My HydraFacial Experience

Last week, I had the opportunity to get a HydraFacial at 3000BC Spa in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia. I’ve been seeing the HydraFacial craze all over the place… from an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to countless magazine articles. I’ll admit, I was drawn in by all the hype. Would it solve all my skin problems? Make me feel like a new woman? Well, not exactly. But before we get into that, let me explain the HydraFacial process. Then, I’ll talk all about my experience and whether I think it’s worth the cost. 

First things first. What’s a Hydrafacial? 

HydraFacial is the newest non-laser skin resurfacing treatment. It’s not nearly as abrasive as microdermabrasion and is recommended for people with sensitive skin {ME!} The HydraFacial cleanses, exfoliates, extracts impurities, while also hydrating and replenishing vital nutrients like antioxidants, peptides and hyaluronic acid. It helps with fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture, congested skin, enlarged pores and much more. 

There are four steps to this facial: exfoliation, peel, extraction, and fusion. 

1. Vortex-Exfoliation™
   • Ingredients: lactic acid, glycolic acid, algae extract, yeast extract
   • Purpose: deeply cleanses, exfoliates, removes dead skin cells
2. Vortex-Peel™
   • Ingredients: glycolic acid, salicylic acid
   • Purpose: removes impurities without post-peel scaling
3. Vortex-Extraction™
   • Ingredients: honey extract, flower extract, salicylic acid 
   • Purpose: cleans out pores, hydrates skin, soothes and calms skin
4. Vortex-Fusion™
   • Ingredients: green tea extract, flower extract, hyaluronic acid, mineral peptides
   • Purpose: nourishes and protects, plumps and hydrates

My HydraFacial Experience

When I walked into 3000BC Spa, I was instantly impressed. The first thing I noticed was that the spa sells Becca makeup products, a line I’ve always wanted to try. After filling out the necessary paperwork, I was given a quick tour of the spa and was seated in a waiting area with tea and cucumber water. Although it was too cold to go outside, the waiting area overlooked a nice “zen” outdoor patio area with a seating and a water fountain. 

When it was my turn, my esthetician Naomi greeted me and set me up on the Visia Skin Analysis device. This thing is awesome. I put my face in this lightbox-looking thing and a computer took photos of my face. It was a bit shocking, since it’s not everyday that I see closeup photos of my skin. The device analyzed wrinkles, texture, pore size, UV spots, red areas and bacteria. Surprisingly, most of the areas were in tip-top shape. The one thing Naomi said I could improve upon was wearing more sunblock. 

After that, it was time for the HydraFacial. I won’t go into each step, since I talked about it above, but I will talk about how it felt. It was like a vacuum on my face sucking up all the impurities. Gross, but really cool. It didn’t hurt at all and actually felt kind of nice. Throughout the whole process, Naomi answered all of my million questions. The facial lasted around 40 minutes and I left the salon feeling super rejuvenated and confident in my makeup-free skin! {That almost rarely happens.} My skin was a little red afterward, but nothing too insane. 

By the next morning, my skin was super hydrated and brighter than usual. My dark spots had faded a bit and any inflammation from breakouts seemed to go down. However, a few days later, I started seeing a bunch of new breakouts. I researched other people’s experiences, and apparently that can happen because your skin is going through a detox period. It’s been four days since the facial and my skin is still breaking out and I’m not super stoked about it. Tea tree oil and Neosporin have been my best friends lately. 

Is it Worth the Cost?

While the treatment itself was very relaxing, and my skin looked nice for like 24 hours afterward, I don’t think I would try the HydraFacial again. The breakouts alone make me very wary of going back, plus it’s not cheap. Each salon’s pricing is different, but I’ve seen the HydraFacial offered for anywhere from $150-$250. Although I can’t recommend the HydraFacial for everyone, I do think 3000BC Spa is amazing and would suggest that anyone in the Philly area go check them out. Aside from HydraFacials, they also do massages, waxing, chemical peels and more. Ask for Naomi, she’s a rockstar. 

Thank you 3000BC Spa for providing a complimentary HydraFacial treatment for this post.