Spa facials are a luxury, no matter how you slice it. At the Mandarin Oriental's spa in Boston, you can spend $200 for a 50-minute oxygen facial. At L. Raphael Beauty Spa in New York City, the Oxy Star anti-pigmentation treatment costs a whopping $1,100 for 50 minutes. And even at the affordably priced and much-touted Mario Badescu Spa in New York City, a facial will put you out $65. Which is why when we caught wind that prestige powerhouses like La Mer and La Prairie were offering high-end services completely free of charge, we sort-of freaked out. (Wouldn't you?)
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According to Eleanor Dwyer, a research analyst at Euromonitor International, a global market research company, gratis services started around 2009 after the recession when luxury beauty lines took a hit in sales and were searching for innovative ways to win back clientele. Recently, they’ve taken off because, almost seven years later, sales of pricey beauty products are still sluggish. "The people getting these treatments aren’t in it for a freebie,” she said. “They’re genuinely interested in the products and are likely to buy something later because of a positive association with the service.” But let it be known: Don't feel obligated to buy a single thing when visiting one of these five counters doling out impressive—and free—treatments.
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1. La Mer: At Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, Barneys Beverly Hills, and other department stories at different times of the year (next up in September is the Neiman Marcus in Northpark Dallas), you can get a complimentary anti-aging facial, the Genaissance, that's specifically created for retail stores. A massage with the Genaissance de la Mer The Essence Serum to rejuvenate the skin also includes use of the Crystal Miracle Broth, and then a mask loaded with the same elixir is applied. A hand massage follows, and the kicker to the whole process is that a moisturizer suited to your skin type.
2. Giorgio Armani Beauty: Armani opened a retail counter on Bergdorf Goodman’s beauty floor this April and also opened Armani Beauty Rituals Room, a treatment space with a special lighting system where you can get a variety of hour-long facials. All highlight the brand’s Crema Nera Extrema line but are distinctly unique: the Les Eaux incorporates an LED light to increase collagen and elastin production and brighten your complexion; the La Collection uses oiled gemstones and a chilled jade face roller to relieve tension; and the most feel-good of all, the La Collection des Mille et Une Nuits, includes a pressure-point massage and aromatherapy.
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3. Sisley: At each of their department-store counters and their two U.S. boutiques—one in Manhattan’s West Village and one in Las Vegas—Sisley recently launched a free 30-minute facial which includes a cleansing, lymphatic stimulation and drainage and an exfoliating mask that aestheticians massage on and off. Keep in mind, facials from Sisley usually cost a pretty penny: at least $200.
4. La Prairie: Free facials have long been a lesser-known mainstay of the luxe Swiss line, although they also offer full-service treatments for $200 and upwards. But this month, the company introduced a renovated retail space at Bergdorf Goodman complete with a facial cabana where clients are treated au gratis to a new, hour-long Swiss Luxury facial exclusive to the store. During their 60-minute facial, expect a cleanse, a relaxing face and shoulder massage, a mask suited to your skin type—it could be caviar, rose quartz or one that resurfaces the skin—and a hand treatment targeted to your needs, be it dark spots or dryness.
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5. Kiehl’s: At stores around the country as well as Barneys in Beverly Hills and Neiman Marcus in Paramus, New Jersey, Kiehl’s offers a menu of free mini services like a calming eye treatment, a ten-minute restorative hand treatment with an exfoliation to treat dark spots and dryness, and a 20-minute facial using eye, face, and neck products customized to your skin type.
Watch this video, which proves that age is actually nothing but a number:
