Esquire Tests: Cosderma Hydra Facial at Wellness Club, Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi

When your job warrants getting a facial on a Monday afternoon, you know you’ve done something right. But what if you’re not the kind to get those done on a regular basis? Is it still a welcome pleasure or an occupation hazard you’d rather not contend with? I don’t know where I’m going with this, so let me get to the point right away.

Facials have long held pride of place when it comes to both beauty treatments & forms of relaxation. But do they even work? I kept thinking about it, even as I was walking towards the Wellness Club at Shangri-La hotel in New Delhi, in time for my Cosderma Hydra Facial appointment. “How come you’re going for it?” A friend of mine had asked the night before, fully aware of my decade-old stance against them. But then, a Hydrafacial isn’t the same as a ‘regular’ one, is it? That was my rationale & I’m choosing to stick with it.

The inevitable question remains: do facials work? Well... Hydra facial did.

Before you decide to get one yourself, here’s what you should know though. A Hydra facial is meant to give your skin a massive booth of hydration that’ll lead to a great glow on your face (because well-hydration skin glows from within). It’s also meant to prevent signs of ageing – again because hydration is the solution – but I’m not sure if it’ll help counter fine lines or wrinkles. In fact, if you’re someone who has wrinkles already, the therapist at Shang-La suggested not opting for a Hydra facial since there’s a your skin needs a more ‘advanced’ treatment. I’d say it’s incredible for people with dry skin. My skin being on the oily didn’t technically need an intense amount of hydration but if you’re dealing with parched pores, this one will satiate them like nothing else.

Here’s how it works: you’ll first get a skin analysis to check for any specific issue such as hyperpigmentation, breakouts, etc. I didn’t need one (turns out, my skin is truly that good. Yay!), so we straight up went for cleansing, done with a suction to pull out everything from dead cells to blackheads. Speaking of blackheads, never has anything been this pain-free; a large part of my ‘trauma’ regarding facials has always been the pain black head removal causes – but Hydra facials mean no pain, only gain so who knows, I might become a facial convert soon!

Once the pores have been opened & cleansed, it’s time for serum penetration using facial massage, followed by using the HR machine. HR stands for Hydrogen-Oxygen and what the machine does is convert purified water into hydrogen and oxygen ions, which allows water molecules to penetrate the dermis quickly, promoting skin rejuvenation and whitening. It feels incredible & I could literally feel the water quenching my skin. This was followed by lymphatic drainage to aid in skin tightening and lifting, and who doesn’t want that!

This was followed by some red light therapy to help with prevention of fine lines and pigmentation; microcurrent to aid with (more) lifting; hot and cold compression to help with any redness which can follow post all the preceding procedures; moisturising mask mixed with sunscreen (because your skin will be photosensitive after such procedures).

By the time the Hydra facial ended, I was moisturised, moisturised and (some more) moisturised. As for post-facial diktats, all I had to do was not use soap or cleanser on my face for 24 hours and diligently use sunscreen when during the day.

I met a friend the same evening who didn’t notice much of a change (I’ll admit I was a tad bit disappointed), making me wonder if the facial worked at all. But the next day, when another friend remarked that my face was glowing more than usual, I figured Hydra facial works better the day after. As someone who has never struggled with dull, dry skin, I can’t say it’s done wonders to my skin but I’m quite sure it’ll do just that if dehydrated skin is what you’re struggling with. How long do the results last? As per the team at Shangri-La's Wellness Club, you’ll be good for about a month.

A moisture treat for your skin once a month? That’s definitely a cause you should get behind.