I’m not great with facials. Massages, yes, adore, cupping? Sign me up, but facials weren’t something I regularly book in for. Well, I never used to. And then I tried a Facegym workout. FaceGym is based on the concept of working out but for your face; sculpting and depuffing with a warm-up, vigorous exercise and a cool down. It’s not at all relaxing but effective, hell yes. It was after my first visit to FaceGym’s Selfridges branch that I realised what I didn’t like about a lot of other facials I have had, they tend to feel like nice massages, this one I could actually see and feel a difference.
As an intro to the Facegym menu, I got their Signature Sculpt and it’s what got me hooked. I’m lucky enough to get to try a variety of treatments for my job and road test them before recommending them, or not, so for me to repeatedly go back to the same place for the same treatment really does speak to the results. The Signature Sculpt, which is still my favourite, is a 45-minute booking (including a quick consultation) where your ‘trainer’ performs a high intensity workout for your face. They call their technique ‘muscle manipulation’ and it helps to stimulate circulation by tapping and whipping awake the muscles and improves lymphatic drainage with knuckling and kneeding. Draining the facial lymphatic system (using their multi-sculpt tool) results in instant depuffing and really helps to highlight the cheekbones in your face, no contour powder needed. I have also found that each time I go, for at least a couple of days, my skin has the best natural glow no Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter necessary, I’m assuming due to the improved blood circulation.
The part of the workout that always gets me is the EMS machine. For about 5 minutes towards the end of your appointment, your trainer uses an electric muscle stimulation machine to contract the muscles in your face to lift and sculpt even further. If you’re not used to involuntary muscle spasms, it’s a very strange sensation. The first time I had a laughing fit so bad the trainer had to stop and let me compose myself. You do eventually get used to it but this is just my warning to you.
Just like with a lot of effective facials you have to lay off the skincare actives like AHAs, BHAs and retinols for a couple of weeks before your appointment but they also recommend you attend weekly to reap the most consistent results which would mean stopping actives altogether. I tend to visit prior to any big events to get my face looking super snatched– I can’t imagine scaling back my skincare routine to a simple cream.
The brand does offer a few other workout types such as the Cryo Contour for intense moisture and the radio frequency workout to tighten the skin but I always opt for the Signature Sculpt, it’s my failsafe treatment. Last time I did get a booster tagged onto my workout thought which levelled it up to no end. The Faceshot Microneedling Treatment encourages skin renewal with light exfoliation (it feels a little prickly but not painful) and left my skin with an incredible glow.
FaceGym have locations in London, Manchester, New York City and Los Angeles so if you are located in the vicinity you need to try a workout for your yourself, if not you can book into an at-home workout where trainers teach you the key to sculpting in the comfort of your own surroundings. Below are a few of the best tools and products that I recommend to anyone taking their home facials to the next level.
