approach to healthy skin that’s widely appealing to everyone. We love the Parsley Seed Skin Care range especially in a city like Hong Kong where pollution is always high. Parsley Seed is an anti-oxidant-rich ingredient that is a great defence against environmental stressors. To combat dehydration – a common skincare concern in many of us – reach for the Skin Care+ range, where products like the Exalted Eye Serum are great for replenishing vitamins and hydration back to your skin.
Aesop offers a 60-minute or a 75-minute facial treatment. You can find out more about their Facial Suite here.
Source: Prestige Online
