Beauty treatments have always had an element of theatre. Beautiful textures, the way products are applied, the treatment room, the ritual of it all - that's part of the experience, and personally, I love it.
But social media has introduced something new. A facial no longer only has to make sense for the person receiving it. Increasingly, it also has to make sense through a screen.
And those are two very different ways of experiencing a treatment.
On camera, we need something to see. A mask changing texture, steam floating above the face, a device moving across the skin, a dramatic application, an immediate glow. These moments translate beautifully into a few seconds of video. They give us a visual story of a treatment taking place.
Professional judgement is much harder to film.
You can't really see why a certain step was chosen. You can't see why another one was left out. You can't see an aesthetician adjusting pressure, changing the protocol or deciding that someone's skin has had enough for today.
Sometimes the most appropriate treatment decision might be completely uninteresting to watch.
And I think that's worth remembering.
A facial doesn't have to prove how much happened
There is an understandable temptation to associate more with better. More steps, more products, more tools, more visible transformation. But I don't think the value of a facial can be measured by how much happens during it.
I love working manually, and I also love technology. There are things hands can do beautifully and things devices can do that hands simply cannot. For me, it isn't about choosing a side. It's about choosing with intention.
Does this particular skin need exfoliation today? Does this device make sense for what we're trying to achieve? Does adding another active improve the treatment, or have we already done enough? Those decisions aren't particularly spectacular on camera. But they're the part of the facial I find most interesting.
Not every result is immediate or photogenic
Social media also naturally favours instant results. We love the final reveal - beautifully illuminated, incredibly glossy skin immediately after a treatment. And there's nothing wrong with wanting someone to leave looking fresh and glowing. But an immediate photograph can only tell us so much.
Some treatments are about results that develop over time. Some are about supporting the skin rather than dramatically changing its appearance in an hour. Some are about hydration, comfort or maintaining skin that is already doing well. And sometimes the beautiful glow at the end is, quite simply, also a very good finishing product catching very good light.
Again, that's not a criticism. Beauty is visual. Of course we want skin to look beautiful. I just don't think the most photogenic result should automatically become our definition of the best one.
Who are we designing the treatment for?
This is something I want to keep in mind as I develop my own treatments. I want them to be beautiful experiences. I want to work with my hands. I want to use products I believe in. I want to use technology when technology makes sense. And yes, I want to be able to show my work beautifully too.
But I don't want the treatment to be designed backwards from what will look impressive in a Reel. The person on the bed has to come first. Because perhaps the best treatment isn't necessarily the one with the most dramatic mask, the longest list of steps or the most impressive immediate photograph.
Maybe it's simply the one where every choice made sense for the person receiving it.
There is nothing wrong with a facial being beautiful to watch.
I just think it should be even better to receive.
Anna x
