A secret to dewy skin: Oxygen Facials

AFP RELAXNEWS

From spa treatments to moisturizers, oxygen is the latest buzzword. But does your skin need extra O2? Here’s the scoop on the newest luxury treatment popping up in spas around the globe: oxygen facials.

Oxygen facials combat visible signs of aging, so the claim goes, linked to “poor conveyance of oxygen from subcutaneous capillaries to the surface of the skin,” says online spa industry news and information website Spa Finder.

What is it?

The facial involves a stream of high-pressurized oxygen infused with botanical, vitamin, mineral, and nutrient extracts applied to the face and neck. Spas that offer the treatment use a machine that delivers the hyperbaric oxygen and moisturizers in a pressurized burst.

The effect

Expect a smoother, plumper look with a healthy glow. According to Bella Sugar, stars Madonna, Michelle Williams and Emma Stone credit their dewy good looks to oxygen facials.

For a list of spas offering oxygen facials, check out Spa Finder’s international list. Or get a similar treatment with at-home products like the Peter Thomas Roth Radiance Oxygenating Masque.

Other luxury spa treatments making waves include cryogenic chamber therapy, popularized by celebrities who swear by its muscle and joint healing effect. Clients bravely enter a -90C chamber, in their skivvies no less, for about three teeth-chattering minutes.

Flotation spas are another popular trend in the US, with entrepreneurial spa owners offering pools to simulate the Dead Sea. Clients float effortlessly in heated pools full of Epsom salts, allowing total relaxation.