On the third floor of Promenade in Greenhills, San Juan, tucked away from the frenzied crowd of shoppers and diners, is an aesthetic spa that offers the latest cosmetic procedures combined with the high-end European skincare line Nelly Devuyst.
Founded by bosom friends Beena M. Go and Dr. Anna Marie S. Nolido, MD, Skinlux Aesthetic Center offers a wide range of body treatments, laser treatments, facials and beauty-enhancing services. The center was born out of the ladies’ sheer love for pampering.
A year ago, Go, whose business brings her to Singapore and Australia, noticed a long queue in an aesthetic clinic at Lucky Plaza, Singapore. The good mix of professionals, students, some from as far as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, was waiting in line for RevLite treatment.
Curious, she tried the treatment and got hooked. A month later, her aunts and uncles also began flying to Singapore for treatments. A couple more months later, she convinced her high school friend Nolido to be her business partner for the Philippine market.
But instead of offering a “fastfood” type of service akin to that in Singapore, whose fast turnover was guaranteed to rake in bigger profits, Go and Nolido decided to raise the bar by setting up a luxurious spa ambience.
“Filipinos love to be pampered. We don’t want to pay so much for something that will be over in five minutes. So we added extra services with the packages, and partnered with the high-end Belgian skincare brand Nelly Devuyst,” Go said.
Manon Pilon, the consultant of Prince Albert when Les Thermes Marins Spa opened in Monaco, flew in from Canada to train the staff.
Four months after the center’s opening, RevLite Plus is already among its most popular treatments, followed by Hydra Skin Rejuvenating Facial and Refirme.
RevLite Plus is a one-and-a-half hour treatment that combines Express Facial, RevLite and IPL (intense pulsed light) Fotofacial Rejuvenation.
Skin problems
The RevLite laser, said Nolido, is one of the best hospital-grade lasers today. It is perfect for treating a host of skin problems, including skin pigmentation, hyperpigmentation, enlarged pores, brown age spots and birthmarks, liver spots, sun spots, wrinkles, fine lines, photo damages, aging skin, lentigo and lentigenes.
The heat of RevLite laser stimulates the skin to develop new collagen, making it firmer and smoother. New collagen will fill in the fine lines to even out the skin texture. Pigmentation will break up, producing an overall even skin tone.
The laser pulses are fast and brief, with minimal discomfort. It’s a prickly warm sensation, with “popping” sounds as the laser touches and burns the fine facial hair. There’s a faint smell of burnt hair, but none of the painful burning sensation. And it’s over in five minutes.
Cells with excessive concentration of pigment will absorb the laser energy better than normal cells, so pigmented lesions are removed. Reduction of pigmentation is instantly noticed, although it will take a few more sessions before they completely disappear or fade into a much lighter shade.
There is no downtime. Clients can have it done even twice a day, with at least a two-hour gap. Go said it is safe, with no side effects, suitable for most skin types, and may be combined with other cosmetic treatments. A dermatologist conducts the cosmetic procedure.
“We have registered nurses who have trained in hospitals with lasers. We just have to familiarize them with how our machine works. The machine itself is so advanced it already knows the precise measurement. You can’t go wrong with it,” Nolido said.
Hydra Skin Rejuvenating Facial is similar to the traditional diamond peel in that it exfoliates the skin. Hydra Skin, however, is more advanced. This aesthetic technology uses a vacuum-based skin abrasion tip to draw dead skin cells while soaking the skin in vitamin-rich antioxidant serum. The method eliminates skin dryness and is painless.
Body treatments
“Nelly Devuyst products are noncomedogenic—they don’t clog pores so there’s low potential for pimples and blackheads—and are dermatologically tested,” said Dr. Olivia de Jesus, consultant dermatologist at Skinlux.
Body treatments include Cellulite Oleaslim Body Wrap, Skinlux Seaweed Body Wrap, and Bust Firming. Laser treatments include Laser Hair Removal, Acne Clear, Matrix Laser, Emax ReFirme, and Resurfacing Laser.
They also offer facials, such as a 30-minute Express Facial, Anti-Aging European Facial and Acne Facial.
Other services include ear candling with lymphatic drainage, botox injections, sclerotherapy, fillers and glutathione injections.
Each treatment uses Nelly Devuyst products.
Skinlux Aesthetic Center is at 3/F Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan. Call tel. nos. 6503109 and 0925-8800601. E-mail skinluxph@gmail.com or log on to www.skinluxph.com.