My Rosalena FaceFit® last Sunday turned out to be quite a godsend. I had booked the facial treatment two months prior but a whole host of work and life events had collided in the past ten days. By the time I arrived at the reCentre Health clinic in Balham, I wasn’t a pretty sight. It was pouring with rain and I had exhausted myself to the point that my eyes stung and every pore in me bristled.
Tree pollen, stress, lack of sleep and London pollution had colluded to inflame the skin around my mouth. My tsunami of personal chaos was however immediately subdued by the calm and graceful presence of Elaine Tomkins greeting me at the door. Elaine Tomkins MIFPA TIDHA MCHNC MFHT is Head of Massage Training at Neal’s Yard Remedies and the Senior Therapist of Rosalana FaceFit® Experiences which she created in conjunction with Rosalena Skincare.
A walking talking testament to her profession, Elaine looks fifteen younger than her actual age, the only real clue lying in the fact that she has over 27 years of experience in massage and natural therapy. I was keen to try the Rosalena FaceFit® because of Elaine’s experience in highly specialised treatments including myofascial and trigger point therapy, intra-oral massage for treating TMJ (tooth grinding/clenching) issues, and Manual Lymphatic Drainage. She has also worked with stroke and Bell’s Palsy patients to help restore facial muscle. I just knew that Rosalena FaceFit® would go beyond skin-deep.
Elaine tailors every Rosalena FaceFit® to the individual and my 60-minute session began with a personal consultation. As well as explaining what I might expect from the treatment, Elaine asked me what I hoped to achieve and questioned me about my health, lifestyle, nutrition and beauty regime, also whether I experienced any tension in my face or headaches. I explain that I want to unwind and restore glow to my skin. I always feel self-conscious about divulging my beauty products; apart from being a big fan of Rosalena’s face oils because they are 100% natural and very effective on my really sensitive dry skin, I actually have a very simple regime largely based around using as few products as possible and visits to the steam room. I am allergic to so many beauty products so I stick to my tried-and-tested, the ones I know work on me.
Elaine observes that I am blessed with good bone structure and this will help greatly with ageing, but she would like to plump up my cheeks a bit more, and work around the jawline. Elaine takes a before and after shot for comparison purposes and then sets to work.
Rosalena FaceFit® isn’t an ordinary facial by any stretch. Rosalena describe it as a natural alternative to botox, ‘a pain-free workout for your face that stimulates and relaxes the facial muscles’. The treatment incorporates a personal layering technique that targets tired muscles that cause saggy skin, puffy eyes, frown lines and tension in the jaw. It is designed to help boost circulation, and includes lymph drainage and a micro-contouring deeper massage, all topped off with a fabulous Rosalena face oil to restore glow.
Profoundly relaxing, FaceFit® reminds me of Rolfing a little bit in the sense that it works on the fascia, or connective tissues, and there is a similar sculpting sensation. You aren’t slathered in tons of beauty products; instead the emphasis is much more on Elaine’s massage techniques to target the underlying tissue. Specific acupressure points are activated, and the application of hot and cold stones also helps dissolve tension. I particularly loved the different ‘textures’ during my treatment. When Elaine was working on my forehead it honestly felt like she was wringing out a towel and I could feel the stress drain away. I also really loved Elaine’s gentle kneading and sculpting technique using traditional Chinese jade stones.
During the treatment, I became much more aware of some small pockets of tension in my facial muscles, that I had not previously been so aware of.
Elaine is highly intuitive in the way she works and she notes that my skin is a very good barometer of how I am feeling. She can sense my skin is primed to fizz at the slightest provocation, and she agrees that Rosalena’s Frank & Sense face oil is particularly beneficial to my skin due to the antioxidants & bio-active ingredients that rehydrate, regenerate & nourish skin. My skin really laps up the oil as Elaine applies it in a finishing flourish at the end of my treatment.
I return home from my FaceFit® treatment a very different person to the one who arrived. I feel a million dollars and my skin looks so much clearer, even more so in the days that followed. I have received some lovely compliments from friends and colleagues but possibly for me, the nicest thing was that feeling I had travelling home after the treatment: I noticed the muscles around my mouth were so relaxed that they kept tickling me to break into a smile.
Rosalena FaceFit® treatments cost £60 for 30 minutes and £100 for 60 minutes. More information at www.rosalena.co.uk.