The best facials in Sydney, handpicked by the BEAUTYcrew Team

Here at BEAUTYcrew we have the luxury of trying new beauty treatments before anyone else. But with such privilege comes responsibility — after all, we can't in good conscience ask our readers to spend money on treatments we wouldn't fork out our own cash for.

It's for that very reason that the BEAUTYcrew team has put our heads together to come up with a definitive list of the very best facials one can experience in Sydney. We've sampled the wares each salon, spa and clinic on this list is peddling, so we know exactly what we're talking about when we confidently tell you exactly why we love them so much — and why we think you will too. 

We also took the liberty of asking, Sharni Morrison, Self by The Parlour Room's Salon Manager to prepare a list of guiding principles to help you make the best decision for your skin. 

What to look for in a professional facial

It's always recommended before undergoing any type of facial that you book in a skin consultation so we can assess your skin type as well as your skin concerns, and cater the treatment to your needs, Morrison tells BEAUTYcrew.

"Use this time to ask 101 questions, get a feel for the salon and the therapist who will be treating you," she explains. "It's important that after this experience, you feel comfortable and knowledgeable about your skin and how to reach your desired results."

The facialist believes that treating skin is a journey unique to each individual, as everyone's needs and desires for their dream skin are different.

"I believe that the therapist and the clinic are in complete control of your experience — from the moment you step into the spa, you should feel a calming presence and feel like you can truly relax," she tells us.

"Our skin is influenced by our emotions and our nervous system — if you feel stressed or anxious in a space your skin will show it — it's important that from start to finish you feel like you can truly relax and you let your therapist take you on a journey," Morrison explains. "You should be walking out feeling like you're ready to fall straight to sleep."

We think we might be able to help in that regard — ahead, discover eight of the best facials the city of Sydney has to offer.

1/ The Parlour Room's Ultimate Luxury Experience Facial

The Ultimate Luxury Experience Facial is quite literally the ultimate indulgent experience, says Morrison.

"My top three facial non-negotiables are LED always, some form of facial massage during the treatment to assist the body with lymphatic drainage and minimise any puffiness — this can be either manually with hands or with gua sha — and lastly, either extractions or a deep clean with something I wouldn't be able to just purchase over the counter, like an enzymatic peel full of lactic acid, or an oxygenating facial mask to clean and rehydrate the skin," Morrison explains.

"The Ultimate Luxury Experience Facial has everything you would want in a traditional facial: LED, a fruit Peel and manual lymphatic drainage facial massage. Followed by a scalp massage, foot, hand, arm and shoulders massage," she tells BEAUTYcrew. "It is the perfect option for anyone wanting to deep clean and nourish their skin, but also wants to really relax and have 90 uninterrupted minutes entirely to themselves."

Key features:

• Double cleanse
• Active cranberry seed exfoliation and enzyme fruit peel
• Honey and vanilla bean foot scrub and masque
• Hand and arm massage
• LED light treatment
• Hydrating facial mask
• Eye cream
• Serum
• Moisturiser
• SPF
• Deep tissue scalp massage
• 1 hour and 30 minute treatment time

Price:

• $395 from Self by The Parlour Room
• $395 from The Parlour Room Redfern

Location:

• Self by The Parlour Room, 1/210-212 Clovelly Road, Randwick 
• The Parlour Room Redfern, 12 Baptist Street, Redfern

2/ April Brodie's Golki Fusion Facial

April Brodie is one of Australia's leading integrated facialists for a reason. The industry veteran offers just three facials to her clients, and the latest treatment in her repertoire — the Golki Fusion Facial — took her two years to create. She even retrained in Korea to effectively incorporate a unique fusion of eastern and western facial techniques, resulting in a two hour treatment that leaves her A-list clientele with Korean-inspired glass skin.

"In my treatment, I’ve blended [intensive] Korean [cleansing and massage] techniques with gentler European methods to create a facial massage that is both relaxing and highly effective," Brodie explained to us after we tried the glass skin facial ourselves. "This fusion ensures clients receive the benefits of both worlds, resulting in a transformative and truly luxurious skincare experience that I’m truly proud to offer."

Key features:

• Hybrid medicinal herbal cleansing mask
• Four to five cleansing steps customised to your specific skin needs
• French facialist Sophie Carbonari's S Serum is made in Korea and improves skin quality, tone, and firmness (contains vitamins C and E, natural retinol alternative gotu kola, hyaluronic acid, argan and cumin oil, vine flower, ginger, and wild narcissus)
• Golki fusion facial massage targets tension, improves circulation and sculpts the face, while encouraging relaxation and a rejuvenated appearance
• Professional-grade Korean sheet mask infused with premium herbs
• Moisturiser/SPF
• Two hour treatment time

Price:

• $700 from April Brodie

Location:

• By appointment (Join the Sydney waitlist here)

3/ Jocelyn Petroni's The JP Skin Journey

Jocelyn Petroni has created an environment that seeks to support her client's skin longevity, by forming a relationship with your complexion's long term needs. You can book a one time facial, but partaking in The JP Skin Journey means you'll be simultaneously indulging and treating your skin for your best complexion yet.

Petroni's heart chakra treatment plan begins with level one, which all of the facialist's new clients start with. It includes an initial skin consultation and the Jocelyn Petroni Signature Heart Chakra Facial.

This then graduates to level two — a Heart Chakra Prescription Facial — which uses intensive ingredient combination, concentrated skin care formulas and targeted treatments such as deep cleansing, advanced peels, invigorating vitamin infusions and skin-specific masks.

Level three of The JP Skin Journey — the Heart Chakra Prescription Plus Facial — builds on level two by integrating advanced exfoliation techniques such as diamond tip microdermabrasion and hydrating hydrabrasion, as well as peels and vitamin infusion for deeper results.

Level four utilises sophisticated peel layering and multiple modality treatments including in-clinic technology and bespoke massage techniques to address signs of stress and premature ageing in the skin.

Finally, an elevated level five Heart Chakra Facial incorporates microneedling to address a myriad of skin issues such as pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, and breakouts.

Key features:

• Long-term treatment program
• Customised to your specific needs
• Tiered treatment program slowly integrates rejuvenating ingredients, techniques and technologies to minimise potential damage to the skin's natural barrier, and optimise overall results
• Initial skin consultation
• Jocelyn Petroni Signature Heart Chakra Facial
• Deep cleansing 
• Advanced peels
• Vitamin infusions
• Skin-specific face masks
• Diamond tip microdermabrasion
• Hydrabrasion
• In-clinic technology
• Bespoke massage techniques
• Microneedling

Price:

• Level One (from $330 at Jocelyn Petroni)
• Level Two (from $360 at Jocelyn Petroni)
• Level Three (from $390 at Jocelyn Petroni)
• Level Four (from $420 at Jocelyn Petroni)
• Level Five (from $520 at Jocelyn Petroni)

Location:

• Woollahra Salon, Level One, 80 Queen Street, Woollahra

4/ Belaméres' Signature Fairy Dust Treatment Facial

Wishing you had a fairy godmother to zhuzh your dull, lacklustre complexion prior to a big event like Cinderella? Consider your wish granted with Belaméres' Signature Fairy Dust Treatment.

The rejuvenating facial utilises a unique combination of low-level laser technology with micronized hyaluronic acid to restore radiance and hydration, smooth texture, and stimulate collagen production. 

The best part is it requires no downtime, so you can easily slot in an appointment prior to your best friend's wedding or even schedule regular complexion-refreshing facials in the lead up to your own nuptials.

Key features: 

• Gentle cleansing and exfoliation to prepare the skin for optimum efficacy
• Laser stimulation to activate skin renewal and collagen production
• Hyaluronic acid infusion to deeply hydrate and plump the skin
• Facial treatment with option to add on a neck, or neck and décolletage treatment 
• Add on optional complementary treatments such as eye bio-needling
• One hour and 30 minute treatment time

Price:

• from $310 at Belaméres

Location:

• Belaméres Skin Care Clinic, Level 1/336 New South Head Rd, Double Bay

5/ Venustus' The Cocoon Facial

After a facial that allows you to truly disconnect from the stress of daily life? Make time to fit an appointment at Venustus into your busy schedule. The deeply-considered Paddington space has been constructed on top of a crystal grid, which has been intentionally buried into the earth beneath the building's warren of metal-articulated treatment rooms. So whether you're indulging in Venustus' signature four hand body massage or their cocoon facial, it's hard not to feel a transcendental level of relaxation.

The Cocoon Facial goes beyond mere relaxation and was designed with the intention of activating the parasympathetic nervous system by softly wrapping the body and face in gauze cloth. Combined with specialised facial, scalp and neck massage techniques, hot towels and neck towel stretches, and organic skincare (including a selection of four exfoliants and three peels) The Cocoon Facial aims for rejuvenation of the skin and the soul.

Key features:

• Specialised facial, scalp and neck massage techniques
• Hot towels and neck towel stretches
• Organic skincare
• A selection of four exfoliants and three peels
• Body and face wrapped with gauze cloth inscribed with healing words (optional)
• Incorporation of crystal healing (optional)
• One hour treatment time

Price:

• from $353 at Venustus

Location:

• Venustus, 383 Oxford Street, Paddington

6/ The Skin Bar's RF Needling

One of The Skin Bar's most requested treatments is RF Needling, which combines the benefits of radiofrequency energy and a microneedling facial. A single session is all you need to improve the appearance of your complexion prior to a big event, but The Skin Bar also offers treatment packages for clients who are looking to address specific skin concerns such as pigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles.

"Microneedling is the perfect pre-event treatment," The Skin Bar's founder Samantha Appel told BEAUTYcrew when we discovered it was a key step in Demi Moore's red carpet skin prep routine. "Your skin will reap the rewards for weeks and months after. In just one treatment alone, microneedling will stimulate more collagen production than you lose in one year."

"Radiofrequency energy is delivered deep into the skin through tiny microneedles, triggering the skin’s natural wound-healing response while heating the dermis," Appel explained via Instagram. "This dual action stimulates collagen and elastin production, the key structural proteins we gradually lose with age.⁠"

Key features:

• Optional, personalised pre-peel tailored to your specific skin concern
• Radiofrequency microneedling treatment 
• Peptide serum
• Signature post-needling Uber Peel
• Face 30 minutes / Face and Neck 40 minutes / Face Neck and Décellotage 45 minutes

Price: 

• 1 session (from $450 at The Skin Bar)
• 3 sessions (from $1050 at The Skin Bar)
• 6 sessions (from $1850 at The Skin Bar)

Location:

• The Skin Bar Bondi Beach, 69 O'Brien St, Bondi
• The Skin Bar Cronulla, 28A Cronulla St, Cronulla
• The Skin Bar Double Bay, 5/402 New South Head Rd, Double Bay
• The Skin Bar Mosman, 732 Military Rd, Mosman
• The Skin Bar Narrabeen, 1459 Pittwater Rd, North Narrabeen
• The Skin Bar & Bath House, 634 Darling St, Rozelle

7/ Fayshell's The Fayshell™ Membership

If you're in need of a regular facial that addresses very specific skin concerns then look no further than The Fayshell™ Membership. Fayshell specialises in customised facial treatments and treatment plans that take into consideration the fact that most people are time poor and trying to stick to a budget.

The Fayshell™ Membership includes a 45-minute results-driven custom facial every month, 50 per cent off all additional treatment enhancements, eight LED Fayshell credits to use throughout the month, and 10 per cent off products at your first appointment. There is a three month minimum commitment and T&Cs apply, but with all those perks it's hard to see that as a downside.

During The Fayshell™ signature 45 minute treatment clients can expect a skin consultation, a customised facial tailored to your skin's specific needs, and a selection of optional add-ons that are designed to enhance your experience. 

Key features:

• Monthly expert skin consultation and customised 45 minute facial treatment (décolletage and neck available as optional add ons)
• 50 per cent off optional add on treatments (advanced, herbal or phyto peel, dermablading, laser, and skin needling)
• Eight LED Fayshell credits to use throughout the month
• 10 per cent off products at your first appointment
• Three month minimum commitment and T&Cs apply

Price: 

• $199 per month at Fayshell

Location:

• Fayshell Neutral Bay, Shop 1, 27-35 Grosvenor Street Neutral Bay
• Fayshell Bondi Junction, 15 Bronte Road, Bondi Junction

8/ MECCA X FaceGym's Cryo Contour Facial

If you have an event coming up that you want to look photo-ready for, we suggest booking an appointment for a FaceGym Cryo Contour Facial at the MECCA George Street store the day before.

The sculpting facial treatment is the equivalent of a full body workout and a dip in the ol' ice bath, but for your face. It combines FACEGYM's signature muscle manipulation techniques with EMS technology, and a high-pressure Cryo Shot of CO2 and hyaluronic acid.

Not only will you discover bone structure you never knew you had post-treatment, you'll also notice plumped fine lines, a boost in hydration, and a smooth, soft complexion.

Key features:

• FACEGYM's signature muscle manipulation techniques
• Electrical Muscle Stimulation technology
• High-pressure Cryo Shot of CO2
• FaceGym Active Blast Concentrated Collagen 7 Day Daily Treatment + Hydro Bound Serum
• 55 minute treatment time

Price: 

• from $300 at MECCA ($100 non-refundable deposit required)

Location:

• Exclusive to MECCA George Street, Corner of George Street and Market St, Sydney CBD

Main image credit: @theparlourroom_

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