Are you looking for the perfect relaxation experience? Or maybe the best place to achieve your skin goals? Perhaps a space that aligns with your values?
Below - and in no particular order - you'll find a list of our favourite facial experiences across Sydney. From sustainable beauty to aquamedic pools, here are the tried-and-tested locations that you need to know about.
Go forth and be pampered.
1. Jocelyn Petroni - Woollahra
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Jocelyn Petroni’s luxuriously light and bright spa in Woollahra is all about the personal touch. It’s a place to wind down but also one that helps you to reenergise. The signature experience at this location is the Heart Chakra facial which helps you to glow from within. Jocelyn is also a Chanel Australia Nail Expert, so the manicures here are second to none.
2. FENN - Paddington
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A brand new space created by skincare veterans Nicole Manning and Clare McColl. This expertly styled spa is one that takes a holistic view of skin and wellness. A treatment here is a delightful experience from beginning to end, from the moment you step in and sip your cup of bespoke tea designed by Orchard Street. Although there is a set menu of experiences, each is tailored to your individual skin concerns and needs. Combining tradition techniques like massage with innovation like LED light therapy or vibrating extraction tools, this could be the best facial you’ll ever have.
3. Rationale - multiple locations
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Rationale has a different approach to skincare. Founder Richard Parker is all about creating a regime that is based on science, and doing the work to find out exactly what your skin needs. It’s why this skincare brand offers facials. The brand’s trained therapists have a number of techniques and technological innovations to help understand your skin, how it works and any particular areas of concern. Heading into a Rationale boutique for a skin consultation is not only a wonderfully relaxing experience, but it will arm you with information that you can take with you for life.
4. Glow Medispa
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Personlisation is the name of the game at Glow Mediaspa. So many facials claim to start off with a consultation, but a facial at Glow Medispa actually does. You'll have the opportunity to explain all of your skin concerns while dermal therapist and founder Elisa conducts a thorough analysis of your complexion. Your treatment is then customised to your specific requirements. For example, I am intolerant to vitamin C and also honey and was able to have these ingredients excluded. As such, I walked away glowing rather than itchy. Tucked into a nook of Pyrmont, this is the spot to visit for a tailored treatment rather than an off-the-shelf solution.
5. Hydrafacial - all over Sydney
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Hydrafacial is a treatment you can find in multiple locations all over Sydney. If you’re looking for some serious get up and glow, this 30-minute treatment is for you. It works through suction technology that removes the impurities from your skin while it infuses your complexion with key actives and vitamins. Think of it like a PT session for your skin. Doing them regularly will help your skin stay in tip top shape.
6. Melanie Grant - Double Bay
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With her countless rave celebrity reviews from everyone from Victoria Beckham and Rose Byrne to Phoebe Tonkin and Lara Worthington, Melanie Grant is one of Australia’s most celebrated skin experts. Her oxygen facials are known the world over and are said to be life changing - that is if you’re lucky enough to get an appointment.
7. Venustus - Paddington
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Jeannie at Venustus is a favourite of the RUSSH office - particularly the Sculpt and Define Facials which expertly help to chisel out your features. It’s like magic. Venustus is a haven, a place to escape the hustle and bustle and feel energetically balanced. The space is nurtured by rose and clear quartz and each day the air is cleared by white sage. Unwind, relax and feel renewed.
8. Self, by The Parlour Room - Randwick
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Snagging an appointment here isn’t easy as it’s often booked out for events. Once you step inside, you can see why. The elegantly decorated foyer is equipped with boucle lounges, plinths and flowers - and the treatment rooms are just as lovely. The facials here are designed around the offerings of key skincare brands, so you can choose a treatment that aligns with your preference of product. You’ll find some lovely body and massage treatments on the menu here too.
9. Beauty & Balance - Cronulla
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This skin and wellness studio in the Sutherland Shire is all about holistic care. The space has been thoughtfully designed to encourage relaxation and calm with large treatment rooms and even an outdoor space. The facials on offer include relaxation treatments right through to clinical facials like skin needling, resurfacing and peels. There’s also an infrared sauna that you can add on to any of the treatments booked.
10. Gillian Adams - Turramurra
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Gillian Adams spa is easily one of the most iconic locations in Sydney. Located on the North Shore, this space is famous for its aquamedic pool, an experience which can be added on to any facial treatment booked at the spa for an additional $50. And it’s well worth it. It’s just about one of the most relaxing experiences you can have. A full menu, the treatments here include LED light therapy, dermarolling, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, facial massage, peels and more.
11. Bare Beauty House - Manly
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Bare Beauty House is a spa and salon committed to sustainability. It looks to create a luxurious experience while reducing its carbon footprint and impact on the plant as much as possible. The spa uses products with purpose, is committed to biodiversity through it’s strategic veggie patch, uses green energy and is moving towards zero waste. As for the treatments, it offers a range of targeted treatments including buccal massage and cryogenic toning.
12. By Stella - Cronulla
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Created by beauty expert Stella Shenouda, By Stella is a place for results-driven beauty. The spa is actually converted home, so walking inside feels like a welcome home visit rather than something stark or clinical. In addition to a portfolio of facial treatments, By Stella also offers cosmetic tattooing and event makeup. But it is of course best known for the skin rejuvenating facials which include Hydrafacials and also the Vampire facial.
13. Fayshell - Bondi Junction & Mosman
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It's no secret that facials can be expensive, and because of this, inaccessible. Fayshell is here to change this, bringing a streamlined facial experience to the heart of Bondi. The premise is simple; select between a basic or advance facial experience at a fixed price, turn up and let your facialist cater the session to your skin's needs.
14. The Manse Clinic - CBD & Paddington
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The Manse Clinic is a luxury cosmetic clinic created by the renowned Dr Naomi McCullum. Alongside its cosmetic treatment options, The Manse Clinic also offers facials designed to drive real results. If you’re looking for an experience beyond pure relaxation, The Manse Clinic will take a clinical approach, offering facials that have an end goal in mind.
