Ice Ice Baby, HerCanberra tries a Cryofacial at Hale

Posted on 29 August, 2024

Me and the cold just don’t mix.

Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact I will run a mile from anything cold. This extends to jumping on a plane each year to fly away from Canberra in winter.

So it did take me some convincing to try a cryofacial.

For one thing, it doesn’t sound as soothing and luxurious as the other treatments I have experienced at Hale (remember that time I had the out-of-body facial and body wrap where I tumbled through a tear in the time/space continuum only to be reborn again a new woman?).

Still, the clincher is that it is a facial incorporating the Rationale professional line of high-performance products, so whatever happens, I know this facial will deliver. What’s a bit of frostbite in the name of good glow?

I make sure to leave plenty of time to enjoy the spa and sauna prior to my appointment so that at the very least, I can heat up in the water and steam before the cold snap.

After a glorious float, and a good 15 minutes stretched out in the sauna (would happily move into that magical wooden room, didn’t even break a sweat), I am stretched out in the lounge in front of the open fire living my best life.

In comes Priscilla with a beautiful British accent, perfect red lip and magical hands.

We walk through to the treatment room to talk about my skin. Having recently had a non-ablative laser treatment, I am happier with my face than I have been in a long time. I have no issues, per se, and Priscilla explains that this facial will help settle some of the deeper inflammation caused by my recent laser exposure.

I have also read up on the benefits of cryofacials which, like cold plunges, are having their moment. I know that I can expect a plumper, more refined face as a result.

I am placed on one of those delicious luxe (and heated) treatment beds which can elevate your knees under a woollen Bemboka blanket and the moment Priscilla places her hands on me for a double cleanse, I realise she is magic. Some therapists just know their stuff, and Priscilla is one of them.

Using the cleanser packed with ceramides, Priscilla massages my face into a state of spotlessness.

The room is dark, the products smell luscious and then it is time for some Omnilux LED light therapy to kick-start my facial by triggering some deep cellular healing.

I would be happy enough to just lie there in the dim warmth, but Priscilla begins a beautiful massage, of my neck, shoulders, arms and hands. I float off into sweet, sweet oblivion.

Then it is time to move onto the application of a Hyaluronic Acid Mask which puts back into my face what nature has so rudely taken out of me as I hit my 50s – moisture.

This is the mask which is then infused with the Cryotherapy machine. I have my eyes closed so do not know what’s going on (Is it a probe? Is it ice? Is it air?) – whatever it is, it’s a strangely pleasant cold pressure that runs over my face in relaxing massage motions. I am not cold, it is not shocking, and Priscilla’s magic hands keep everything feeling hugely indulgent.

According to the science behind skin cool technology, the sub-zero temperatures soothe the skin, alleviating inflammation and minimising redness. As your skin gradually returns to its natural temperature, increased blood and oxygen circulation to the face gives you your best glow.

Meanwhile, I am so close to falling asleep, I wonder whether I could pay to stay in this room for a few hours? Surely I am not the first to ask…

Lucky for me, it’s not over yet. Instead, it is time for a Vitamin D infusion and Pyruvic Acid Enzyme Reactivator. I am told I can expect some tingling, but it is minimal.

There is no pain at any stage of this process, which, quite frankly, puts the delight back into the experience of having a facial. For the last few years, most of my face treatments have been medical-grade events, designed for visible changes in my skin quality, requiring some numbing cream and deep breathing to get through it. So to do something that has this luxe edge is indulgent, and I pledge to myself to do it more often.

With a quick post-treatment application of The Serum, The Light Crème, Eye Crème and Tinted Serum (my personal Holy Grail of products), I am ready to face the day.

I leave looking dewy. No redness, no swelling and I feel tighter, smoother and more even-toned. This is the sort of facial I would probably book to prepare for a big event, and a few days later I feel the moisture levels in my skin remain elevated.

It turns out not all sub-zero temperature experiences are to be avoided after all.

Photos by Abbie Melle