Soho Skin Rejuvenation

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It's the epitome of pampering and honestly, the most luxurious and effective facial I've ever had."How old are you? MY mum's 24," says my son's classmate, immediately before my appointment at the new , Chermside. Thanks kid for bringing my ageing skin to the front of my mind on my way to be treated to a "Synergy Awakening LED facial". Apart from the normal process of ageing, past pregnancy hormones and sun exposure have left me with dark pigmentation. To reverse the changes, this LED facial claims to be just what the doctor ordered. Plus, I get to lie down in the middle of the day. On arrival, I'm warmly ushered into a peaceful anteroom to complete the typical comprehensive new client form. With this withdrawal from the bustling shopping centre into the peace of the salon. I immediately start to relax.The natural timber and matte grey interior are in keeping with Soho's clinical approach that retains a day spa aesthetic. Soho describes itself as: "Where European spa luxury meets state of the art clinical results".

In the treatment room, I'm invited to remove clothes above the waist, cover up with a robe and recline on the treatment bed under a comforting, pristine white blanket. Instrumental music and a vanilla scented candle set the scene.

My therapist, Meaghan, asks me to begin with three deep breaths. I inhale relaxing essential oils, while her hands gently stretch my shoulders away from my ears.

I lose count of the number of beautifully scented cleansers, exfoliants, toners, masks, serums, moisturisers and other treatments that are slathered on my face, neck and decolletage, and massaged in.

And there are at least half a dozen delicious hot towels used in between. I become like Pavlov's dog, eagerly attuned to the sound of the heating cupboard clicking open each time Meaghan prepares another wonderful hot towel.

When it's time for the chemical peel, I'm warned it might "tingle". There is a little mild stinging which quickly subsides.

Now for the key part of the treatment - LED light therapy.

Meaghan explains that LED light helps improve the energy in my skin's cells (via ATP - the molecule that stores and transports chemical energy in the body). She says it normalises cell function and can help with reducing redness, increasing hydration and slowing ageing.

LED therapy can also reduce pigmentation - perfect for me. Another recent SOHO customer arrived with red, blotchy hives and after her first LED treatment left with about 40% of the redness she'd arrived with.



Apart from a vague feeling of warmth from the LED lamp, I don't feel a thing from this completely gentle process. While the light does its thing, I'm treated to a skillful hand, arm, foot and lower leg massage. Ahhhh.

At some stage, Meaghan also finds time to massage my scalp and neck, and I love the gentle traction on my spine.

The 75 minutes float away too quickly. I'm so thoroughly relaxed it takes some time to get my brain and body all back on board.



Afterwards, my skin is seriously smoother, plumper, softer and better hydrated. It's literally the healthiest I've seen it in years. However, Meaghan says the treatment will really come into effect in about 5 days' time.

My face does feel slightly numb for a couple of hours afterwards - I'm not sure if this is from having so many lovely treatments massaged into it, or perhaps from the tingly peel.

At home, putting on my science nerd cap for a minute I look into the scientific evidence for LED's benefits. It seems likely it does reduce ageing and improve healing - but you probably need ongoing treatments to keep seeing improvements.

With this particular 75 minutes of bliss priced at $220, the one downside of the Synergy Awakening LED facial is its impact on the bank balance.

For those keen to reap the full benefits of LED therapy, Soho does offer an LED "membership" - up to three 20 min sessions a week. The 3 month package is $1300 (about $36 a session).

At the lower end of the scale, the express section of their menu includes the Petit Facial ($79) and the Peel and Hydrate Facial ($99).

For a special event, you could spoil yourself and a partner, your mum or a friend and have a facial in their couple's room.

Apart from anything else, there's no doubt the luxurious relaxation you can escape into at Soho can transform how you look and feel, from the inside out.

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