There's a specific kind of guilt that comes with a spa facial. You leave looking radiant, skin dewy and tight, already working out in your head just how many weeks you‘ll have to wait between trips, and how much it will set you back. For most of us, that calculation has the same conclusion every time, not often enough and too much.
That‘s quietly turning upside down. Amongst the ranks of skincare fans, bathroom shelfies and dermatologists waiting rooms, one thing keeps cropping up, the ultrasonic skin scrubber. Small, cheap and surprisingly powerful, it‘s the gadget that‘s leading people to question whether that spa trip was ever really necessary.
What a Spa Facial Actually Does.
Before you can try to understand why people are quitting professional facials, you need to understand the core of what they‘re paying for. A standard spa facial will generally consist of a cleanse, exfoliate, extract and some kind of hydrating or treatment mask. The exfoliation which (when it‘s doing its job of making skin visibly softer and brighter) can be the most rewarding part.
This is achieved through a variety of appliances that estheticians can utilize, and more and more we are seeing ultrasonic skin scrubbers incorporated into their treatment procedures. So here‘s a question for you to ponder: if people are using this on their clients, how come you can‘t use it at home?
The answer, more and more often, is that you can.
The Science Behind the Scrub.
Ultrasonic Skin Scrubbers use a metal blade in the shape of a spatula which sends out high frequency vibrations (between 24-30,000 Hz). It is used on dampened skin. When it touches the skin it does a range of functions.
First, they agitate and elevate the dead cells, oils and other debris from your pores without using any friction of scrubs or erosion of acids.
Second, the fast vibration produces a massage of sorts that kick-starts and boosts the efficiency of blood flow and lymphatic drainage something that a Sunday Morning rinse and moisturizer session will never achieve.
Third, when you switch it to infusion mode the vibrations facilitate the penetration of serums and actives into your skin more than you could ever do manually with your hands.
The side effect, it leaves the pores cleaner, the texture silkier and the end product is more absorbent. Three things that you used to need a room with mood lighting and a woman called Giselle to achieve.
The Real Cost Comparison.
A quality spa facial can cost $80-$200 a visit. To see the results that truly make a difference, most estheticians will advise once a month, which means yearly you could expect to pay between $960 and $2400, excluding tips or additional expenses.
A good ultrasonic skin scrubber like the ones from ultrasonicskincrubber.com has a one-time charge of $35. If used for as little as two to three times a week, you‘ll receive value for your money in the first month. By the third month, you‘ll have paid back for what you‘d spent on a whole year at the spa!
This is not about skimping on self-care. It‘s about putting that same investment into something that works more often, on your timetable, with no booking fee.
What You Actually Give Up.
Honesty is important here. A home ultrasonic skin scrubber can‘t do all of what a professional facial can, it doesn‘t have the same spa-feel, heated towels, oil diffuser, or someone else going to town on your face while you lay back.
Deep extractions for nasty congestion or large acne bumps are still best left to a professional, and the pampered feel-good Spa moment you get cannot truly be recreated in the comfort of your own bathroom.
But what about the average person with generally healthy skin? A significant difference between did-themselves and pro-treated is closer than ever. Professionals who are for ultrasonic skin scrubbers promoting home use will point to the fact that long-term gentle, regular exfoliation beats occasional aggressive treatment in terms of long-term skin tone and texture.
Frequency beats intensity. A treatment you have three times a week beats a facial you have four times a year.
Who‘s Actually Switching
The consumers making this switch are not only price sensitive, but time sensitive, working parents who can‘t spend a Saturday afternoon in a spa, world travelers who just want a known face to step into when they are in town, sensitive skin consumers who would prefer not to deal with the surprises that come with seeing a different esthetician every time.
What they have in common is the insight that the thing for which they have been paying can be had for nothing at home. Not a lame semblance of it. A really accurate one. And, what is more, it is to be had every day.
People who have used every cleanser and serum in the book can become big converts to ultrasonic skin scrubs. The problem isn‘t the product, it‘s their ability to get where the action is. If the skin is congested or full of dead layers, then even the most effective activities are simply sitting on top. The ultrasonic vibration clears the way and suddenly the product is doing what you bought it for.
Final Remarks.
What we‘re seeing with ultrasonic skin scrubbers is exactly what we saw in the world of wellness for other devices. Devices used to be high end for clinics and spas, but now they have a lower priced point and they are being purchased for the home. IPL devices, LED masks, microcurrent devices all did the exact same thing.
The spa facial isn‘t going away. But its function is changing, from home care to special occasions. How to keep healthy skin healthy is more and more work people are opting to do on their own, one soothing, high-frequency glide at a time.
The glow can happen anytime, not just when you schedule an appointment thanks to an ultrasonic skin scrubber sitting right on your bathroom shelf.