Try: a facial at Louise Gray Skin Care NOW

As well as being a truly delicious place to while away an hour or two, Ponsonby Road beauty spot Louise Gray Skin Care is one of the few places for a facial treatment in the ‘hood that truly embraces new technology.
When I had my first visit there during summer my therapist introduced me to their truly innovative bt-micro machine - a factor unique to LGSC as far as I know and one that never ceases to amaze me. It is essentially a hand held, battery operated tool that can perform a myriad of tasks, including acting as a moisture analysis meter by utilising bioelectric impedance technology with a skin membrane sensor. When placed on the skin, a low level of electrical current is used to measure the conductivity, resistance, and the time in which it takes to obtain the reading. These measurements are calculated against an internal database of statistics to determine the exact final numerical result, which is your skin’s hydration level. This can then be checked before and after your treatment, during which time mine doubled in several key areas on my first visit. The clever little device means you can actually see whether or not your treatment worked, but it has many other talents too. But more on that later!
Louise Gray Skin Care has a unique approach to beauty therapy in that there is no prefabricated selection of services on offer – each treatment is totally customised to your lifestyle and your skin’s needs, using dermalogica products and only after a highly detailed consultation. As well as dealing to my skin with a customised facial I was booked in for an eye-focused package, which included an eyelash tint, brow tint and brow shape for $55.00. It was amazing the difference the use of a blue-black (as opposed to standard black) tint on my lashes gave me – my baby blues really popped - and my therapist Alison was an absolute wonder when it came to shaping my brows to the perfect arch. She was also incredibly diligent when it can to my lash tint and avoiding any transferral of product to the skin – an eyelash tint shouldn’t sting, but all too often they do.
The perfect mix of high performance and relaxation element, my facial included a double cleanse using dermalogica’s Special Cleansing Gel, dermalogica face mapping (a thorough examination of the 14 sections of the face), a customised treatment masque and the most deliciously relaxing pressure point face massage that I’ve experienced in a while. Prior to the masque Alison once again whipped out the bt-micro, this time on a “peel” setting to use on select areas of my face where the change in season had contributed to some clogged pores. Also the perfect setting for extractions (kinder on the skin and making the therapist’s task an easier one) it made an incredible difference to my forehead in particular, and with minimal discomfort.
If you have some extra time you can even further customise your treatment with one of their “touch therapies” – a back massage, foot massage etc. - for 15 minutes of extra attention where you want it most.
Recent award winners, the team at Louise Gray Skin Care were the recipients of the Top Dermalogica Skin Care Centre 2011 title not long ago, and also the Commitment to Education Award for the third year in a row. The awards not only recognise that the team at Louise Gray are leaders in their field but that they also offer outstanding performance as a skin care provider, and I have to agree. This place really is the home of high performance treatments with real results… and even have a that “feelgood” thrown in for good measure.