Remember the Periodic Table of Elements from high school chemistry?
Well, get this: that colorless and odorless element No. 8 — between nitrogen and flourine — isn’t just the most abundant element in the earth’s crust or constitute 21 percent of the atmosphere. According to spa and beauty experts, it can actually hydrate your skin, making it appear smoother, plumper and younger-looking.
The hyperbaric oxygen facial — made a household phrase by Madonna, who has a treatment machine at her home — has become a staple in exclusive spas around the world. The facial involves a machine that painlessly sprays atomized moisturizers onto the skin using a stream of pressurized oxygen.
The wellness-based spa at the Waikiki EDITION (both the hotel and its spa made the 15th annual Hot List by Conde Nast Traveler magazine this year) now offers three versions of the trendy Intraceuticals oxygen facial: Replenishing ($250 for 60 minutes) plumps fine lines and wrinkles, Illuminating ($250 for 60 minutes) brightens skin and evens out hyper-pigmentation and Age-Reversing ($350 for 75 minutes) combines the two. These advanced facial treatments use therapuetic-grade oxygen and hyaluronic acid, an ingredient naturally found in the skin but can lessen with age, to leave skin looking brighter and firmer, even days later.
This boutique spa is committed to natural and organic products, says lead aesthetician Sheena Johnson. Every facial uses the spa’s signature line of Elemental Herbology, an innovative prescriptive skincare using natural ingredients, and Amala, a skincare line that uses high-potency organic plants. Both lines are exclusive to the Waikiki EDITION.
The facial starts off a facial cleansing and exfoliation to prepare your skin for the oxygen treatment, which lasts for about half an hour. Your skin is infused with Chinese crushed pearl extract, which illuminates your skin. It’s no wonder celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Eva Longoria swear by this treatment.
These facials can be done every two days, but Johnson recommends monthly treatments. A six-treatment package costs $1,350.
If an oxygen facial isn’t on your must-do list, the spa offers a variety of massages, body therapies and nail services, too.
For more information or to make reservations, contact The Spa at Waikiki EDITION at 808.943.5882.
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Haute Secrets
May 3, 2011Haute Secrets: Aaron Crumbaugh
