While mini-facials and other 30-minute therapies are generally not designed to replace fuller and longer treatments, they do help maintain the results of the complete treatments in between visits to the spa or salon. A short appointment offers an opportunity for more targeted treatment on a more consistent basis. And perhaps most important, mini therapies, no matter the form, offer a moment of peace and calm in the lives of multi-tasking, busy people who have trouble carving out time for themselves each day.
The biggest advantages to express therapies are:
- You can maintain the results of 60-minute therapies in between visits at a lower price point
- Your therapist can check in with you on a more consistent basis to make sure that the recommended treatment is working effectively to achieve the desired results.
- You can try before you buy. Estheticians and healers will often recommend products after a facial or massage, but you have no way of knowing if you like the feel on your skin. A mini therapy allows the guest to experience products for a minimal investment before deciding on a larger purchase.
In my case, I have often recommended mini-therapies to my clients that had a specific skin-care concerns they were trying to address. If I had a client with acne, for example, I would start off giving her a “power facial,” where I would use professional exfoliators to remove dead skin cells, followed by cool laser therapy to reduce swelling and to kill bacteria on the surface of the skin. Then I’d send her home with a recommended skin-care program, suggesting a 30-minute cool laser therapy once a week for the next two weeks and another power facial on her fourth visit.
These mini “check-ups” between full visits allow me as the esthetician to make sure the home care I recommended is working and it allows me to reduce the swelling and redness on a weekly basis instead of just once a month. If the client had only seen me once and then not again for four weeks, it can be too much time for skin-care conditions like acne to become exacerbated. She’d therefore be starting at square-one with each visit.
It is important to also keep in mind that mini therapies are a fantastic way to quiet the mind and relax. Sometimes it is easier for clients who are used to running on a tight schedule to set aside this time with their favorite massage therapist, acupuncturist or esthetician to get the relief they need because they know they will keep this scheduled time for wellness. Without the appointment, many allow this personal time to be consumed by others so in this respect, mini therapies have an extreme intangible benefit that cannot be calculated.
–Danielle Terranova
Regional director for exhale mind-body-spa in Florida, Danielle Terranova is a certified esthetican. She recently completed exhale’s core fusion training program. Learn more at exhalespa.com.
